A former real estate agent could be jailed after pleading guilty to counts of fraud and deception worth more than $120,000 in the Supreme Court.

Maria Bento, 49, committed the offences while employed as a property manager by the West End Development Corporation.

Bento also rented a property from the quango at that time.

Prosecutors said that Bento forged the signatures of two of her bosses to obtain reductions in rent. The defendant also claimed more than $16,000 from Wedco to pay fees for several overseas college courses.

An investigation later revealed that Bento never took the courses.

During a short hearing yesterday, Bento pleaded guilty to one count of evasion of liability by deception, one count of forgery, and one count of obtaining a money transfer by deception.

According to the evidence, Wedco’s chief financial officer filed a police complaint after carrying out an audit of Bento’s rental payments in February 2021.

It is understood the audit established that between December 2017 and February 2021, the total amount of rent the defendant should have paid to Wedco was $117,000. However, the records revealed she had only paid $11,047.28 within the time period — a deficit of $105,952.72.

The chief financial officer also unearthed fraudulent accounting documents, which Bento had submitted to get a reduction in rent.

A number of these documents approved rental reductions for Bento’s property at Dockyard Terrace in Sandys and had apparently been signed by the chief financial officer or another senior manager.

One letter, typed on Wedco-headed paper, outlined damage to Bento’s rental unit and her personal belongings as a result of termite infestation. The letter granted Bento rent concessions until the issue had been resolved.

The chief financial officer told police that he had not signed the letter, even though it bore his signature.

The documents were later inspected by a forensic examiner who concluded that there was “strong evidence” that the signatures had been forged.

Bento will be sentenced on October 11. Puisne Judge Juan Wolffe extended Bento’s bail but warned that she could face a custodial sentence.

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