A well-known Ottawa realtor facing charges from the provincial council has been fined and suspended after trying to fool inspectors.
Marnie Bennett was under investigation by the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) for allegedly hiring non-registered individuals and improperly paying people in her office.
The RECO said she pled guilty last week to six counts of attempting to obstruct one of their inspectors by advising an employee to lie to them and attempting to provide them misleading documents.
Those regulatory violations happened between September and November 2011.
Bennett was fined $165,000 (plus a $41,250 victim surcharge) and suspended four months because of the guilty plea.
A RECO spokesperson said the investigation is "very unusual" and the penalties are among the highest they've ever given out.
In a statement, Bennett said she takes full personal responsibility for the actions that led to her guilty plea.
"No consumers were harmed in any way by any of my conduct," she said. "I can assure you that I and our company will continue to offer to all of you the best in professional service and expertise."
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem
