COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A mother of six said a former leasing manager, Kriscella Baker, stole more than $3,000 from her.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell reported about the allegations on Tuesday, saying the theft lead to eviction notices for some victims.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Baker, who previously worked for Progress Residential, allegedly took a $3,500 deposit from DuRanda Jones, one of the victims, under false pretenses. Jones said she was later informed by the leasing office that she was approved to move into the property but needed to submit a deposit.
“A few days later, they called back and was like, ‘You got approved. Are you ready to make your payment?’ And I’m like, ‘Wait, what? I already did this,‘” Jones said.
“It was very hard, and I still to this day I’m scared to make certain payments with certain things,” she added.
Jones said she received an email from Progress Residential’s fraud department after reporting the incident, but she had to pay the deposit again to secure housing for her family.
“Because it was an investigation, that I could still move in but I still had to pay the money again,” she explained. “If I wasn’t able to have help from family and friends to pull it together, we would have been homeless.”
Investigators said it’s not the only company Baker is accused of stealing from.
She is also accused of stealing over $11,000 in rent money in 2024 while employed at an apartment complex in Mableton. Police said they are still actively investigating that case.
According to jail records, Baker who is charged with theft by deception hasn’t been arrested in the most recent case.
Earlier this week a representative from Progress Residential sent the following statement about the alleged incident.
“The safety and well-being of our residents is our top priority. This former employee’s actions were a clear violation of trust. We acted swiftly to terminate the person in question, resolved the issue for affected residents, and are cooperating fully with authorities. Progress waived rent payments and worked to ensure that the impacted residents remained in their home,” said Patrick Lenihan, Progress Residential Representative
On Friday, Jones stated she did not receive any help or a refund from Progress Residential. Newell contacted the Progress Residential late afternoon about the matter, a representative is looking into it.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Dozens of police respond to shots fired in busy DeKalb street
- 475 detained in immigration raid at Hyundai electric vehicles site in Georgia
- 4 suspects with meth, trafficking items arrested in Paulding County drug seizures, authorities say
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
