Ventura County Sheriff's Department

On Monday, July 7, 2008, Nathan Oseguera 27 of Fillmore, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for participating in a gang related home invasion robbery. The crime occurred last year in the city of Fillmore.

On 4-28-2007, Oseguera and several other armed Fillmore gang members went to a residence in the 300 block of Guiberson Road, in the city of Fillmore. The suspects knocked on the front door and forced their way into the home when the resident, Bret Godfrey, opened the door. The suspects tied Mr. Godfrey’s hands together with zip ties and took him into a back room of his residence and proceeded to ransack his house.

During the robbery, a friend of Mr. Godfrey’s inadvertently drove up to visit him. Oseguera met Mr. Godfrey’s friend in the driveway, pointed a gun at him, and forced him into the house. The friend was also tied up and placed in the same room as Mr. Godfrey.

The suspects took numerous items of value including several rifles and shotguns. Before leaving the residence, the suspects told the victims that they would come back and kill them if they reported the robbery to the police.

After a series of gang related shootings in the city of Fillmore, Mr. Godfrey eventually reported the home invasion robbery to Fillmore P.D. officials in July of 2007. The Sheriff’s Gang unit took over the investigation and identified several suspects, including Nathan Oseguera. On October 17, 2007, Sheriff’s gang investigators located Oseguera at a residence in the city of Santa Maria and took him into custody when he was seen leaving the residence in a truck.

Sheriff’s Gang investigators proceeded to serve several search warrants associated with this crime. Evidence from these search warrants revealed the identity of the other gang members involved and also arrested, Edward Alvarado 21, Armando Alvarado 27 Martin Gaspar 18, and a 16 year-old juvenile for participating in the robbery.

During the investigation, Sheriff’s Gang Unit members learned some of the weapons might have been sold to Daniel Medrano 30, a known Santa Paula gang member. On 11-21-2007, gang investigators served a search warrant at Medrano’s home in the 100 block of Moultrie Place, Santa Paula. Medrano, who had a prior conviction for robbery, was found in possession of a handgun and he was arrested for being a felon in possession of firearm. In February 2008, Medrano was sentenced to 16 months in State Prison.

On 11-16-2007, victim Bret Godfrey unexpectedly passed away in Santa Barbara County. Due to Mr. Godfrey’s sudden death, the District Attorney’s Office could only file charges against Oseguera due to needing his testimony for the prosecution of the others involved.

The Sheriff’s Gang Unit was created in February 2007, with the goal of addressing a rise in gang related crime in Ventura County. The six- person unit investigates violent crimes involving gang members, actively patrols gang areas, and is often called upon to assist in the prosecution of gang members in gang enhancement trials.