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 as a “tanda.” Instead of making the expected

payouts, she simply pocketed the money and then lied to victims asking for their money. The estimated loss

to all the victims is in excess of $1 million.

Victims spoke at the sentencing hearing, bravely sharing how these crimes deeply affected them and their

financial security. A hearing to determine the full restitution owed to the victims will be set at a later time.

Prosecution of this case was only possible because of the diligent and thorough investigation by District

Attorney Investigator Justin Bell.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office will be vigilant about investigating and prosecuting real

estate frauds and other financial crimes. Anyone who has been the victim of a real estate scam, or who has

information regarding a potential fraud, should file a complaint with the Monterey County District

Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit by completing the consumer complaint form located on the Monterey

County District Attorney’s website and emailing it to ConsumerComplaints@countyofmonterey.gov, mailing

it to the District Attorney’s Office at 1200 Aguajito Road, Suite 301, Monterey, CA 93940, or by calling the

District Attorney’s Office at (831) 647-7770.

Comments

Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...

King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23. José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...

King City CHP is searching for person of interest who fled the scene of a fatal crash in Greenfield

On Monday, September 16 at approximately 3:50 pm, a fatal traffic collision occurred on Metz Road south of Elm Avenue in Greenfield. The driver who caused the collision fled on foot and is currently outstanding. The California Highway Patrol King City Area is currently seeking the whereabouts of 31-year-old Agustin Santana-Moncada of King City who has been identified as a person of interest in the case. The King City Area is requesting assistance from the public in locating Santana-Moncada. Anyone with information is asked to contact the King City Area office at (831) 385-3216.

KRKC COUNTRY

Search This Blog