The case of a former real estate broker accused of stealing more
than $500,000 from her clients in 2007 will be reviewed at a
preliminary hearing this week.
Jessica M. Pasko
The case of a former real estate broker accused of stealing more than $500,000 from her clients in 2007 will be reviewed at a preliminary hearing this week.
Louisa Katrina Dubinsky turned herself into authorities in February after a friend called her and informed her there was a warrant out for her arrest.
Dubinsky was living in Hollister at the time, and was wanted on 39 counts of embezzlement, financial elder abuse and writing thousands of dollars in bad checks. She was featured in the Sentinel’s Most Wanted in January.
Dubinsky, who also goes by Katrina Dubinsky, was previously president of Vision Lending and Investment, with offices in Capitola and Santa Cruz. She also did business as Mariposa Mortgage and e-visionlending.com.
According to state records, the Department of Real Estate revoked Dubinsky’s mortgage broker license in 2008 after an administrative law judge found three trust funds handled by her firm were short by $187,000.
Jeff Davi, the state’s real estate commissioner at the time, ordered the revocation following a hearing in which no one appeared on behalf of Vision Lending. Administrative law judge Diane Schneider also found that Dubinsky’s funds were commingled with trust funds, and the company failed to file timely trust fund reports in 2003 and 2004.
The complaint against Dubinsky includes charges that she wrote two checks she knew were fraudulent totaling more than $700,000, and another two to another person that totaled $375,000.
Dubinsky, who is not in custody, appeared in Santa Cruz Superior Court briefly Friday morning to set a date for her preliminary hearing, which is held to determine whether there’s enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
The hearing started Monday. If convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison.
