Stephanie Sierra
From fraud and corruption to health care and public safety - her beat encompasses a little bit of everything.
Over the past four years at KGO-TV, she has been committed to exposing abuse of power and taxpayer money at every level of government. These stories have exposed well-known nonprofits, politicians, and influential billionaires.
In 2023, she won a regional Emmy for her investigation into a local county Sheriff accused of favoring campaign donors when issuing concealed carry permits. The story prompted action from the FBI's political corruption unit and the county Board of Supervisors. As a result, a local oversight organization fought to ensure accountability and transparency in future operations within the department.
Her investigations have exposed loopholes in numerous state laws that have resulted in added protections for wildfire insurance, medical billing, and regional cybersecurity practices. In April, her series on Oakland's ransomware hack revealed a pattern of oversight and negligence - causing dozens of people who had their social security numbers leaked but were never notified by the city.
In February, she exposed concerns about sex trafficking operations outside a grade school in Oakland that prompted action from local and federal authorities to install barricades and cameras to deter the crime.
Stephanie reported extensively on public health during the pandemic. Her work shed light on critical new medical technologies-including a Bay Area COVID-testing company that worked with the California Dept. of Public Health to save the State tens of millions of dollars with processing costs.
While at ABC7, her public health and consumer reporting have received multiple Emmy nominations from the Northern California Academy of Arts & Sciences and prompted action by the FDA.
She's also covered the gruesome murder trials of Chris Watts and Patrick Frazee in Colorado to the high-profile fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes on the Peninsula.
Her passion for journalism started during her time at Mercy High School in Burlingame. "Career Day" transformed into a lifelong pursuit of storytelling. She graduated from the University of Missouri, majoring in broadcast journalism with a focus on investigative journalism.
After graduating, she braved the bomb cyclone blizzards and high altitude of the Rockies at the ABC affiliate in Colorado Springs (KRDO-TV) as an anchor and investigative reporter. Her year-long investigation uncovering the illicit massage industry in southern Colorado resulted in six women being rescued from human trafficking operations. It was honored with a regional Emmy and two National Edward R. Murrow awards. This followed years of consumer reporting on widespread contractor scams that prompted action by the Federal Trade Commission.
Stephanie is happy to be back home in the Bay Area, surrounded by the ocean views and majestic redwoods. You can often find her in San Francisco's Marina district with her 5-year-old dog Bubba!
If you have a story idea or want to say hello - contact her at Stephanie.K.Sierra@abc.com or on social platforms @StephanieABC7 & @StephanieKSierra.
Stephanie's Stories
Thieves drain nearly $18K from NorCal couple's bank account using fake checks, online bill payment
Thieves drained nearly $18K from a NorCal couple's bank account and upended their lives when their bank approved fake checks and at least 17 online transactions.
CA family almost loses chance to attend World Cup at Levi's Stadium after StubHub seller backs out
We all know FIFA World Cup tickets are a hot commodity. Especially when USA is playing in the Bay Area and won! But, what happens if the tickets you bought - suddenly disappeared on StubHub?
Here's what you're allowed to bring inside World Cup match starring USA at Levi's Stadium
If you're a lucky ticketholder for Wednesday's World Cup match at Levi's Stadium or San Francisco Bay Area stadium -- starring USA -- you already know to leave plenty of time to get inside the stadium. But another thing that can hold you up? The security check.
Credit card delinquencies at highest level in 15 years, report says: What to do if you're delinquent
New statistics show Americans are past due in more of their credit card payments than in the last decade and a half. Credit card delinquencies could result in late fees, account closure and impact your credit score. What can you do if you're delinquent?
Martinez man says his AI was hacked as fraudulent charges racked up in euros on Claude account
A Bay Area man noticed mysterious charges -- made in euros -- on his Chase account, and linked it back to his AI agent, Claude. Anthropic says the issue was not caused by the Claude app itself. Here's what the former information security director found.
CA attorney general announces new 'Affordability Response Team' to address cost of living in state
The new team will specifically focus on issues like the cost of groceries, gas, and utilities. The attorney general also called out the rise in scams taking Californians' hard-earned money and promised to "crack down" on that type of predatory conduct.
Bay Area couple gets $10K bill for toll violations racked up by identity thief
The Antioch couple said it was difficult to get past the loss of personal mementos in the burglary, like her grandmother's locket and dad's funeral program. They had no idea the burglars also stole their identity and quietly racked up $10K in toll violations under their name. The Orange County Transportation Authority told them they were responsible for $10,000 in penalties.
Dozens of apparent shopping carts stuck in marsh along SF Bay: 'How did they get there?!'
It's not just one or two shopping carts, but there's what appears to be dozens of them spanning the Colma Creek marsh adjacent to the SF bay. "This is certainly the greatest concentration that I've ever seen in one place," said a representative from Save the Bay about the shopping carts along the trail.
Fans turning to social media for World Cup ticket deals should be on alert for scams, says BBB
Some soccer fans are turning to third-party sellers in the hopes of scoring a great deal -- but should be cautious of scam sellers.
Survey: Americans aren't letting soaring costs cancel summer travel -- yet
While they still plan to travel, vacationers are also picking cheaper destinations and modes of transportation.
