High-profile Sydney real estate agent charged with fraud

Rebecca Fearon was charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception after police began an investigation into allegations of gift card misuse.

Rebecca Fearon told The Daily Telegraph she couldn’t comment on a matter before court, but was “trying to put the past behind” her.

A high-profile Sydney real estate agent has been charged with fraud after police launched an investigation into allegations of financial misconduct.

Rebecca Fearon, 47, from The Agency in Balmain, was charged last week with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

“Following an investigation by Leichhardt Police Area Command, a 47-year-old woman was issued a court attendance notice on Thursday 21 September,” a NSW Police statement said.

Fearon is due to appear in The Downing Centre Local Court on October 20.

Police will allege Fearon used a gift card worth $228.00 while knowing it was intended for another staff member within the company.

When contacted by The Daily Telegraph, Fearon said the financial misuse allegations related to her time with Ray White.

Fearon was the licensee of Ray White’s Balmain office before joining The Agency at the end of 2022.

Sydney real estate agent Rebecca Fearon who has been charged with a fraud offence and will face court later this month.

“While I can’t comment on a case that is going to appear before the courts, I am trying to put my time at Ray White behind me and have moved on with my life,” Fearon said.

A spokesperson for The Agency, where Fearon has been a property partner for the past 12-months, said it was not aware of any criminal charges that had been brought against anyone within the business.

Real estate agent Rebecca Fearon (centre) who has been charged with one count of dishonestly obtain financial advantage, and her former business partner Karl Howard (left) who was charged over a samurai sword attack in 2021. Photo: Supplied

“But we do take these matters seriously,” a spokesman said.

The Agency’s website says Fearon has more than 25 years experience in the city’s inner west real estate market.

“Born and raised in Balmain, Property Partner Rebecca Fearon brings a wealth of knowledge to The Agency Balmain where she leads a team of real estate professionals,” the website states.

“Rebecca has built a large and loyal clientele due to her exceptional negotiation skills, product knowledge and her honest personable approach”.

Fearon was the licensee of Ray White in Balmain when the franchise’s then-principal Karl Howard was charged with attacking two women in February 2021, one with a samurai sword.

There is no suggestion Fearon was in any way connected to Howard’s crimes, but simply a business associate.

The NSW District Court heard last year heard that Howard, 46, was in the middle of a drug bender and hadn’t slept for days before he invited two women to his Annandale apartment.

Howard told the women he had taken valium and Viagra and he was seen consuming large quantities of cocaine throughout the night, the court was told.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting one woman and causing her actual bodily harm and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm to the second woman.

However, he was found not guilty of intending to kill or murder the woman he attacked with a samurai sword, after is lawyer argued he was unable to form the intent to harm the woman because he was experiencing drug psychosis.

Judge Antony Townsend found the real estate agent was not responsible for causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder and intending to cause grievous bodily harm.

Howard is due to be sentenced in November.