The former property manager of the Colonial Village apartment complex has been charged with several crimes for allegedly renting apartments to Haitian refugees that were in such a state of disrepair, that the city eventually condemned the entire complex.
Sylvia Sherman was indicted by a grand jury and charged with engaging in corrupt activity, telecommunication fraud, money laundering and theft in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Colonial Village was condemned in late 2023 and residents were forced to move out of the complex, including more than 1,300 Haitian refugees, including hundreds of children, in the U.S. legally with temporary protected status, according to the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office.
The prosecutor's office said in a statement a warrant is currently out for Sherman’s arrest. Sherman is not in custody at the Franklin County Jail as of Wednesday morning, according to the jail's online inmate roster.
The prosecutor's office said that while Sherman was employed as a property manager at the Colonial Village Apartment complex in 2023, city code enforcement discovered that she was allegedly renting apartments that were listed as vacant to the immigrants. The apartments were in disrepair and lacked heat, hot water and smoke detection.
The statement said Sherman allegedly placed multiple families in single units without working water or heat.
The statement said the apartments were supposed to have been boarded up and repaired and once repairs were completed, the city was supposed to conduct a check of life and safety status before the apartment units were rented out. Sherman was aware of this order and allegedly rented out the apartments anyway.
The prosecutor's office said an investigation revealed that Sherman issued fake leases and accepted payments via Cash App, Zelle and money orders and then transferred those proceeds into her own bank account without permission.
The city and Community Shelter Board then worked for about seven months and spent millions of dollars to rehouse the former complex residents in hotels.
Colonial Village was one of several large apartment complexes to be shut down in the the last several years. Latitude Five25 was also shut down and is slated for demolition and redevelopment.
