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A Western Australian real estate sales representative has been banned from the sector for 10 years due to a number of serious convictions and a failure to inform the state’s consumer protection body.
The Western Australian State Administrative Tribunal has banned James Mitsopoulos from working in the industry for 10 years after he was convicted of extortion, assault and perverting the course of justice.
He also failed to inform the state’s consumer protection of the outcome of his District Court trial, which was pending at the time of his registration renewal in May 2017.
According to a statement from the Government of Western Australia’s consumer protection division, Mr Mitsopoulos was convicted of a threat with intent to gain benefit (extortion) and an attempt to pervert the course of justice.
As a result, he was sentenced to a prison term of five and a half years, related to an incident in the carpark of a business premises in March 2016.
That incident saw Mr Mitsopoulos and three others verbally abuse and threaten a victim for an immediate $50,000 payment.
The victim was then forced to sign an acknowledgment of debt that amounted to $277,000.
It led to a lifetime violence restraining order in respect of the victim being issued by the court.
Prior to the extortion incident, it was also highlighted that Mr Mitsopoulos had attended a Muay Thai kickboxing tournament in November 2014 alongside a group of co-offenders associated with an outlaw motorcycle gang.
A fight between two rival groups saw the real estate sales representative charged with assault, of which he was convicted in the District Court and fined $15,000.
According to the commissioner for Consumer Protection, Penny Lipscombe, the duration of the ban is appropriate, considering the seriousness of the criminal convictions.
“The licensing and registration system aims to ensure that only fit and proper people work in the industry as there needs to be a high degree of trust between the sales agent and their client,” she highlighted.
Ms Lipscombe said that “the disclosure of pending court proceedings or criminal convictions in applications is critical in determining if they are granted or if they are renewed”.
“Failing to do so is a serious breach of the law.”
While having a criminal conviction doesn’t automatically preclude someone from being a successful applicant, the nature of the convictions and when they occurred are factors that are taken into consideration, she noted.
Mr Mitsopoulos was first registered as a real estate sales representative in October 2011.
A condition of his registration renewal in May 2017 was that he inform Consumer Protection of the outcome of the pending District Court trial.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Ormsby
Grace is a journalist across Momentum property and investment brands. Grace joined Momentum Media in 2018, bringing with her a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from the University of Newcastle. She’s passionate about delivering easy to digest information and content relevant to her key audiences and stakeholders.
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