Eight suspects, 35 felony counts: 2025 Esparto explosion charges summarized
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office announced two criminal grand jury indictments Friday related to last summer’s fireworks explosion in Esparto that killed seven people.
Seven people were arrested Thursday, with an eighth person who is charged in one of the indictments, Ronald John Botelho III already in custody.
These eight people are named across two indictments covering a total of 35 counts, all felonies. Seven defendants are charged in one indictment that has 30 counts listed, while an eighth defendant is in a separate indictment with five counts.
Here is how the charges break down:
Samuel Elmo Machado: 26 counts
Charges faced: Seven counts of murder; four counts of possessing an assault weapon; two counts of tax fraud; various counts related to possession of explosive or destructive devices; two counts related to transporting explosive or destructive devices, or conspiring to do so; unlawfully causing a fire; child endangerment; animal cruelty.
Who he is: Machado, 45, is a former Yolo County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant who resigned on March 17. He and his wife, Tammy Machado, who is charged in one of the indictments, owned the Esparto property at 18080 County Road 86A where the explosions occurred.
Reporting by The Sacramento Bee in late March, as a criminal grand jury was nearing recommending charges, found that officials had concern as far back as 2022 about a new warehouse that had been built on the property.
The indictment notes that Machado had leased storage space in 2015 to Devastating Pyrotechnics and BlackStar Fireworks.
Kenneth Kin Chee: 20 counts
Charges faced: Seven counts of murder; three counts of insurance fraud; various counts related to possession of explosive or destructive devices; two counts related to transporting explosive or destructive devices, or conspiring to do so; unlawfully causing a fire; dangerous workplace.
Who he is: The founder and CEO of Devastating Pyrotechnics, Chee was arrested Thursday at a Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida. In the days after the Esparto disaster on the July 1, 2025, the San Francisco Chronicle noted that Chee, 48, worked as an optician for a San Jose-area Costco and had been denied a fireworks license because of a previous felony conviction.
Douglas Michael Tollefsen: 17 counts
Charges faced: Seven counts of murder; various counts related to possession of explosive or destructive devices; two counts related to transporting explosive or destructive devices, or conspiring to do so; unlawfully causing a fire; dangerous workplace.
Who he is: Tollefsen, 55, of Rio Linda was an unknown before being named in the indictment. Reporting on the indictments has described Tollefsen as Chee’s associate. Among the counts, the indictment states that Tollefsen had “caused to be imported explosives branded as For the Streets or FTS fireworks and that he stored or otherwise dealt with them at Machado’s property,” according to prosecutors.
Jack Y. Lee: 16 counts
Charges faced: Seven counts of murder; various counts related to possession of explosive or destructive devices; two counts related to transporting explosive or destructive devices, or conspiring to do so; unlawfully causing a fire.
Who he is: Lee, 65, applied for and obtained federal explosives licenses for Devastating Pyrotechnics from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2011, according to one of the indictments. This came two years after Chee was denied a license due to a felony conviction, the indictment states.
Gary Y. Chan Jr.: At least 13 counts
Charges faced: Seven counts of murder; various counts related to possession of explosive or destructive devices; two counts related to transporting explosive or destructive devices, or conspiring to do so.
Who he is: Chan, 43, was arrested Thursday in Santa Clara County. The indictment states that Chan received a license in 2014 for a business that was using the trade name Devastating Pyro Displays. Like Lee, Chan might have done this since Chee couldn’t get a license because of his felony.
It is unclear based on the wording of the indictment if Chan was facing charges for counts 10 and 12.
Craig Allen Cutright: 10 counts
Charges faced: Various counts related to possession of explosive or destructive devices; two counts related to transporting explosive or destructive devices, or conspiring to do so.
Who he is: Cutright, 61, was an Esparto volunteer firefighter. He had also founded BlackStar Fireworks and resigned from the fire district days after one of the July 1 explosions injured his son.
“Craig is shattered by what happened,” a source told The Bee in a story from September. “He is a human being and a good guy who loved fireworks and preached safety. This is his worst nightmare.”
Ronald John Botelho III: At least 9 counts
Charges faced: Various counts related to possession of explosive or destructive devices; two counts related to transporting explosive or destructive devices, or conspiring to do so.
Who he is: Botelho wasn’t a previous unknown, as the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office and Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office arrested him in Crescent City in December on misdemeanor and felony fireworks charges.
It is unclear, from the indictment, is Botelho is facing a charge for count 10.
Tammy Kiku Machado: 5 counts
Charges faced: Mortgage fraud; two counts of tax fraud; child endangerment; animal cruelty.
Who she is: Tammy Machado, 46, is the wife of Samuel Machado and was charged in a separate indictment than the other seven defendants.
Reporting by The Bee on Thursday evening, as news of the arrests was breaking, noted that Tammy Machado was a Yolo County Sheriff’s Office legal assistant and that Jerry Matsumura, her father, “began experimenting with fireworks on his Esparto farm decades ago.” Tammy Machado split the land with her sister following their father’s death.
The child endangerment and animal cruelty charges each are from the day of the explosion. The tax charges are for submitting a “willfully false return” for the 2023 tax year and again the following year.
Like her husband, Tammy Machado has resigned from the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office. Reiko Matsumura, who also worked for the sheriff’s office, retired following the explosions.
