A drunk driver who caused the death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child in East County was sentenced Aug. 26 to 34 years to life in prison.
Andrew Dorian Milonis, 46, was given two consecutive terms of 15 years to life plus four years for the deaths of Jessica Foderingham, 29, and her unborn daughter in 2017 near Ramona.
On July 17, a jury convicted Milonis of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, hit and run with death, hit and run with property damage and driving with a suspended license.
El Cajon Superior Court Judge John Thompson fined Milonis $10,574 and this will be paid from any prison earnings and a portion of money that is placed on his books by others.
Deputy District Attorney Laura Evans read a letter from Foderingham’s husband, Christian Foderingham, who is in the military and could not attend the sentencing.
Also speaking were the victim’s mother and other family members.
Evans told jurors Milonis “decided to drink all day” on May 14, 2017, at a Ramona bar and struck a tree upon driving away.
Milonis’ attorney told jurors someone else had struck Foderingham’s vehicle and the damage to Milonis’ car was from striking the tree.
Christian Foderingham was driving in another vehicle with the couple’s two sons when he saw Milonis’ black Yukon side-swipe his wife’s vehicle on San Vicente Road near Ramona.
Jessica Foderingham’s car struck a pepper tree and she and the unborn baby were killed.
Milonis, of Ramona, was given credit for serving 835 days in jail.
Man accused in murder trial found mentally incompetent
An Alpine man accused of killing his girlfriend was found mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled on Aug. 29.
Paul Paraschak, 43, will face an Oct. 29 preliminary hearing involving the Feb. 23 shooting death of Melanie Benitez, 27, outside a white car in a driveway in Alpine.
A psychologist evaluated Paraschak in jail and a San Diego Superior Court judge ordered criminal proceedings against Paraschak to resume after he was found mentally competent.
Paraschak has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail without bail.
El Cajon Social Security employee sentenced for embezzlement
A former Social Security Administration employee at the El Cajon office was sentenced Aug. 30 to eight months home detention for embezzling $65,118.
Nam-Phong Hung Le, 37, has paid all the money back which is part of the reason why he was placed on three years probation in U.S. District Court.
Judge Janis Sammartino ordered Le to pay an additional $34,890, which is a judgement found against him that relates to the fraud. He will have to pay for electronic monitoring of his house arrest in Chula Vista.
Le worked as a technical expert in 2010 in the Social Security Administration office in El Cajon and later in the downtown San Diego offices.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Hill asked for a 1-year sentence in prison, saying money was taken from six people’s Social Security accounts, including several who were deceased and whose payments should have stopped.
Hill described it as violation of trust and it was “a crime of opportunity that kept going.”
Le pleaded guilty to two counts of Social Security fraud and theft of public property.
“It took away from people who needed it, more than you needed it,” said Sammartino.
The judge said Le will be allowed to leave his residence for medical appointments, religious services, and for employment at a new job.
“I know I have committed a crime. I am totally responsible for that,” said Le.
Le set up a bank account in the names of two recipients who were leaving the U.S. and he knew Social Security payments would not be paid to those not in the U.S.
In his plea agreement, Le admitted he exploited his position with the Social Security Administration and took cash from money owed to different people. He deposited the cash into a bank account he controlled.
