SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Stephan James Evanovich, 47, of Placerville, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to six years and five months in prison for a conspiracy to transport stolen property and for interstate transportation of stolen property, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, Evanovich led a multistate conspiracy that endangered cellular communications, including potentially disrupting 911 services. Evanovich’s co-conspirators Trevor Fountain, 38; Jonathan Matthew Curl, 37; and Andrea Carter, 36, all of Sacramento, entered communications towers to steal rectifiers (a power source necessary to maintain power at the towers) and other communications equipment. Fountain, Carter, and Curl were responsible for stealing equipment and transferring it to Evanovich, who then paid them for the stolen equipment. Evanovich sold the stolen property to unwitting third-party vendors in California, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas. In total, the conspirators stole, sold, and shipped more than 700 rectifiers across state lines.
As part of the scheme, Evanovich instructed others to create invoices using fictitious business names to make it appear as if the rectifiers had been purchased from legitimate sources.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Delaney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nchekube Onyima prosecuted the case.
All defendants pleaded guilty. Curl was sentenced on April 23, 2026, to two years in prison and ordered to pay $282,193 in restitution. Carter was sentenced on June 5, 2025, to 29 months in prison. Fountain was sentenced on Aug. 6, 2026, to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay $225,989 in restitution.