Scammers Steal $35k From 2 Older Marin County Women: Police

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Police arrested two Sacramento scammers Sept. 18 who convinced two Marin County women, both at least 89 years old, to hand over cash in a bail scam, police said.

On Nov. 22, 2024, an 89-year-old woman reported to the Marin County Sheriff's Office they received a call saying a loved one had recently been booked into jail on a felony DUI charge that resulted in injury to a pregnant woman, police said.

The caller requested cash to bail out the loved one. The victim provided $19,000 in cash to a courier who arrived at their residence but later learned their loved one had never been arrested or booked into jail, police said.

On July 8, 2025, a 95-year-old Marin County resident called the sheriff's office to report they had been the victim of a bail scam under nearly identical circumstances. In this case, the victim handed over $16,000 in cash to the courier, police said.

"The sheriff’s office would like to remind citizens of Marin County never to deliver cash to people willing to arrive at your residence," police said. "If someone calls about a loved one in jail, confirm with the facility that the person is in fact in custody. Additionally, no financial institution will ever send a courier to your residence to pick up cash. These are fraudulent cases and are becoming increasingly common in Marin County."

Sheriff's investigators said they were able to connect the two cases together and tied them to a residence in Sacramento.

On Sept. 18, detectives served a search warrant in Sacramento, developing probable cause to arrest Belkis Gutierrez, 35, and Heydi Flores-Arias, 32 both of Sacramento.

Cash was seized during the search and detectives said they are working to determine where it came from and if there are additional victims.

Gutierrez and Flores-Arias were booked into Marin County Jail on theft, elder abuse, and conspiracy related charges, police said. They are being held without bail pending a court hearing.