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A former real estate agent based in Wollongong, NSW, has been charged with multiple forgery, fraud and misappropriating offences.
The unnamed 53-year-old man was arrested after detectives from the Lake Illawarra Police District, with the assistance of the Office of Fair Trading, commenced an investigation into him following a complaint received in relation to theft of funds.
Upon being taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station, the man was charged with 12 counts of forgery, 12 counts of fraud and three counts of fraudulent conversion of money.
“Police allege between December 2017 and June 2018, the man made and submitted false documents to a business that provides real estate agents their entitled commissions up front,” a statement from NSW Police confirmed.
“The false documents included photoshopped emails and letterheads from solicitors and conveyancers located in the Illawarra, fabricated contracts of sales and agency agreements, false bank deposits and false signatures.
“The documents were allegedly submitted on more than 12 occasions over the seven-month period, resulting in a financial advantage of $263,755.
“The investigation revealed the man had also allegedly misappropriated more than $200,000 in funds from a sales trust account.”
The former real estate agent was granted strict conditional bail and is due to face the Wollongong Local Court on 5 November 2019.
More to come.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma Ryan
Emma Ryan is the deputy head of editorial at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, and has since been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia, including across the legal, mortgages, real estate and wealth industries. In addition, Emma has launched several additional sub-brands and events, driven by a passion to deliver quality and timely content to audiences through multiple platforms.
Email Emma on: Emma.Ryan@momentummedia.
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