Fireworks linked to defendants in the deadly Esparto fireworks case killed at least two other people before and after the July 1, 2025 blast, prosecutors allege in a new court filing.
The filing from the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office also alleged that one defendant returned to the still-smoldering property in camouflage the day after the explosion to change the locks, and that others have since discussed rebuilding their illegal operation in Nevada.
The motion, dated April 13, asked the court to deny bail for the five defendants facing murder charges, or set it at $5 million each.
Chee’s “criminal network”
Devastating Pyrotechnics owner Kenneth Chee has been identified as the leader of what prosecutors called a “criminal network” trading millions of pounds of black-market fireworks and explosives out of Esparto for at least a decade.
The Yolo County DA’s office said the initial explosions happened where Devastating Pyrotechnics stored its pyrotechnics, instantly killing seven of the company’s workers and starting a small wildfire.
Chee’s business was reportedly linked to at least three other major incidents involving illegal fireworks, which the DA’s office said showed he was “indifferent to the known dangers of the illegal, overcharged fireworks he imported and sold on the black market.”
The first, prosecutors said, was a June 14, 2023 explosion at a three-story building in San Jose. Police investigators arrested two people in connection to the explosion and seized around 38,000 pounds of illegal pyrotechnics.
The second alleged incident involved the death of an 18-year-old man during 2024 New Year’s celebrations on Treasure Island. Prosecutors said the man was “decapitated” while lighting off one of Chee’s pyrotechnic devices branded “Northern Beast.”
The incident is noted in a 2023-2024 San Francisco civil grand jury report. Media outlets identified the victim as Marciano Antone-Gordon of San Francisco. The DA’s office said despite the death, Chee continued to import and sell Northern Beast devices.
The third incident is the May 2025 raid by Cal Fire and federal agents of a warehouse in the Southern California city of Commerce, which the State Fire Marshal’s Office said at the time netted over 100,000 pounds of illegal fireworks.
A Cal Fire and federal raid of a warehouse in Commerce, CA, netted more than 100,000 pounds of illegal fireworks.Courtesy of Cal Fire State Fire Marshal
A Sacramento Bee investigation later found the warrant for that seizure was connected to Devastating Pyrotechnics. Prosecutors wrote that the Commerce raid actually seized more than half-a-million pounds of illegal explosives and fireworks, and that after the seizures Chee “repeatedly sought to bring those devices to Esparto.”
Even after the July 1 explosion killed seven of his employees, Chee remained focused on “efforts to ‘restart and rebuild’ his illegal enterprise,” the DA’s office wrote. They pointed to emails and phone records between Chee and co-conspirators to find property in Nevada to restart their operation.
Prosecutors also said Chee remained in contact with individuals in the Bay Area and across California, as well as in China and Malaysia, who are involved in the illegal explosives business. They said evidence showed that Chee “has gone as far as trying to recruit new workers to join his enterprise.”
Chee is also accused of attempting to participate in San Francisco’s 2026 Chinese New Year celebration and attended its pyrotechnics display despite having no valid pyrotechnics license, which the DA’s office wrote showed his “brazen disdain for victims and the law.”
Cal Fire revoked Chee’s state-issued pyrotechnics license last August. He was previously denied a federal explosives license or permit following a criminal conviction from the 1990s that made him ineligible to hold one.
Chee was arrested at Disney World in Florida on April 9 and made a brief court appearance the next day. An Orange County judge told Chee he would likely be meeting with an extradition team last week. Among his various charges are seven counts of second-degree murder, one for each victim.
Tollefsen’s alleged activities
More details were also disclosed regarding the alleged role of Douglas Tollefsen, whose name was largely unknown before the DA’s office released its indictments. He also faces seven counts of murder and charges related to reselling illegal fireworks under private labels, among others.
The motion identified Tollefsen as a “longtime associate” of Chee, and said he visited the Esparto property on the day of the explosion. “[Tollefsen] observed the deadly working conditions he and his co-conspirators created,” prosecutors wrote, adding that Devastating Pyrotechnics workers were “preparing for display shows in the most dangerous way.”
The DA’s office said workers were “e-matching shells before transport, without any safety equipment or precautions.” This refers to inserting electric matches used to set off pyrotechnics.
Last week a defense attorney for another defendant, former Sheriff’s Lieutenant Samuel Machado, said the explosion was an “industrial accident” that happened when workers were inserting electronic igniters or fuses.
Prosecutors said workers were also surrounded by “mass quantities of unsecured explosive material sufficient to cause the blasts which killed everyone who remained in the warehouse after Tollefsen drove away.”
Tollefsen’s involvement with Devastating Pyrotechnics and illegal devices allegedly extended beyond the July 1 blast.
On July 2, prosecutors said Tollefsen returned to the “still-smoldering” property wearing “head-to-toe camouflage clothing,” including obscuring his identity with a mask, hat and sunglasses. The motion said he intended to “replace any remaining locks on the Machado property before anyone else could do it.”
Days later on July 4, the DA’s office said one of Tollefsen’s products — a “For the Streets” device labeled as “Knuckles Punch” — exploded in the Southern California city of Buena Park, killing an eight-year-old girl.
Buena Park Police said their initial investigation found a “large illegal fireworks display” placed in the street “began misfiring toward the residence where the child was.” This set off other illegal fireworks, one of which struck the girl.
The victim was identified in media reports as Jasmine Nguyen of Anaheim. The homeowner was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
Prosecutors also allege Tollefsen is one of the co-conspirators who spoke with Chee about buying property in Nevada. They also said he “continued to communicate with contacts in the illegal explosives business about specific products to import,” and also took steps to destroy evidence of their illegal activity.
Other defendants
Samuel Machado owned the rural Esparto property where prosecutors said he “presided over a public safety risk of historic proportions.”
Machado authorized explosives storage “mere feet away from his family's swimming pool and trampoline,” prosecutors wrote. He also operated a firearms business called Sam’s Gun Sales on the property. Multiple assault weapons were recovered from the property which he unlawfully possessed, according to prosecutors.
The DA’s office alleged Machado accepted cash payments from the illegal operation “while wearing his badge and uniform.” They said the former lieutenant lied to an FBI special agent when the agency received a tip about illegal activity, and assured law enforcement colleagues that the business was fully licensed.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig (center) and members of his team speak at a news conference Friday, April 10, 2026, in Woodland, Calif., announcing indictments charging eight people in connection with the deadly July 2025 Esparto explosion.Greg Micek/CapRadio
“He used his badge — and the trust, credibility, deference, and authority it conferred — to shield the deadly, illegal business he fostered in his own backyard,” the filing stated.
The incident with the FBI occurred in September 2022, and was discussed at length during Machado’s arraignment last Thursday. A request for Machado to receive bail was also denied at that hearing following emotional pleas from multiple victims’ family members.
Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez denied any knowledge of the illegal fireworks operation on Machado’s property shortly after the indictments were released. Lopez also said he was unaware of illegal weapons being stored on the property, saying “it’s not something I would expect one of my employees to be doing.”
Craig Cutright owns Blackstar Fireworks, the second company operating out of Esparto, and was described as “an architect” of the operation. Prosecutors say he led the effort to build a 5,000-square-foot warehouse and “deceived the Esparto Fire Chief into believing the businesses on the Machado property were fully licensed and legal.” Cutright’s state pyrotechnics license was also suspended by Cal Fire last August.
Cutright was a volunteer firefighter with the Esparto Fire Protection District who “spearheaded construction of an explosive storage facility that by design had no fire safety measures,” prosecutors wrote. As of his arrest, he was back at the firehouse.
On Monday, a judge granted Cutright’s release on $500,000 bail with several conditions. He must surrender his passport, wear a GPS monitor, and cannot leave California without court permission. He is also barred from possessing explosives or contacting co-defendants or victims.
Cutright’s brother-in-law testified that he would post bail using cash and a lien on his home, and expects no repayment.
Jack Lee, Chee’s uncle and operations manager, was “routinely present” at the property, prosecutors said. They allege he stored “substantial volumes of homemade m-devices and precursor chemicals" and was "a leader in the black-market sales of illegal explosives."
Gary Chan, Chee’s half-brother, held federal explosives licenses that prosecutors said provided the “bedrock” for the scheme through “ten years of lying to the government.” Chan and Lee also face murder charges.
Ronald Botelho III, an associate of Cutright and Devastating Pyrotechnics, remains in custody in Del Norte County where he was arrested in December.
Lee, Tollefsen, Chan and Cutright are scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in Yolo County. Machado, who pleaded not guilty last week, has a trial setting conference the same day. His wife Tammy Machado is scheduled to return to court June 4, after pleading not guilty last week.
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