Central California carjacking turns out to be insurance scam, investigators say

[ad_1] Martha Gutierrez DeRomero informed authorities she stopped her Chevy van, en path to a swap meet, amongst groves of fruit bushes simply exterior Madera in Central California to regulate her merchandise when the lads appeared.

The 57-year-old had been touring the morning of Might 23 close to the intersection of Avenue 21 and Highway 26, a two-lane rural thoroughfare close to a fireplace station, with $60,000 value of health merchandise piled in her car.

On the precise second she pulled over, two masked males with knives approached DeRomero and stole the van, she stated.

It was a story of timing — poor for DeRomero and fortuitous for the carjackers — that didn’t fairly sit properly with Madera County sheriff’s deputies.

<img class="image" alt="Van contained approximately $60,000 in merchandise consisting of fitness clothing, waist trainers and supplements. " srcset="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/af16f84/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/320x240!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F8a%2F3f0c1d944b6ab328ae500c3583b6%2Finsurance-fraud-01.jpg 320w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/351f811/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/568x426!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F8a%2F3f0c1d944b6ab328ae500c3583b6%2Finsurance-fraud-01.jpg 568w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/475555b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/768x576!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F8a%2F3f0c1d944b6ab328ae500c3583b6%2Finsurance-fraud-01.jpg 768w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6c5925e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/1024x768!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F8a%2F3f0c1d944b6ab328ae500c3583b6%2Finsurance-fraud-01.jpg 1024w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f9d0b26/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/1200x900!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F8a%2F3f0c1d944b6ab328ae500c3583b6%2Finsurance-fraud-01.jpg 1200w" sizes="100vw" width="1200" height="900" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f9d0b26/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/1200x900!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F8a%2F3f0c1d944b6ab328ae500c3583b6%2Finsurance-fraud-01.jpg" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/> The van contained about $60,000 value of merchandise that included health clothes, waist trainers and dietary supplements, authorities stated.

(Madera County Sheriff’s Workplace)

DeRomero’s story finally crumbled following a number of rounds of interviews with investigators. Authorities decided the carjacking was nothing greater than a hoax with a objective of fast money by the use of insurance coverage fraud, sheriff officers stated.

DeRomero and her boyfriend Alfredo Ledezma, 57, of Madera have been charged Friday with a felony rely of insurance coverage fraud and a misdemeanor rely of submitting a false police report, based on courtroom data.

“What started as a severe and regarding report of a violent carjacking rapidly unraveled underneath cautious investigation,” Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue stated in an announcement. “Making an attempt to take advantage of emergency companies for private achieve will not be solely unlawful, it diverts assets from those that really need assistance.”

Madera County Sheriff officers didn't return telephone calls from The Instances looking for further remark. DeRomero and Ledezma couldn't instantly be reached for remark. It’s not clear if they've attorneys.

Each are due again in courtroom July 8 for arraignment hearings.

When DeRomero referred to as authorities simply after 8 a.m. on Might 23 to report that she had been carjacked investigators instantly launched into motion.

Deputies circulated an outline of the car and the suspects. Authorities finally discovered the white van deserted in close by Merced County and a storage locker that contained merchandise matching the outline of the stolen items.

After one other spherical of questioning detectives decided DeRomero and Ledezma had “staged the complete incident” as a part of an insurance coverage fraud scheme, based on the felony criticism filed in Madera County Superior Court docket.