SALINAS, California – Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on October 6 that Ray Gutierrez Jr. was convicted by a jury of assault by a life prisoner and personal infliction of great bodily injury. The Honorable Judge Stephanie E. Hulsey presided over the trial. On May 6 of 2022, Gutierrez, a state prison inmate serving a life sentence, stabbed his cellmate with a prison weapon approximately 40 times in the face, head, and neck. The victim survived, but only after significant intervention by the medical professionals at the Natividad Medical Center. Gutierrez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30, 2026. The defendant faces 27 years to life plus an additional 13 years in prison to be served consecutive to his current 50 year to life sentence This case was investigated by the Investigative Services Unit of Salinas Valley State Prison and the District Attorney Investigators assigned to the Prison Prosecution Unit.
Salinas Serial Scammer Sentenced to 3 Years and 4 Months for Theft Related to Mortgage and Tanda Scam
Monterey, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on October 6 that 36-year-old Esmeralda Hernandez Pulido of Salinas, was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in jail by Judge Jennifer O’Keefe after she pled to 4 counts of felony theft related to mortgage scams and theft by false pretenses. Hernandez Pulido defrauded at least 5 victims by claiming she needed cash for the down payment on a house and promised each that they would be in first position on the deed when in reality she collected well in excess of the value of the house and provided none of the promised return. By lying to each victim about the scale of her borrowing, and by misleading them about how secure their loan was, Hernandez Pulido was able to take substantial amounts of money without any intention of returning it. Additionally, Hernandez Pulido also stole money from tenants, friends, and acquaintances through the false pretense of participating in an informal savings club known...