A former Santa Cruz County real estate broker has been charged with stealing more than half a million dollars from her clients, and will stand trial beginning in December. 54 year-old Louisa Katrina Dubinsky faces 39 separate charges ranging from embezzlement to financial abuse of an elder to writing bad checks for thousands of dollars. Dubinsky was listed on the county's most wanted list in January, but claimed she didn't know there was a warrant out for her arrest when she turned herself in February 1st.
Dubinsky was the president of Vision Lending and Investment, which had offices in Capitola and Santa Cruz, at the time of her alleged crimes. According to state records, her broker license was revoked in 2008 because of issues with her company's reciept of funds from lenders, borrowers and investors in connection with mortgages.
The broker is accused of failing to forward mortgage payments made to her on to the lender who the money was meant for. In several cases, this theft went on for several years, resulting in homeonwers falling months behind on their mortgage payments. Dubinsky, who is out on bail pending her trial, appeared in front of Judge Ariadne Symon on Friday, and her trial was set to begin on December 5th. If convicted, the woman faces up to 15 years in a California prison.
