I know when I was a Realtor a few years back, she sure thought she was "it".




Prominent Realtor pleads guilty in real estate fraud

By Richard Mize
Real Estate Editor

Prominent Edmond Realtor Ann Campbell pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with mortgage fraud in the sale of a home in Edmond's upscale Oak Tree addition.
U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton will sentence Campbell, 66, later. The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Campbell, as a longtime top-producing Realtor in the Oklahoma City metro area, is the best known of several people involved with the scheme. She was not available for comment after her court appearance, but she remained free after posting a personal recognizance bond.

Campbell could lose her state-issued real estate license, according to the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission, which is conducting its own investigation. No hearing has been set, Executive Director Anne Woody said.

Campbell also probably will lose her membership in the Edmond Board of Realtors, Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors, Oklahoma Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors, said Walter Moloney, spokesman for the national group in Washington.

"That's definitely a violation of the (Realtors) Code of Ethics,” Moloney said Wednesday afternoon, noting that it would be up to Campbell's main local board to consider any ethics complaints and take any action against her Realtor membership.

John Rice, president of the Edmond board, said he did not know of any ethics complaints made against Campbell. Mike Cassidy, president of the metro area association, could not be reached.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Cox, reading from court documents, summarized the scheme before Heaton accepted Campbell's plea.

Campbell was involved in three home sales in Oak Tree that involved mortgage fraud, Cox said. Campbell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the sale of a home at 5916 Morning Dove Lane, not far from her own home.

Cox said Campbell, representing the seller of the house, conspired with a Realtor representing the buyer to falsify a document that said the seller would pay certain closing costs that then were "kicked back” to the buyer through a title company account belonging to Campbell.

The original list price of the home, $235,000, was raised to $310,000 on documents used at closing, Cox told the court.

Earlier Wednesday, Dalton Joe Alford, the buyer of the house, pleaded guilty to engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property and aiding and abetting.

The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and fine up to $250,000.

Tuesday, Toney Charles Mykel, also in connection with the case, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony — not reporting a felony he knew to have been committed.

The charge carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and fine up to $250,000. Mykel held a real estate license until 2001, according to the real estate commission.

Anthony Jew, charged with engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property, was scheduled to enter a plea Wednesday but asked for a continuance until Monday.

The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and fine up to $250,000.

The pleading came soon after a federal indictment that accused several others — home buyers, real estate sales people and a mortgage broker — of wire fraud, money laundering and other offenses in attempts to defraud lenders in buying homes in Oak Tree.

They tentatively are scheduled for trial in March.

Houses at 1000 Irvine Drive, 1709 Irvine Drive, 5813 Dundee Terrace, 5916 Morning Dove Lane, 6125 Stonegate and 1208 Troone Drive in Edmond were involved.