Brisbane commercial real estate agent pleads guilty to defrauding clients of $1.6 million

Estate agent James Lyons has pleaded guilty to defrauding clients of $1.6 million, according to the Courier Mail.

The Brisbane real estate agent pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court this morning to three fraud-related charges.

The charges relate to nine complaints over a two-year period. He will be sentenced shortly

Lyons was also an aspiring horse trainer. Lyons was a finalist as “commercial salesperson of the year” at the Real Estate ­Institute of Queensland’s 2009 industry awards after broking multimillion-dollar deals around the Brisbane port.

He was bailed in late 2013 after being charged by detectives from Mt Gravatt CIB on seven counts of fraud allegedly committed at Chase Commercial’s Newstead office. 

Lyons pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court to three fraud-related charges relating to nine victims from his time working for Chase Commercial between 2011-13.

The Crown prosecutor Jane Shaw told Judge Brad Farr that more than $1.05 million had been paid to the victims out of a compensation fund. Lyons had not made any repayments.

His legal-aid barrister, Saul Holt advised he was a diagnosed pathological gambler.

Lyons will be sentenced on Friday.