Plea entered in fraud case
An El Monte woman has pleaded not guilty to orchestrating lottery and travel scams in Los Angeles County.
The district attorney’s office says Delia Tellez faces 31 fraud counts, including 20 new felony charges for which she entered pleas Monday in L.A. County Superior Court.
The 52-year-old is charged in two cases involving 23 alleged victims. Prosecutors say one of her scams involved telling people she won the lottery but needed to raise $40,000 to claim her prize. Tellez is also accused of posing as a travel agent and marketing trips to holy sites in Europe, Mexico and Israel on forged letterhead from religious organizations.
She was arrested Dec. 19 by El Monte police.
Judge Steven Sanora has scheduled a hearing for April 3 to set a date for a preliminary hearing.
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