Local News

A licensed real estate broker pleaded guilty Monday after avoiding reporting requirements and drafting fake property leases when her client’s illegal marijuana grow was raided.

In a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Tyra Foxx, 46, pleaded guilty to and was charged on February 23rd with avoiding reporting requirements and obstruction of justice. She will be sentenced May 11th.

According to court documents, from January 2020 through November 2020, Foxx was a real estate broker for Jose Orozco and assisted with his purchase of agricultural properties to grow hemp and marijuana.

When Orozco purchased these properties, Foxx made large cash payments to the property owners outside of escrow, and knowing RE/MAX did not accept cash payments, converted $100,000 into money orders and used a third-party broker’s trust account to transfer over $2 million dollars into escrow accounts.

On October 13, 2020, Foxx received $175,000 from Orozco to purchase agricultural property in Josephine County, Oregon. Foxx did not file a Form 8300 upon receipt of the funds as required, but instead, transferred the money to a client trust account at another real estate office.

This caused a Currency Transaction Report to be filed in that real estate office’s name rather than Orozco’s name. After learning that law enforcement had raided one of Orozco’s illegal marijuana grows, Foxx drafted fake property leases for Orozco and suggested he place phony construction liens to be levied on the property to prevent it being forfeited by the IRS and Homeland Security.

In total, Foxx faces 30 years in prison, a $750,000 fine, and six years of supervised release. Orozco previously pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced April 6th.