By Patricia Bogumil
Staff Writer
A Franklin man is accused of taking money from renters at the Mount Pleasant apartment complex he managed, and using those funds for himself rather than turning them over to the property owner.
Lonnie Williams, 48, is also charged with stealing from the office’s petty cash account.
According to the criminal complaint filed January 2012 in Racine County Circuit Court:
In February 2011, the son of a renter at a Mount Pleasant apartment complex complained that in April 2010 his father had applied for an apartment at the 1120 Oakes Road complexes.
The son said he and the family spoke with Williams and provided Williams with a $100 money order as an application fee and a $760 money order for the first month’s rent.
But the son said an apartment never became available for his father. Instead, Williams gave them a variety of stories and also asked them for additional money.
The son said they had paid Williams a total of $2,120 and Williams had only returned about $1,500, shorting them $620.
A subsequent investigation by the property owner found 12 different tenants who stated they had given Williams more money than had been credited to their accounts.
The property owner said most indicated that Williams said there was a $100 application fee in addition to the security deposit.
Instead, the $100 application fee is supposed to be applied toward the security deposit rather than in addition to it.
Several tenants also had receipts showing that Williams had endorsed and cashed their money orders, making them out to himself rather than the property owner.
The property owner also said a total of $136 was found missing from petty cash after Williams was terminated from his position.
The property owner estimated its loss total at $6,963.
A Racine County investigator later interviewed Williams, who reportedly admitted taking some money orders and petty cash for his own use.
Williams is charged with felony theft of $2,500-$5,000 in a business setting as well as misdemeanor theft in a business setting.
If convicted of both charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 4 years, 3 months in prison; $20,000 in fines; or both.
A Jan. 26 hearing was held in Racine County Circuit Court. Williams is next scheduled for an adjourned initial appearance in court on Feb. 22.
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