A former Langley developer who spent years in an American prison for wire fraud was a no-show at a hearing over whether he sold some condo units to multiple buyers.
Mark Chandler re-entered Canada in February after a six-year sentence in a California jail following a guilty plea to a $1.7 million real estate scheme in Los Angeles.
On this side of the border, Chandler was best known for being the developer of Murrayville House, a five-storey, 91-unit building near Langley Memorial Hospital. Between 2015 and 2017, Chandler promoted the project while also becoming involved in numerous other land deals and projects, including several parcels in Langley and a golf course near Merritt.
The project was dogged by debt and was put into receivership. In 2017, a report by the court-appointed trustee found that the 91 units had been sold to 149 buyers. A total of 31 units were sold twice, 12 three times, and one unit was sold to four different buyers.
Chandler's lawyer at the time denied the properties had been sold multiple times, and characterized the transactions as loans.
Chandler was extradited to the United States in 2019 after a long court battle.
Before he was sent south, the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) issued a notice of hearing over the alleged multiple sales, and also reported the incident to the RCMP.
Chandler was never charged in Canada, but the BCFSA re-started the process and served him with a notice of hearing when he returned in February this year.
However, according to a statement from the BCFSA, Chandler did not appear at his hearing when it started on Sept. 15, nor did he send a lawyer to represent himself.
The hearing proceeded in absentia.
"A full day of evidence was heard on the first day, and the hearing is ongoing via written submissions," the BCFSA said in a statement.
It is unknown when the liability portion of the hearing will wrap up and a decision will be issued. BCFSA decisions are posted on the agency's website.
Earlier this year, two other men were penalized for conducting unlicensed real estate activities related to Murrayville House.
Vasant Pragjibhai Patel and Chattar Singh Flora were both found to have facilitated the sale of units – Patel of about 18 units, Flora of about nine.
Patel was ordered to pay $10,000 for providing unlicensed real estate services, $10,000 in investigation costs, and a numbered company he owns was ordered to pay a $20,000 penalty.
Flora is to pay a $70,000 penalty for unlicensed real estate services.
Another two licensed realtors have also been found liable for misconduct related to Murrayville House as well, according to the BCFSA.
Individuals who have been found to have violated British Columbia's Real Estate Development Marketing Act can face personal penalties of up to $1.25 million and up to two years in prison on a first offence, and $2.5 million and two years in prison for subsequent breaches.
