'Princess Leia Lucas' Perjury, Fraud Case On Hold As Court Questions Her Mental Competency

REDWOOD CITY, CA – A court has put a hold on a perjury and real estate fraud case against a former Foster City city council candidate – who prefers to go by her adopted name of Princess Leia Lucas – because her attorney doubts she is competent to stand trial, San Mateo County prosecutors say. The criminal proceeding against Peninsula resident Linda Haskin-Gologorsky was suspended until Wednesday when the court will appoint two doctors to evaluate her competency.

Haskin-Gologorsky, 62, of San Mateo, is accused of forging papers including a deed to a home and the court seal on the deed and perjury, according to prosecutors. She's facing 34 felony counts of real estate fraud.

According to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, Haskin-Gologorsky began divorce proceedings with her estranged husband in October of last year. During that case, she was sworn as a witness, "...and testified under oath to the authenticity of eight clearly forged documents."

The alleged forged deed is to the couples' Foster City home. The deed allegedly shows that the home was purchased by Haskin-Gologorsky before the couple was married, which would entitle Haskin-Gologorsky, and not her husband, to the home, according to prosecutors.

A judge suspected that the deed and other papers were forged and asked prosecutors to look into whether his suspicion was true.

The D.A.'s office said their investigation revealed "...that the home was purchased by the couple two years after their marriage and not before the marriage as the defendant testified."

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the defendant's home computer, which allegedy revealed that Haskin-Gologorsky had "manufactured" the fake real estate documents, complete with a fake court seal.

After the investigation, a judge signed an arrest warrant for Haskin-Gologorsky and she was arrested on March 23, according to prosecutors.

Haskin-Gologorsky is in jail on $535,000 bail. That bail had originally been set at $2 million.

Haskin-Gologorsky has pleaded not guilty the allegations, which her attorney Ron Rayes "fully intends" to defend her against. Rayes would not comment further.

As for her connection to the 'Princess Leia Lucas' name, it's still unclear how it came about.

"This is what she has gone by when she has been out in the community," District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told the Mercury News. "She uses it in the community. She hasn’t legally changed her name."

--

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Image via San Mateo County Sheriff's Office