Apartment tenants in East Point, Georgia, were told to bring rent checks and money orders into the leasing office instead of paying through the property’s online portal. Police say payments were then altered or diverted, and some residents were evicted after rent they believed they had paid was not credited to their accounts.
Detectives investigating Fulton Pointe Apartments identified more than 120 affected checks or money orders, more than 60 victims and losses of about $65,000. FOX 5 reported the findings from an East Point Police Department statement and an interview with Sgt. Jamel Shareef.
Police allege that money orders were deposited into personal bank accounts or used directly for purchases unrelated to the property, including wedding-related services. Detectives traced the payments through financial and property records.
Christia Dominique Smith, Destiny Dorsey and Cynthia Dorsey have been arrested. Fulton County Superior Court records show that Smith and Destiny Dorsey were denied bond on September 18, followed by Cynthia Dorsey on September 19.
Tenants Were Told to Bring Checks and Money Orders
The investigation began in August after a former tenant complained about changed or diverted money orders. Shareef said she had believed her rent was being paid until discovering that the payments were not being credited.
Police also began forensic audits at two other apartment properties where the suspects had previously worked. Financial institutions and property management companies were assisting the review.
A Tenant Said Months of Rent Had Been Paid in Advance
Kayla Sherrod told WSB-TV that she was evicted from Fulton Pointe in April while caring for a newborn. She said her mother had paid rent in advance, covering roughly December through May, but the property said it had not received the payment.
Sherrod provided the station with paperwork from her eviction case. WSB-TV reported that the documents listed Destiny Dorsey, now one of the defendants in the rent-fraud investigation, as the plaintiff.
“It feels like a real bad joke,” Sherrod told the station. She also described seeing neighbors downstairs, across the hall and elsewhere in the complex evicted before she lost her apartment.
Court Records List Different Charges for the Three Women
The pre-indictment court records list seven charges for Smith and Destiny Dorsey and five for Cynthia Dorsey. All three are listed with fourth-degree forgery, money laundering, felony theft by taking, conspiracy to commit a felony, and attempting or conspiring to commit financial identity fraud.
Smith’s and Destiny Dorsey’s bond forms also list computer forgery and identity theft involving another person’s identifying information. The case-detail printouts for Smith and Cynthia Dorsey classify fourth-degree forgery as a misdemeanor and their other listed charges as felonies.
All Three Were Denied Bond
Smith and Destiny Dorsey appeared before Judge Ryan Locke on September 18. Cynthia Dorsey appeared before Judge Rashida Oliver the following day. The signed first-appearance forms record findings of probable cause to detain each defendant and set no bond.
The bond forms for Smith and Destiny Dorsey cite a significant risk of intimidating witnesses or otherwise obstructing the administration of justice. Cynthia Dorsey’s form cites a significant threat or danger to a person, the community or property in the community.
A September 21 entry of appearance identifies Daniel Pozo of the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office as an attorney representing Destiny Dorsey. The filing was made in case 26PI007529, the same case number appearing on the three women’s court records.
Case-detail printouts dated September 22 list a preliminary hearing for October 9, 2026, at 9 a.m. before Judge Todd Ashley. The hearing entries identify Smith, Destiny Dorsey and Cynthia Dorsey as co-defendants.
Smith, Destiny Dorsey and Cynthia Dorsey are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Documenting Rent Payments and Responding to an Eviction Case
The Georgia handbook for landlords and tenants advises people preparing for court to bring their lease, receipts, messages exchanged with the landlord and other supporting documents. It also recommends checking whether the court allows documents to be shown on a phone or whether printed copies are needed.
Fulton County Magistrate Court’s eviction guidance says a tenant served with a dispossessory affidavit has seven days from the date of service to file an answer. The court provides an answer form and an online form-preparation service. The state handbook explains that when the seventh day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next day that is not a weekend or legal holiday.
East Point police have asked people who believe rent payments they made at Fulton Pointe were not properly credited to contact the department at 404-551-5395.