Maria Dickerson, also known as “Dulce Pino,” “Maria Dulce Pino Dickerson,” and “Dulce Brubaker,” pleaded guilty on Mar. 10 to one count of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
Court documents show that from 2020 through 2024, Dickerson operated an investment scheme by selling interests in a shell company called Creative Legal Fundings of CA (CLF). She told investors their money was safe and backed by significant capital, and falsely claimed CLF was linked to the CEO of a multinational casino and resort corporation. Investors were promised at least a 10% monthly return with additional compounding interest if they kept their funds invested.
Authorities said Dickerson did not register the sale of her securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Instead, she used new investor funds to pay earlier investors and finance personal expenses such as vacations, gambling, private jet travel, luxury vehicles including Mercedes-Benz cars, and a home in Sacramento. The fraudulent activity led approximately 156 investors to contribute more than $10 million.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation are leading the investigation with help from the Alabama Securities Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma is prosecuting the case.
Dickerson is scheduled for sentencing before Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on July 28, 2026. She faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud, as well as up to 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine for securities fraud. The final sentence will be determined by the court based on statutory factors and federal Sentencing Guidelines.
