Oakland Housing Authority property manager fired, charged in $5,000 theft

OAKLAND A property manager for an Oakland Housing Authority apartment complex was fired and charged with grand theft for allegedly stealing in property from a tenant s unit according to court records Tori Kirby-Demanzo whose name is also listed as Tori Jackson was charged with grand theft and receiving stolen property But agents say Kirby-Demanzo is also under assessment in a more widespread fraud incident involving accusations she received deposits from anticipated tenants and secretly rented vacant units to them while pocketing the funds In the grand theft scenario prosecutors claim that Kirby-Demanzo cleaned out a TV a Ottoman a mattress and bed frame and even paintings that were painted by the alleged victim Kirby-Demanzo allegedly reported police she considered the unit had been abandoned according to court records Kirby-Demanzo was unable to provide any of the appropriate documentation such as inventory paperwork of the alleged victim s apartment which a person with Tori s years of property management experience would know to document an Oakland Housing Authority police investigator wrote in court filings Kirby-Demanzo was disclosed from jail at an October court hearing records show She has not yet entered a plea Her defense attorney s name was not listed in court filings and couldn t be reached As this episode goes through the court system police investigators have launched a larger fraud probe over assertions that Kirby-Demanzo pocketed thousands in deposits from people who wished to rent units at the Mandela Gateway apartment complex where she worked then drafted fraudulent agreements and represented to them that they d been accepted as tenants Officials say the alleged fraud casualties were in units that remained listed as vacant and that the rental agreements were invalid and that none of the casualties were on a wait list for OHA units that has more than people The fraud study remains evolving and no charges have been filed according to court records