Sydney real estate agent avoids jail after raiding clients' house deposits to prop up her finances

By SARAH BROOKES - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 23:10, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 23:10, 14 July 2026 A high-flying Sydney real estate boss who marketed luxury homes to cashed-up buyers has admitted raiding more than half a million dollars in client deposits to prop up her own finances. EW Property Group CEO, Huijuan 'Jenny' Zhou, was sentenced in Parramatta Local Court last month after admitting she fraudulently siphoned $539,000 from her agency's trust account over a two-month period in late 2023. The homebuyers only got their money back after raising the alarm with NSW Fair Trading, triggering an investigation that led to Zhou being handed a 10-month intensive corrections order and 100 hours of community service. The extraordinary theft only came to light after investigators uncovered the missing funds. In one brazen case, Zhou diverted a $190,000 house deposit paid into the agency's trust account. When the property was later sold and the buyer sought answers, she failed to respond. In another instance, she took $123,000 before repaying the money 15 months later. Acting NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Andrew Floro said trust accounts were not a 'personal line of credit'. 'Misuse of client funds by a real estate agent is a serious breach of trust, particularly when people are seeking to buy a home,' Mr Floro said. Huijuan 'Jenny' Zhou (pictured) was sentenced in Parramatta Local Court last month after admitting she fraudulently siphoned $539,000 from her agency's trust account Zhou was sentenced to a 10-month intensive corrections order and 100 hours of community service during sentencing at the Parramatta Local Court (pictured) 'Anyone who breaches the rules will face consequences, demonstrating the NSW Government's commitment to protecting consumers.' The conviction means Zhou will remain on NSW Fair Trading's Name and Shame Register, which records disciplinary and regulatory action taken against property industry licence holders. Despite the conviction, Zhou's company profile boasts that she has sold more than 900 properties during her 13-year career. 'She has always worked alongside some of the industry's finest, achieving exceptional success for homebuyers and investors in both the Chinese and local property markets,' her biography states. It also states Zhou 'enjoys living in Sydney’s Upper North Shore and places great emphasis on family values, spending time with her two children, former Knox Grammar boys who are training to be future soccer stars'. The Daily Mail has contacted Zhou for comment.