LOCAL REALTOR CONVICTED OF FORGERY
Michelle Marie Anderson, a former licensed realtor with Artisan Realty Group in Sisters (NOT the Michele Anderson who is a realtor with Cascade Sotheby’s in Bend*) pled guilty and was convicted today in Deschutes County Circuit Court of the felony crime of Forgery in the First Degree.
The prosecution of Anderson was the result of a several month investigation by the Deschutes County District Attorney’s office, the State of Oregon Department of Consumer & Business Services-Finance & Corporate Securities Division, and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation uncovered an ongoing mortgage fraud scheme, implemented by Mark Franklin Broeg and involving Ms. Anderson. According to State investigators, Mr. Broeg created a fictitious business, McCoy Capital, which he used in an attempt to obtain fraudulent loans and illegal commissions, while posing as a mortgage broker. These illegal business activities included attempts to fraudulently purchase both residential and development properties here in Deschutes County, valued in total over $5 million dollars. Ms. Anderson obtained the assistance of Mr. Broeg in one transaction, in which she attempted to complete a fraudulent home purchase.
Broeg is charged with seven felony counts including racketeering, mortgage fraud, and other theft related charges. He failed to appear for trial in April and a warrant for his arrest was issued by the court.
A condition of the District Attorney’s resolution of the case against Ms. Anderson was that she never again work as a real estate agent. She was sentenced today in court and in addition to ordering Ms. Anderson to surrender her real estate license the court sentenced her to 24 months of probation, 160 hours of community service, three days in jail, and payment of restitution to her victims.
“Real estate is a backbone of the central Oregon economy,” said Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel. “On behalf of our community’s hundreds of honest and hardworking real estate professionals; thousands of real estate investors; and hundreds of thousands of homeowners and tenants, all of whom rely and depend on our real estate professionals to be ethical and law-abiding, your District Attorney’s office will continue to root out fraud in the real estate industry and hold offenders accountable.”
###
*Members of the media, if you refer in your reporting to the name of the defendant, please state that she is not the Michele Anderson who is a realtor with Cascade Sotheby’s in Bend. In a relatively small community, two people in the same profession with similar names (the only difference being the spelling of their first names) can be mistaken for one another.
Access PDF Version of Press Release by clicking here