CINCINNATI — A former Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority property manager was indicted on multiple charges related to theft of rent payments Friday.
According to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, 55-year-old Dion Crockett is charged with one count of theft in office, three counts of theft, one count of unauthorized use of property, one count of forgery and one count of tampering with records.
A release from the prosecutor's office said Crockett was the property manager at The Evanston, a CMHA complex managed by Touchstone Properties. Between January 2024 and April 2026, tenants paid their rent through money orders to Crockett, which Crockett then cashed instead of applying to tenants' accounts.
Crockett did not credit the tenants, the release said, making it appear as though they did not pay rent.
The release said CMHA issued notices to tenants about unpaid rent, which then prompted residents to report submitting their payments without receiving credit.
WCPO spoke to residents at The Evanston about the alleged misuse of rent payments last month.
Marvin Barnes, who moved into the complex in late 2024, said the former property manager instructed him to sign blank money orders.
"When I first moved in, I paid with my money orders. He told me not to fill out all of the information because I didn’t know what to put down," Barnes said. Months later, Barnes said he discovered the money orders were made out to the property manager's name instead of Touchstone or the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority.
WATCH: Residents at The Evanston spoke with WCPO about the former property manager
Other tenants shared similar stories. One man said he received an eviction notice claiming he owed $1.
Investigators estimate the theft is more than $30,000 so far, and is expected to increase as more money orders are confirmed.
In an effort to protect residents, CMHA has digitized all payments for properties managed by Touchstone Property Services since January 2026.
An investigation by the Cincinnati Police Department is ongoing. Crockett will be arraigned in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court at a later date, and faces up to 10.5 years in prison, according to the prosecutor's office.
