Some local investors are out hundreds of thousands of dollars and have no idea where the money went. They blame a local mortgage broker who is now dead and they want the company to pay up.
Kelly Cook is out $30,000 and is looking for answers. Cook saysher mortgage broker asked her for a short term loan - the money would go to another client. And Cook would get an 8% return over 4 months. However cook got nothing back.
“We did three mortgages with her, it seemed like a legit thing – they do lending.”
The mortgage broker in question was Tammy Robinson who ran a Dominion Lending office in Collingwood.
“She stated this was through Dominion Lending for a loan to bridge finances for Dominion Lending mortgages,” says Michael McArthur.
McArthur is also looking for his money. He invested $90,000 with Robinson…again for a short term loan. He started to worry when the repayments were due.
“She would make excuses for not coming up with the money and then later it would be just no response at all.”
Robinson was reported missing on March 10th. Ten days later she was found dead and police have ruled out foul play.
Scott Thompson is a lawyer in Collingwood and is trying to get money back from Dominion Lending for three investors with losses totaling $220,000.
“Something went awry with her and she forged signatures on documents…and took this money and we can only speculate on where it went to.”
Dominion Lending says it is saddened by her death but says the company had nothing to do with any of the loans.
In a statement released to CTV News the company president Gary Marius says: “These were unsecured investments of a personal nature, which the clients chose to partake in directly with Ms. Robinson. None of the monies were payable to Dominion and none of the transaction documentation were on Dominion Lending Centresdocuments”
Marius also told CTV News that “Dominion Lending is not an investment dealer, does not solicit or accept funds or engage in raising capital for clients to invest in and also does not provide unsecured loans.”
The company says none of these investors ever contacted Dominion before make the investments with Robinson, adding that had they done their research they would have easily determined this is not the type of business Dominion Lending is involved inand these individuals are now only naming Dominion as a last resort.
But Thompson argues the company is responsible for repaying investors who lost tens of thousands of dollars.
“The law says it ostensible authority, if you think you’re dealing with a company and you have good reason to believe so and you find out later on the person you’re dealing with is doing rogue activities the company is still responsible.”
None of these allegations has been proven in court. The OPP tells CTV News they did launch an investigation after receiving complaints but that ended once Robinson was confirmed dead. Police won’t comment on the specifics of that investigation or if they have any idea what happened to the missing money.
