A Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority property manager in Cleveland Heights is facing a stack of felony charges after investigators say she quietly rerouted a resident’s rent payment into her own bank account. The manager, 37-year-old Dominique Clayton, worked for CMHA as a property manager, according to court records, and the case has tenants asking some tough questions about how the agency tracks and safeguards rent payments.
According to Cleveland.com, Clayton is charged with theft in office, tampering with records, telecommunications fraud and forgery. Investigators say she altered a tenant’s money order so that her own name appeared as the payee, then deposited it using a mobile banking app. CMHA police, according to the report, obtained a subpoena for bank records they believe back up the claim that the rent money was diverted. The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com reported that they called phone numbers listed for Clayton seeking comment.
The housing authority runs its own police department and provides resident resources, payment instructions and contact phone numbers on its CMHA site. According to its public pages, CMHA’s online portals are the standard routes for paying rent and handling tenant questions. The website also lists Main Campus and Police Department contact information for residents dealing with billing or safety issues…