A Hemet woman was arrested this week on suspicion of defrauding seven people out of nearly $200,000 in a Ponzi scheme that falsely promised profits from a wholesale avocado business, authorities said on Friday, Aug. 22.
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Riverside County sheriff’s deputies received a fraud report on April 23. Investigators determined that between 2023 and 2025, Consuelo Carrasco-Ramirez, 53, persuaded victims to invest thousands of dollars each in what she claimed was a lucrative produce venture, according to a news release.
Instead, Carrasco-Ramirez pocketed the roughly $195,000 for personal use, investigators said. She allegedly targeted members of the Hispanic community and, in some cases, threatened to have them deported if they did not comply, the release stated.
Carrasco-Ramirez was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 20, and booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of theft by false pretenses, grand theft and passing counterfeit checks. Her bail was set at $193,000.
Sheriff’s officials said they believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact Master Investigator Lance Colmer through Riverside Sheriff’s dispatch at 951-776-1099 or the Perris Sheriff’s Station at 951-210-1000.
