Tarek El Moussa got swindled out of $35k by a crooked realtor who later got his ass arrested for doing the exact same thing to others ... so claims Tarek, who's suing the realtor to get his jack back.
The "Flip or Flop" star is going after Mario Gonzalez and MCR Realty ... claiming, in docs obtained by TMZ, he struck a deal in April 2014 to buy a house in Cypress, CA. Tarek, however, says he grew suspicious after Gonzalez told him to wire a $35k deposit, but reluctantly agreed to wire the cash.
Things went south from there. Tarek says Gonzalez went radio silent for months, so he went to cops. Tarek says he later learned Gonzalez had been arrested. We checked ... and Gonzalez was arrested by the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. in December 2016 for grand theft.
Gonzalez also had his real estate license revoked. Tarek's suing for his $35k plus damages.