While her victims and the district attorney said they hoped she would get more time, Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Edward Lee sentenced Leticia Gonzalez Sandoval to six years in prison for defrauding locals–many of them hard working immigrants– of more than $400,000.
Sandoval set up a money transfer scheme in Gilroy in 2012, supposedly sending money to Latin America, but the money didn’t reach the destinations. She also set up fraudulent investments and made off with the money.
“The amount of money lost in this case is staggering,” said deputy district attorney Vishal Bathija, in a statement to the court.
“She knew in 2013 she was unable to legitimately pay early victims in her Ponzi scheme yet she continued to cull new victims into investing monies without disclosing her bankruptcy attempts, theft from Intermex, or debts to Revenue agencies. She assured investors that their principle was backed by an asset in Mexico that she either a) was planning on selling b) never owned or c) is hiding from the court today.”
Bathija asked for the money to be repaid but it hasn’t been found by officials. He told the judge that the case was worse because she preyed on laborers for whom this money was their life savings. She even stole from a woman she knew had cancer and needed money for treatment.
“The Court needs to send a message to like-minded individuals that if you model her business plan the consequences of engaging similar schemes will be dire,” Bathija wrote. “Finally, assets for restitution have not been located but uniformity for similar Ponzi schemes costing $100,000s demands a lengthy prison sentence.”
Her defense suggested that because she had no criminal history, she should be given the lightest possible sentence. The 44-year-old could have received a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Police Still Investigating High Speed Chase
Gilroy Police haven’t made an arrest in the case of a car that crashed through a fence on Jan. 30 and caused a five-car pileup on Highway 101 that shut down the roadway for seven hours.
Sgt. Royce Heath said police believe four people were in the car, but they can’t determine who was driving. Several of them ran out or spilled from the car and ended up on the freeway, where one was struck by traffic.
Heath said the car sped by a police car and officers took off after them, but lost them. They abandoned their pursuit. Heath said police think the driver turned out his lights and sped down 9th Street, crashing through a fence and into a tree. No one died in the crash, but the people in the car were seriously injured and several drivers were treated and released from the hospital.
