Central California carjacking was an insurance scam, investigators say

Martha Gutierrez DeRomero told authorities she stopped her Chevy van, en route to a swap meet, among groves of fruit trees just outside Madera in Central California to adjust her merchandise when the men appeared.

The 57-year-old had been traveling the morning of May 23 near the intersection of Avenue 21 and Road 26, a two-lane rural thoroughfare near a fire station, with $60,000 worth of fitness merchandise piled in her vehicle.

At the exact moment she pulled over, two masked men with knives approached DeRomero and stole the van, she said.

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

The van contained about $60,000 worth of merchandise that included fitness clothing, waist trainers and supplements, authorities said.

(Madera County Sheriff’s Office)

DeRomero’s story eventually crumbled following multiple rounds of interviews with investigators. Authorities determined the carjacking was nothing more than a hoax with a goal of quick cash by way of insurance fraud, sheriff officials said.

DeRomero and her boyfriend Alfredo Ledezma, 57, of Madera were charged Friday with a felony count of insurance fraud and a misdemeanor count of filing a false police report, according to court records.

“What began as a serious and concerning report of a violent carjacking quickly unraveled under careful investigation,” Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue said in a statement. “Attempting to exploit emergency services for personal gain is not only illegal, it diverts resources from those who truly need help.”

Madera County Sheriff officials did not return phone calls from The Times seeking additional comment. DeRomero and Ledezma could not immediately be reached for comment. It’s not clear if they have attorneys.

Both are due back in court July 8 for arraignment hearings.

When DeRomero called authorities just after 8 a.m. on May 23 to report that she had been carjacked investigators immediately launched into action.

Deputies circulated a description of the vehicle and the suspects. Authorities eventually found the white van abandoned in nearby Merced County and a storage locker that contained merchandise matching the description of the stolen goods.

After another round of questioning detectives determined DeRomero and Ledezma had “staged the entire incident” as part of an insurance fraud scheme, according to the criminal complaint filed in Madera County Superior Court.

“I’m proud of our team for seeing through the deception and holding those responsible accountable,” Pogue said.