TYLER, Texas — A former East Texas apartment leasing agent who took over $5,000 from residents through a scheme last summer was sentenced to probation.
Sedona Francis, 24, of Richardson, pleaded guilty to property theft between $2,500 and $30,000 on March 19 in the 475th District Court. She then received five years' probation. If she violates her probation, she could face two years in a state jail facility, according to judicial records.
A CBS19 investigation last year revealed tenants at The Residences at Earl Campbell told police that Francis offered half-off rent if they paid Francis directly but the money never went toward their balance.
An arrest affidavit states Francis took about $5,096 from seven people by taking rent payments with the intent to deprive the property owner from July 23 through Aug. 13, 2023.
In August 2023, residents complained to the apartment complex after the leasing office issued three-day eviction notice to 75% of residents.
"I still ain't cut out the loss of that money because like I said, money doesn't grow on trees. I ain't got that much money to give away," one of the scam victms Haleigh Rolling said last year.
Francis was on the run until Feb. 28. Police say she was given a chance to turn herself in.
According to the affidavit, investigators spoke to multiple people saying Francis scammed them out of rent money at the apartment complex. One woman reported that Francis texted her about a half-off rent deal for back-to-school season. The woman said she sent Francis $720 via CashApp as a part of the deal.
A day before the woman gave Francis the money, Francis sent her a message about the half-off rent deal that read in part, "This is strictly a ME thing, and I only offered it to certain residents. Of course you can decline but I wanted to offer it to my good peoples to save some coins especially with school shopping at its peak," the affidavit stated.
The woman later learned she owed the entire month's rent, the document said. When asked about getting her money back, Francis told the woman, "I can't give you nothing I don't have." The woman said she thought she could trust Francis as the "landlord." Francis asked the woman for her login information that's used to pay rent. The woman offered to pay Francis in cash, but Francis asked for payment through CashApp, according to the affidavit.
A regional manager for the apartment complex confirmed 16 residents were impacted by Francis' actions. The manager said Francis did not work for the company anymore and they had issues with her past. The manager said the complex was not offering a back-to-school special or any kind of deal, the affidavit stated.
Francis had to be terminated over the phone, according to the manager. The manager noted multiple out-of-the-normal transactions that came in the complex as well as two transactions that came back as fraud. A receipt that Francis had created to look like one from the apartment complex was found in the leasing office, according to the affidavit.
In an interview, Francis told an investigator that the deals she was offering were "me things" and she was offering a service to residents while another person made the payment. She said she would tell residents, "you're paying me and your rent is getting paid." Police say she gave contradicting statements throughout the conversation.
Francis said she was in contact with the tenants to get their money back, but she later became "frantic" and contacted a lawyer who told her to not pay everyone back because it would show guilt.
"I am guilty of taking their money and not refunding it, because that is what I did," Francis said in the interview.
When asked about what happened to the money she took, Francis said she "just spent it," the document said.