A former Nevada beauty queen has pleaded guilty to two fraud charges after prosecutors revealed she orchestrated a $7 million Ponzi scheme that deceived investors for several years.
Authorities say a portion of the misappropriated funds was later spent on gambling in casinos.
Maria Dickerson, who also used the names “Dulce Pino,” “Maria Dulce Pino Dickerson,” and “Dulce Brubaker”, is a 49-year-old Sacramento resident who once held the title “Ms. Woman Nevada 2020.”
The title is part of the United States National Pageants system, which typically features contestants aged 40 and older.
Dickerson has also claimed to have been crowned “Ms. Elite United States 2021.” However, investigators were unable to find evidence of a pageant under that name outside of Dickerson’s own LinkedIn profile.
According to court filings, many of Dickerson’s claims turned out to be misleading or entirely false.
Between 2020 and 2024, she allegedly operated an investment operation through a company called Creative Legal Fundings of CA (CLF). Prosecutors say the business was essentially a shell company with no real operations.
Dickerson told potential investors that CLF provided financial backing to personal injury attorneys, funding lawsuits in exchange for a percentage of future settlements or awards.
She assured investors their money was secure and supported by substantial initial capital.
To further strengthen the company’s credibility, she allegedly claimed CLF had ties to the CEO of a large international gambling company.
While the company was not identified in court records, Dickerson’s LinkedIn profile states that she previously worked for Bally Technologies in London, a firm owned by gaming technology giant Light & Wonder.
Federal prosecutors said Dickerson made bold promises to attract investors.
“She promised investors at least a 10% rate of return per month on their principal investment with additional compounding monthly interest if they left their money invested with her,” prosecutors stated.
“In reality, Dickerson did not register the sale of her securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and she used new investor money to pay off older investors and to fund a lavish lifestyle.”
Authorities estimate that around 156 investors contributed more than $10 million to the fraudulent scheme.
Court documents reveal that Dickerson spent large sums of the investor funds on personal expenses.
Prosecutors say she spent more than $280,000 gambling at casinos in both Las Vegas and California. In addition, she allegedly spent nearly $23,000 on luxury designer items and over $75,000 on flights and hotel stays.
Investigators also found that roughly $1 million of investor funds was withdrawn as cash or through cashier’s checks, further fueling her spending.
The alleged fraud took place during the same period as Dickerson’s reign as Ms. Woman Nevada 2020, a title that may have helped reinforce her public image and attract investor confidence.
Prosecutors say many of Dickerson’s victims were members of the Filipino community, which she herself belonged to.
According to the FBI, this type of scam is often categorised as “affinity fraud.” In such schemes, scammers exploit shared cultural ties, social networks, or community trust to persuade victims to invest.
By leveraging those connections, authorities say Dickerson was able to convince many people that the investment opportunity was legitimate.