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A Dorchester woman pleaded guilty to stealing $100K over a one-year period by overcharging tenants while working for Alliance Realty, a Jamaica Plain real estate company.
Stacey Sanchez-Mercedes, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of larceny over $1,200 on Friday, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. A judge sentenced Sanchez-Mercedes at the West Roxbury Boston Municipal Court to a two-year continuance without a finding and ordered her to stay away from all victims, witnesses and Alliance Realty.
“This individual took advantage of her position and used an elaborate scheme to fill her pockets with workplace receipts and the hard-earned money of trusting tenants,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “Like many who have come before here, she thought she could steal from her workplace and her customers and not get caught. And like many who have come before her, she found out she was very, very wrong.”
Sanchez-Mercedes' crimes were brought up to authorities in December 2022 when Alliance Realty reported that the former employee had completed numerous fraudulent transactions with clients.
Alliance Realty said that Sanchez-Mercedes overcharged tenants by asking for $2K security deposits but would keep $1K for herself. She also charged fees that the company doesn't require, including brokerage fees.
Sanchez-Mercedes also fabricated eviction notices, applied for state rental assistance on behalf of tenants and had tenants deposit money through digital payment platform Zelle into her personal bank account. Some tenants were instructed to bring their rent money to a barbershop in Roslindale to a man named George.
The majority of the rental properties she oversaw were in Hyde Park, Dorchester and Roxbury, according to the release. Sanchez-Mercedes worked for Alliance for three years until she was fired on Dec. 2, 2022.
Sanchez-Mercedes is set to appear back in court on Oct. 10.
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