SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A California businesswoman accused by investors of running a Ponzi scheme now faces criminal charges.
ABC 10News first reported about Maria Dulce Pino Dickerson nearly a year ago, as many investors claimed she used her Filipino culture to befriend them.
Geraldine Bartleson said she was “very happy” to hear about the charges against Dickerson but also said, “It’s surreal.”
In 2023, Bartleson said she invested about $80,000 with Dickerson’s business, Creative Legal Fundings.
“At the beginning, I was blinded,” she told ABC 10News last year.
Her attorney explained how the business worked.
“Supposedly, these accident attorneys would need money to fund their own lawsuits and would pay a rate of return back to her company,” explained Bartleson’s attorney, Audie De Castro, in 2023. “She would in turn pay 10% per month to each plaintiff.”
Bartleson estimates she only received about a quarter of her investment back.
“She made me think she was a good businesswoman,” Bartleson told ABC 10News anchor Melissa Mecija.
From the civil lawsuits to the desist-and-refrain order with the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, ABC 10News has covered the multiple developments in this case.
State regulators said Dickerson personally made sales pitches to investors, mainly targeting those of the same Filipino culture as her.
The recent federal indictment does not name any of the victims.
Bartleson is one of dozens of people suing Dickerson in civil court. The indictment said the scheme started around December 2020.
Since that time, federal documents said more than 140 people have invested more than $10 million with Dickerson and lost more than $4 million during this scheme.
A federal grand jury returned a 32-count indictment against Dickerson; she faces multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering and one count of securities fraud.
Federal prosecutors said she used investor money to “pay for a lavish lifestyle that included high-end shopping, gambling, luxury vehicles, and extensive travel.”
“I hope people will start to open their eyes and just see the truth,” Bartleson said.
ABC 10News has spoken to six people on the record in multiple states about the money they say they lost to Dickerson.
Sarah Barcelona in Washington said she invested about $100,000. She said the scheme ruined her life.
“There's a lot of things that happened … because of this. I lost my marriage. This financial turmoil, it took a toll on my health,” Barcelona said.
Investors Ryan and Gemma Smith said this past year has been a roller coaster.
“[It] has been really a struggle. We're still trying to recover,” Gemma Smith said.
Their contract from 2022 showed a $200,000 investment to Creative Legal Services.
They received more than half their investment back but said they stopped getting any payments back late last year.
“I just feel relieved that she's again, off of the street,” Ryan Smith said. “She's not out freely taking victims' money and living this lavish lifestyle, and it's a portrayed lie.”
Dickerson’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment. Previously, he told ABC 10News: “Many investors got well in excess of their original investment and reaped huge profits.”
Dickerson is currently in custody with no bail. She is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
“We are so blessed and thankful for you, for attorney Audie,” said Bartleson, through her tears. “We're yelling for the truth to be heard, but you guys [were] there, so we're so thankful when no one really cared to believe us.”
