A local property appraiser is accused of forging documents and evaluating properties he wasn’t licensed for.

Randal Steenhoek, 59, was arrested last Friday by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and charged with three counts of forgery, all class D felonies. He is the owner of Pella-based Steenhoek Appraisal, Inc.

According to court records, an investigation started in August, in which an alleged victim informed police that Steenhoek forged signatures on official documents. The accusation comes as Steenhoek is not licensed to perform commercial property appraisals without review and needed approval from a qualified individual to perform those types of evaluations. The victim claims to police that multiple documents appeared to otherwise have their signature in December of 2021, but were instead allegedly signed by Steenhoek.

The arrest came after Steenhoek was ordered to voluntarily surrender his certifiable residential real-estate appraiser certificate on November 30th — a license he had since April of 1993. The Iowa Professional Licensing Bureau Board charged Steenhoek with nine different violations of Iowa Administrative Code, including:

a.) Fraud in procuring a registration or certificate in violation of Iowa Administrative Code rules 193F-7.3(1)(d).
b.) Professional incompetence in violation of Iowa Administrative Code rules 193F-7.3(2)(b) through (e).
c.) Deceptive practices in violation of Iowa Administrative Code rules 193F-7.3(3)(a) through (e), (g) and (j).
d.) Lack of proper qualifications in violation of Iowa Administrative Code rules 193F-7.3(5)(f).
e.) Professional misconduct in violation of Iowa Administrative Code rules 193F-7.3(6)(a) and (b).
f.) Unethical, harmful or detrimental conduct in violation of Iowa Administrative Code rules 193F-7.3(4).
g.) Failure to adhere to USPAP in the development and communication of multiple appraisals in violation of Iowa Code sections 543D.17(1)(d) and .18(1) and Iowa Administrative Code rules 193F-7.2, .3(2)(d) and .3(7)(a).
h.) Failure to exercise reasonable diligence in the development and communication of multiple appraisals in violation of Iowa Code section 543D.17(1)(e) and Iowa Administrative Code rule 193F-7.3(6)(a).
i.) Demonstrating negligence or incompetence in the development, preparation, and communication of multiple appraisals in violation of Iowa Code sections 272C.10(2) and 543D.17(1)(f) and Iowa Administrative Code rules 193F-7.3(2)(a)–(d) and (6)(a).