Chula Vista couple sentenced for scheme involving pregnant women

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - On October 26, Melissa Alvarez Torres and Jose Luis Olmos Hernandez were sentenced to 33 months and 40 months in prison respectively, for fraud.

Together they stole hundreds of thousands of dollars and used the money to buy properties in Mexico.

The couple devised a healthcare fraud scheme targetting pregnant women, which caused more than $1 million in losses to California's Medi-Cal Access Program (MCAP).

The program provides California families access to affordable maternity and most-natal care, which the couple were familiar with.

For their scheme, they would market private "insurance" and lure in pregnant women through Facebook and WhatsApp, saying that they can give birth in the United States without risking their visas, charging at least $1,200 for the "insurance."

Alvarez and Olmos were ordered to forfeit over $400,000 in criminal proceeds and pay more than $1.5 million in restitution to California.