May 4, 2026 – SACRAMENTO, CA – Jonathan Matthew Curl, 36, of Sacramento, was sentenced on 
Thursday by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to two years in prison and ordered to pay $282,193 in restitution, for conspiracy to transport stolen property and for interstate transportation of stolen property, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
Image by Ray Shrewsberry • Ray_Shrewsberry from Pixabay
According to court documents, Curl worked with co-conspirators Trevor Fountain, 38, of Sacramento; Stephan James Evanovich, 46, of Placerville; and Andrea Carter, 35, formerly of Sacramento, to illegally enter communications towers and steal rectifiers and other communications equipment. Rectifiers are a power source necessary to maintain power at communications towers.
Related: Placerville Man Pleads Guilty to Interstate Theft Conspiracy of Stolen Communications Equipment
Curl obtained access information through his employers, and then shared that information with co-conspirators, enabling them to steal rectifiers without detection. Curl, Fountain, and Carter, were responsible for stealing equipment and transferring it to Evanovich, who then paid them for the stolen equipment. Evanovich sold the stolen property to legitimate third-party vendors in California, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas. The conspirators stole, sold, and shipped more than 485 stolen rectifiers across state lines and stole more than 700 rectifiers from telecommunications towers throughout Northern California. Curl pleaded guilty on Jan. 8, 2026.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nchekube Onyima are prosecuting the case.
Carter pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 5, 2025, to 29 months in prison. Fountain pleaded guilty on September 25, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2026. Evanovich pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2026. Evanovich faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Fountain faces maximum statutory penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Source: DOJ Release
