Milton woman Adele Woods has been banned from working in the real estate industry and ordered to pay $75,000 in compensation after pleading guilty to stealing from clients.
Ms Woods, 50, was also placed on a three-year good behaviour bond and ordered to complete 300 hours of community service.
The offences occurred between December 2016 and April 2019 while Ms Woods was a senior property manager at Tucker's Real Estate in Mollymook.
During that time, Ms Woods transferred money from the real estate company's trust account to her personal bank accounts on 50 separate occasions. The defendant also made false entries in Tucker Real Estate's books in an attempt to cover up her illegal activity.
The prosecution by NSW Police resulted from an investigation into a complaint about Ms Woods which the licensee of Tucker Real Estate made to NSW Fair Trading.
NSW Fair Trading Executive Director of Investigations and Enforcement Valerie Griswold said the defendant's actions caused significant pain and suffering.
"The defendant betrayed the trust of her clients by stealing from them," Ms Griswold said.
"While Tuckers Real Estate was not involved in the fraud, the company suffered significant losses in the period after it was uncovered.
"As a consequence, the company was forced to rebrand to continue operating."
Ms Woods was sentenced at Sydney Downing Centre Local Court on September 17. She has the right to appeal.
