Pair accused of deportation extortion scam in Rancho Mirage plead not guilty

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) - Two women accused of targeting a Ranch Mirage man in a six-figure immigration-driven extortion scam both pleaded not guilty today to felony charges.

Bertha Verduzco Gasso, 67, and Ilvia Yvette Lopez, 43, both of Hemet, were arrested Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation that began earlier this month.

Both women are charged with grand theft, extortion and a sentence-enhancing allegation of perpetrating white-collar fraud.   

They were jointly arraigned before Superior Court Judge Randolph Rogers, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for the pair on April 8 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Each woman is being held on $111,000 -- the amount alleged to have been extorted -- at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.   

According to sheriff's Sgt. Bryan Whitley, the victim or his relatives informed deputies on March 4 that he allegedly had been targeted by Lopez, who demanded the six-figure payoff to prevent her from outing his immigration status, which might lead to deportation. No other details about the victim were disclosed, including his identity.   

The man evidently acquiesced out of fear. He was not physically harmed. It was unclear how he was acquainted with Lopez.   

Detectives initiated an investigation that allegedly confirmed the arrangement, as well as uncovered the identity of Lopez's alleged accomplice -- Gasso -- according to court documents.

The pair were taken into custody without incident on Bob Hope Drive Tuesday afternoon.

Neither woman has documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.