An Arizona real estate guru, Tanya Maria Marchiol, who appeared on HGTV and ran an investment club for professional athletes, has been sentenced to four years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, two counts of money laundering and another count of structuring financial transactions. U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton sentenced Marchiol on March 4. “Unable to succeed legitimately as a real estate agent, Marchiol simply defrauded investors, lenders, and committed money laundering to finance her love for money,” prosecutors said in a statement filed with the court. “Consistent with her selfishness, Marchiol radiated contempt for others, evidenced by interviews with her own employees and investors.” Marchiol helped drug traffickers purchase a home in 2008 and disguise their ownership by pretending to be the buyer, according to a story in the Arizona Republic. Marchiol is also the author of a real estate book, “The Prosperity Principles: How to Turn Tragedy into a Life of Abundance.” She billed herself as a real estate guru Marchiol is the founder and former chief executive officer of Team Investments in Phoenix. She once billed herself as a “real estate guru” with a celebrity client base and a long list of media appearances. On her company’s former website, Marchiol promoted herself and her ability to create wealth, the newspaper reported. The site said her “ability to create wealth for her clients after one of the greatest real estate depressions of our time has earned her remarkable awards over the past two years.” She highlighted the “incredible returns” she garnered for her celebrity clients and her regular appearances on radio and television shows, including CNN, CNBC and Fox Business. In Phoenix, she was interviewed on 12 News about real estate, the newspaper reported. The self-described guru earlier pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of tax evasion. Authorities accused her of using her family members to buy homes because she couldn’t qualify for loans based on her debt-to-income ratio. “It’s not surprising that four of these homes went into foreclosure or were sold at a short sale resulting in a loss to the lender,” court documents state according to the newspaper.
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