Real oversight
The state needs to change its process or the law to ensure quicker action on public theft.
The Editorial Board
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 05:00:00 GMT
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The case of a Lucas County real estate agent convicted of bankruptcy fraud, theft of public money, and money laundering is a troubling sign for those who expect the state licensing board to uphold standards in a timely fashion.
The real estate license of Arvel “Ray” Henderson II, 50, of Holland, went into suspension last week only because his employer, Re/Max Central Group in Toledo, mailed it to the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing.
Asked about the case earlier this month, Anne Petit, superintendent of the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Real Estate and Professional Licensing division, said Henderson’s case was under review. The review began thanks to a press clipping about Henderson’s federal money laundering conviction in February, 2018.
That review is still pending. Legal division representatives including Ms. Petit are now taking the right steps, which could lead to a referral of the charges against Henderson to the Real Estate Commission. The commission could impose a penalty up to and including the permanent revocation of his license.
Henderson is appealing his federal convictions and deserves due process, but appeals do not undo criminal convictions until they are won. And appeals of felony convictions should not stop the state from at least suspending a real estate agent’s license, especially when the crimes involve the handling of money.
The steps in the state process are not the problem. It’s their slow movement. Two years is a long time for the public to be potentially putting very important matters in the hands of a convicted felon.
The buying or selling of a house is likely the largest single financial transaction the average person makes. The public should be able to count on the state’s licensing division to at least ensure they’re not dealing with a felon in such a transaction. The state needs to change its process or the law to ensure quicker action on such matters.