After guilty plea, former realty broker behind bars

Former real estate broker Dawn Anderson, formerly Dawn Madden, is now inmate 003479764 in the Pinal County Jail.

Guilty of theft, forgery and fraudulent schemes, the former owner of Maricopa Properties LLC entered the Pinal County Adult Detention Center on Nov. 10 after the Oct. 31 disposition in Superior Court.

Anderson’s Maricopa-based company was audited by the Arizona Department of Real Estate in March 2013 for records covering Jan. 1, 2012, to Jan. 31, 2013. That led to allegations of mishandling nearly $280,000 in trust money and a cease-and-desist order.

The trust account held rent payments and security deposits.

ADRE accused Anderson of using trust money for personal expenses, including debit card use in Hawaii and New Orleans. Overdrafts in that trust account began showing up in late 2012, according to the department findings.

What followed was an investigation by the Maricopa Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office, not to mention a civil fine of $12,000. A grand jury indicted Anderson on three felonies in March of this year, and she was prosecuted by the state.

After reaching a plea agreement, Anderson, 41, was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay back victimized renters and owners. Those number up to 200 people.