For release on August 22, 2012
CONTACT:
David Lim, Deputy District Attorney
Real Estate Fraud Unit
408-808-3754
CENTURY 21 SU CASA REAL ESTATE AGENT JULISSA GILL CONVICTED OF EIGHT FELONY COUNTS INVOLVING REAL ESTATE FRAUD
San Jose real estate agent Julissa Gill, 34, of San Jose, was convicted by a jury on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 of eight felony counts of grand theft, forgery, identity theft, and recording false documents for using the identity of Jose Valdez of San Leandro, to purchase a home without his permission.
The jury in department 37 of the Santa Clara County Superior Court took less than three hours to return guilty verdicts on all eight counts.
In reaching its verdict, the jury found that in January 2007, Gill used the name, date of birth, and social security number of Mr. Valdez to purchase a house on Curtner Avenue in San Jose for Eddy Niquen and his family without the permission of either Mr. Valdez or Mr. Niquen.
Gill, who at the time worked for Century 21 Su Casa in San Jose, also induced other participants to forge the signature of Mr. Valdez on the loan documents needed to secure the purchase of the house.
Mr. Valdez learned of the crime in March 2007 when he attempted to buy a house and learned his name had been used without his permission. Mr. Niquen also ultimately ended up losing the house on Curtner Avenue when he was unable to afford the loan payments set up by Gill.
Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney David Lim, who prosecuted the case as part of the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit, noted, “The theft of an individual’s identity for any purpose is disgraceful, but in this case the crime was especially awful because the result was the loss of a home for Mr. Niquen and his family as well as the hardships faced by Mr. Valdez in having to clean up his credit scores.”
Gill was remanded into custody by Judge Jacqueline Arroyo immediately after the verdicts were announced. Bail is set at one million dollars. Gill is set for sentencing on September 17, 2012, where she faces up to seven years and four months in state prison.