WOODLAND, Calif.—Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced sweeping indictments against seven individuals tied to a massive illegal fireworks operation that prosecutors say led to a deadly explosion in Esparto last summer, describing the case as one of the largest and most complex investigations in the office’s history.
“This investigation has thus far involved dozens, maybe hundreds of law enforcement agencies around the state and the country and we’re grateful for their help,” Reisig said during a press briefing. “It has taken us across California. It’s taken us across the nation and it’s even taken us across our national borders.”
Reisig added, “It has been a massive investigation and certainly during my 20-year tenure as the DA, it has been the largest we’ve ever undertaken. We’ve attempted to leave no stone unturned.”
The indictments stem from a July 1, 2025 explosion in Esparto that killed seven people. According to prosecutors, a criminal grand jury returned two indictments—one with 30 counts and another with five counts—targeting multiple individuals allegedly involved in what authorities describe as a long-running illegal explosives enterprise.
“On April 3rd, Friday of last week, all of this effort culminated from the decision of an independent criminal grand jury to indict eight individuals on a multitude of charges, including five defendants for second degree murder related to the seven individuals who died,” Reisig said.
Authorities identified those charged with second-degree murder as Kenneth Chi, Jack Lee, Gary Chan, Douglas Tollefson and Samuel Machado. The victims of the explosion were identified as Christopher Bocog, Neil Lee, Joel Melendez, Jr., Jesus Ramos, Johnny Ramos, Carlos Rodriguez Mora and Angel Waller.
Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity explained the basis for the murder charges, stating, “The most serious charges are seven counts of second degree murder for each of the victims who perished the explosion.”
Nabity said the grand jury concluded that the initial blast occurred at a property linked to the operation and directly caused the deaths. “The evidence shows that that initial blast caused the death of these seven victims,” she said.
Beyond the homicide charges, prosecutors allege a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy spanning more than a decade.
“Those counts allege a decade long conspiracy which turned the property of a former sheriff’s lieutenant, Sam Machado, into the Northern California hub for an illegal enterprise that imports for themselves illegal explosives on the black market,” Nabity said.
She emphasized that the case involves far more than consumer fireworks. “This is not a case just about fireworks,” Nabity said. “They are devices that have so much more explosive fireworks than the law allows that they can’t be considered fireworks. They are explosives.”
According to the indictment, the operation allegedly imported and distributed large quantities of illegal explosive materials under various brand names. Prosecutors allege the enterprise expanded significantly over time, both in scale and infrastructure.
“The indictment alleges the footprint of devastating pyrotechnics expanded from 13 storage containers on the Machado property in 2013 to more than 50 in 2025, in addition to a 5,000 square foot warehouse,” Nabity said.
Authorities further allege the operation handled enormous quantities of explosives. “Over those 10 years, the indictment alleges the illegal enterprise was able to import more than 11 million pounds of explosives and related materials,” Nabity said, adding that “approximately one million pounds were stored on the Machado property on July 1st, 2025.”
In addition to murder and conspiracy charges, the indictment includes counts related to maintaining a dangerous workplace, unlawfully causing a fire, insurance fraud, child endangerment, animal cruelty, tax violations and weapons offenses.
Nabity explained the basis for the child endangerment and animal cruelty allegations.
“The evidence shows there was a substantial volume and the indictment alleges there was a substantial volume of explosives, including illegal explosives stored adjacent to a family pool,” she said.
She added that “approximately a million pounds of explosive material stored near our residence led the criminal grand jury to return indictments for animal cruelty and children.”
Prosecutors also allege that certain individuals used positions of trust or authority to shield the operation from scrutiny. “The indictment includes a number of overt acts,” Navidi said. “Defendants using their positions to make false statements to the public, law enforcement entities and the county about the nature of the business.”
At the same time, officials stressed the limits of what they could disclose publicly due to the early stage of the case. “Because this is an indictment, we’re not at a trial stage yet. We’re very limited in what we can share with you at this stage of the proceedings,” Reisig said.
He also emphasized that the charges reflect findings by a grand jury, not a final determination of guilt. “These people are presumed innocent, they’ll prove them guilty, but the grand jury indictment is a significant step in the process,” Reisig said.
When asked why murder charges were pursued rather than lesser charges such as negligence, Reisig pointed to the grand jury’s role. “The indictment is actually the decision of those grand jurors after hearing the evidence as to what they believed were appropriate charges,” he said.
He added, “You had citizens of Yolo County that heard the evidence and they believe that it was appropriate to charge five people with murder, second degree murder.”
Authorities confirmed that arrests have already been carried out across multiple jurisdictions with assistance from numerous agencies, including federal and out-of-state partners. Some individuals have been booked into the Yolo County Jail, while others arrested outside the region are expected to be transported back for arraignment.
Reisig said arraignments for those already in custody are scheduled to take place in Yolo County Superior Court. Others arrested out of the area “will eventually be brought back and then arraigned and joined into the case,” he said.
Despite the sweeping charges, officials emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing. “This is still an ongoing investigation. There still are individuals that are being investigated,” Reisig said.
He declined to provide additional details about potential future charges or findings, noting the involvement of multiple agencies and the complexity of the case. “There were, as I said, dozens, if not hundreds of entities involved in assisting us,” he said, adding that key investigative details could not yet be disclosed.
Throughout the briefing, prosecutors also acknowledged the impact of the tragedy on victims’ families. Reisig said the prosecution team remained mindful of those affected. “We have heard how frustrated they have been. We have a deep empathy for their loss,” he said.
He added, “We know that this process is long and terrible for them in many ways, but every single person up here thought about them every step of the way in trying to seek the truth in this case.”
The case now moves into the court process, where prosecutors say they will continue pursuing what they described as accountability for a large-scale illegal explosives operation that allegedly operated for years before culminating in a deadly blast.
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