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Realtor admits forgery, investigators say

Cary Bond Thomas has admitted forging an elderly client's name to a listing agreement, according to state investigators.

By JAMIE THOMPSON
Published August 4, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - She is a stalwart in the local luxury real estate market, a petite woman with an aggressive style who has sold some of the most beautiful homes in the city's finest neighborhoods.

But this time, state regulators say, Cary Bond Thomas may have gone too far.

The 62-year-old agent has admitted forging an elderly client's name to a listing agreement so that she could sell his pricey Snell Isle home, according to state investigators. She was aware that the man, Harry Lieffers Jr., already had listed the property with another real estate agent, they said.

Relatives said Lieffers, then 76, had just lost his wife of 32 years and was suffering from dementia when Bond Thomas sent a copy of the forged listing agreement to his relatives in 2003, claiming she had exclusive rights to sell the property.

The state Department of Business and Professional Regulation has issued an administrative complaint against Bond Thomas, but the matter is not yet resolved. She still can refute the allegations.

If she is found guilty, her real estate license could be suspended or revoked.

Bond Thomas declined to comment.

Well-known in St. Petersburg, she is a third-generation resident whose grandfather developed a string of hotels in the 1940s, cementing the family's name in social and civic circles.

She got her real estate license in 1983. So far this year, she has made at least 12 sales with an average price of $840,000, according to the Kenst Report, a local compilation of real estate data.

Bond Thomas began talking to Harry and Betty Lieffers about selling their brick and stucco home at 801 Brightwaters Blvd. sometime before April 2003, according to Lieffers' relatives.

She sent them a letter dated April 4, 2003, thanking them for a tour of their remodeled home and reminding them that she specialized in luxury homes with Tourtelot Brothers Inc. She promised they would receive her "very personal attention."

Bond Thomas had known the couple for years, according to the Lieffers' son-in-law, Ken Reibel of Wisconsin. It seemed logical that she would sell their home, Reibel said.

But later that month, Betty Lieffers collapsed from a stroke. She died at Bayfront Medical Center on May 22, 2003.

Lieffers seemed lost without his wife, Reibel said. She had run the household, particularly in recent years as Lieffers showed signs of dementia and possible Alzheimer's disease.

Bond Thomas was among dozens who attended a memorial service for Mrs. Lieffers at Anderson-McQueen funeral home in St. Petersburg on May 25, 2003.

It was there, Bond Thomas later told the family, that Lieffers told her she could handle the sale.

Lieffers talked of moving back to Michigan, where he had been a prominent lawyer and where he could be closer to his two daughters from a previous marriage.

But about a week after the memorial service, Lieffers and Reibel went to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and ran into another real estate agent, Gerard Growney. Lieffers asked Growney to handle the sale, Reibel said.

Growney stopped by the house with a listing agreement, and Lieffers signed it, Reibel said.

Later, Bond Thomas began calling Lieffers and his family about selling the house, Reibel said. She also left Lieffers a handwritten note.

"Dear Harry," began the note, which Reibel provided to the Times. "When I met with you and Betty about marketing your home, Betty said she wanted to ask 2 million! We compromise(d) at 1,600,000 and a low commission of 5%."

Bond Thomas said she had been devastated by his wife's illness and that she had helped find a new home for his wife's dog after she was hospitalized. She said Lieffers had told her at the memorial service that his wife would have wanted her to handle the sale.

"I need a comfort level on what is going on," she wrote. "Please call me and talk to me."

Bond Thomas also spoke with Lieffers' relatives, saying Lieffers already had signed a listing agreement with her. She faxed a copy on June 8, 2003. It was dated April 4, 2003, and appeared to be signed by Lieffers.

But it didn't look like Lieffers' handwriting, Reibel said. It was signed "Harry Lieffers," when he usually signed his name "Harry Lieffers Jr." Additionally, the "arry" in Harry looked suspiciously like the "ary" in Cary Bond Thomas' signature, Reibel said.

He told Bond Thomas he thought the agreement was a fake. She denied it, he said.

The family helped Lieffers write a letter to both real estate companies, saying he wanted to go with Growney.

And the family helped Lieffers write a complaint about Bond Thomas to the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Bond Thomas called family members several times asking them to drop the complaint, Reibel said.

"Her story kept on changing," Reibel said. "I bet she called four times, and toward the end she was just crying on the phone, just sobbing uncontrollably."

The state began its investigation.

Meanwhile, another feud erupted between Lieffers' relatives and the other real estate agent, Growney.

Growney helped Lieffers leave his assisted living facility in Michigan and return to St. Petersburg, setting off a court battle over who should control his estate, valued at $1.5 million.

Lieffers said his daughters weren't visiting him enough. His daughters said he was paranoid because of his deteriorating mental condition and was being taken advantage of by Growney.

Eventually, a judge appointed a guardian for Lieffers, who now lives in an assisted living facility in St. Petersburg. His daughters have visited recently and said their relationship with their father has improved.

It was not until early this week that they heard from state regulators about the Bond Thomas complaint.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation found probable cause to prosecute Bond Thomas, saying she had admitted to the forgery. She can attempt to reach a resolution with state regulators, or request a formal or informal hearing.

Sharon Thayer, deputy director for the division of real estate, said she could not discuss the facts or the status of the case because it is in litigation. It is an administrative matter, not a criminal one.

Family members say Lieffers' house eventually was sold by Growney for $875,000.

Jamie Thompson can be reached at 727 893-8455. Send e-mail to jthompson@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 4, 2005, 01:16:04]