Monterey, CA – Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni recently announced that Lorena Hernandez Alvarado, a resident of King City and former correctional officer at Salinas Valley State Prison pled no contest to felony insurance fraud and admitted the fraud exceeded $100,000 in loss. She also pled guilty in two separate DUI cases.
The criminal case arose out of a workplace injury claim made by Alvarado in April 2021. Alvarado claimed she injured her shoulder, neck, back and knees while wielding a heavy shield to protect herself from liquid thrown on her by an inmate at Salinas Valley State Prison.
The prison’s insurance company – State Compensation Insurance Fund – accepted Alvarado’s insurance claim. Alvarado never returned to work and received well over $100,000 in insurance benefits, including wage replacement and health care treatment.
In the ensuing investigation by the California Department of Corrections’ Internal Affairs, it was determined that Alvarado never used a shield during the April 2021 incident. In addition, the investigation determined that in 2019 she fabricated a workplace injury she claimed resulted from a struggle with an inmate, though that claim was denied. Thereafter, the District Attorney’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit charged Alvarado with 2 felony counts of insurance fraud.
Alvarado will return to Court on October 22, 2026, for sentencing.
The case was investigated by Investigator Adam Jimenez with the California Department of Corrections as well as the Monterey County District Attorney Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fraud Investigator Jennifer Mendoza.
Source: Monterey County DA’s Office