Property Manager at Moorestown Real Estate Agency Defrauded Clients Out of Almost $190K: Police

A Cherry Hill man who works as a property manager for a Moorestown real estate agency has been charged with theft for allegedly diverting and retaining rent money collected on behalf of landlords who contracted his employer to manage those properties, law enforcement officials announced Thursday afternoon.

Randal S. Maher, 40, also allegedly kept security deposits paid by tenants and stole money from clients who used a separate property management business he established. He is accused of stealing a total of $189,055 from a total of 101 properties in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties.

He was charged with second-degree theft by deception and second-degree misapplication of entrusted property, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi, Acting Moorestown Police Director Lt. Lee Lieber and Special Agent in Charge Charles Giblin of the New Jersey Department of Treasury Office of Criminal Investigation said in a joint statement.

He was arrested Wednesday morning and released after posting $100,000 bail.

Maher was employed by a Moorestown real estate agency not named in the statement.  He oversaw an extensive portfolio of residential property rentals in which he was responsible for executing rental agreements, collecting payment from tenants and remitting it to landlords and overseeing repairs and maintenance of the properties.

Maher’s employer contacted law enforcement after receiving numerous complaints from property owners and landlords who claimed their money was not received monthly as agreed upon.

Several even said they went months without receiving payments. Maher allegedly told them it was because renters weren’t paying on time, among other excuses.

Several renters claimed they never got their security deposits back after they moved.

Maher allegedly created S.J. Property Management as a way to defraud his own employer. He allegedly told the tenants of the properties he managed to make payments either directly to his fraudulent company or to himself.

He allegedly also used an online website to collect payments. The website, www.sjpropertymanagement.com has since been taken down, authorities said.

Cherry Hill Police assisted the aforementioned law enforcement agencies in the investigation.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-265-5035 and ask for the financial crimes unit.

The attached image of Randal Maher was provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office