Real Estate Council of Alberta spokesperson Natalie Scollard says Derek Johnson (pictured) and Kevin Kumar were to appear in court June 7 when he would be sentenced for a finding of civil contempt of court they received for violating a court order not to sell real estate.
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June 10, 2016 - 6:30 PM
KELOWNA – The Real Estate Council of Alberta says a warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Calgary man who moved to Kelowna recently after being sanctioned and fined $100,000 for repeatedly selling real estate without a licence.
Council spokesperson Natalie Scollard says Derek Johnson and co-accused Kevin Kumar were to appear in court June 7 when he would be sentenced for a finding of civil contempt of court they received for violating a court order not to sell real estate.
The council is asking for two years in jail.
“Neither of them showed up for the proceedings and the judge sentenced them to two months in jail and issued a warrant for their arrest,” she says.
The warrants, she says, only apply in Alberta and Johnson is believed to be living in Kelowna.
In an email to iNFOnews.ca Johnson says he has heard there is a warrant "but no order has been served as of yet."
"Nothing can be forwarded to my lawyer for review, and the Court of Appeals process has already started so there is nothing to comment on until I actually get served this Order and I have consulted with my lawyer," he writes.
On its website last month B.C.’s Financial Institutions Commission, which regulates real estate transactions in this province, issued a warning that canadapropertyguys.com, commissionfreesystems.com and ispeedprivatelending.com “charge opportunistic fees and commissions, and expose consumers to other forms of misconduct.”
Scollard says Johnson is behind all of them and has spent at least three years effectively preying on customers in Calgary.
“(Clients) think they’re buying a home… they’re handing over thousands in deposit funds to people who say they can help… and the money is gone and there is no recourse,” council spokesperson Natalie Scollard says. “It’s trying to attract people who are already financially vulnerable and feel they have no other way out.”
Scollard says he owes more than $100,000 in penalties and was found in civil contempt of court for refusing to comply with orders. The most recent penalty for selling without a licence was issued in April.
Johnson was also accused of making threats to some council members, earning him a Court of Queen’s Bench Restraining Order in March 2015.
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