An Irving real estate executive could be arrested after new charges are filed while his case is pending in court for an indictment in 2023.
On Wednesday, more than a dozen people who say they are victims of 72-year-old Pauline Coronado gathered at the Frank Crowley Courthouse for the defendant's scheduled criminal court appearance.
Coronado was originally scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
According to the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, Coronado claimed he suffered a panic attack while waiting in the courthouse cafeteria and was hospitalized after hearing that television cameras were waiting outside the courtroom with the alleged victims. She was told to appear in court on Wednesday.
With more former clients on Wednesday, prosecutors said their attorney sent an email to Coronado saying his doctor had instructed him to stay away from them.
The April 2023 theft indictment names 10 defendants who allegedly lost more than $300,000 in Coronado between 2014 and 2019, but prosecutors say more than 60 people have filed charges. It was announced that.
Coronado was released on $10,000 bail on that charge.
The alleged victims allege Coronado took large down payments and borrowed money under false home rental agreements. They said they were very anxious to see action on their complaints.
Elias Gomez said he paid Coronado $20,000 and $2,500 a month in rent, but never received the deed to the house he was promised.
“We need a good result on this. It's been many years now, so I believe we need to do something quickly,” Gomez said.
Cecilia Gonzalez, a former Coronado customer, said she had lost the $15,000 and monthly payments she had paid to Coronado in July 2018 after watching television reports of dozens of others filing criminal court complaints. He said he was shocked to learn that $1,700 in rent may have been lost.
“And it felt like someone was throwing a bucket of ice water on me,” Gonzalez said. “I want her to come and answer for everything she's done. I want her to go to jail because it's not fair. And she continues to do this. Last year she committed fraud. I just heard from other victims.”
The district attorney's office said the warrant was issued for Coronado's arrest Tuesday because of the new theft charge, not because she failed to appear in court.
Judge Brandon Birmingham ordered the Coronado case to be tried without bail pending a hearing where bail could be increased if health deception was a factor.
Former clients Lee and Jim Hoefnagle said Tuesday that they heard numerous excuses for Coronado's past absences during a 2010 civil court dispute with the same attorney who represented Coronado. Stated.
“She's in the hospital. She was homeless. She was with her daughter,” Lee Hoefnagle said.
They said their dispute was over $40,000, but claim Coronado never received any of it from potential buyers of the Anna home he was selling.
“She's the only bilingual person here. My Spanish isn't very good. He didn't speak English. So she put herself in the middle and controlled both sides of the arrangement,” said Jim. -Hofnagle said. “It took $25,000 and six months in Collin County District Court for the judge to understand that we did not receive that man's money.”
The couple, who live in Corinth, said Coronado had entered into a transaction in which they sold the same property to four different buyers without their knowledge.
They also visited the Dallas County courtroom on Wednesday, hoping to finally see Pauline Coronado in criminal court.
All the alleged victims were left disappointed.
Coronado could avoid camera surveillance by waiving new arrest warrants he faces in other jurisdictions.
But she will eventually have to face Judge Brandon Birmingham in person in court in a hearing that requires advance notice to enter the public record.
Attorney Dennis Croman, who represented Coronado on Tuesday, has said in the past that he did nothing wrong. He declined to comment Tuesday and could not be reached Wednesday.
