Feds say he masterminded an epic California water heist. Some farmers say he’s their Robin Hood
Prosecutors have accused Dennis Falaschi, 77, a gregarious local irrigation official [with the Panoche Water District], of masterminding the theft of more than $25 million worth of water out of a federal canal over the course of two decades and selling it to farmers and other local water districts. According to the allegations, proceeds that should have gone to the federal government instead were used to benefit Falaschi, his water district and a small group of co-conspirators, much of it funneled into exorbitant salaries and lavish fringe benefits. … Some farmers who relied on Falaschi and his irrigation district were outraged — at the government. They see him as the Robin Hood of irrigation. … For more than a year, Falaschi maintained his innocence, insisting there had been no theft. Then this spring, his attorneys filed paperwork that said he was prepared to change his plea. Exactly what he will plead guilty to remains unclear.