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Helena real estate agent has been held accountable for putting veterans at Fort Harrison in harm's way by failing to disclose lead-based paint hazards. Melanie Ann Carlin, 54, was fined $150,000 and sentenced to three years of felony probation after pleading guilty to one count of knowing endangerment. The offense occurred between September 2019 and September 2021, when Carlin, owner of 406 Properties, Inc., neglected to inform veterans and their families about lead-based paint hazards at Freedom's Path Fort Harrison.
An investigation revealed that in May 2019, Carlin received a request for information on lead remediation but falsely stated the properties were built after 1978. In September 2021, an 18-month-old child was diagnosed with lead poisoning after ingesting paint chips from one of the units. Mold Wranglers, Inc., another company involved in the case, was also sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $348,000 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for filing false reports about lead abatement.
