Grand Reserve owner’s stepmother, 2nd suspect charged in $600,000-plus wire fraud

The stepmother of the man who owns the Grand Reserve off Williams Road in Columbus has been charged with another woman in a 23-count federal indictment alleging wire fraud involving $607,365.

A federal grand jury decided on the charges Sept. 21 in a sealed indictment disclosed Monday as the defendants were arraigned in U.S. District Court.

One defendant is Darlene Corbett, stepmother of Steve Corbett, who developed the apartment complexes The Grand Reserve in Columbus and The Grand Reserve at Madison, in Madison, Ala.

The other suspect is Dorita Clay of Selma, Ala., also known as “Dorita West,” “Dorita Browning,” “Dorita Mial,” “Dorita Moultrie,” “Dorita Mobley” and “Dorita Brooks,” who had no connection to the business.

According to the indictment, Darlene Corbett worked as the chief financial officer for The Grand Reserve Columbus from 2009 until she was fired in September 2016. She managed accounts for both the Columbus and Madison developments, writing checks and wiring funds for operations.

Investigators allege that from April 30, 2015, to Sept. 21, 2016, Darlene Corbett and Clay conspired to defraud the businesses by writing unauthorized checks and wiring money. Darlene Corbett wrote checks to her name or to cash, and wrote checks to Clay in Clay’s name or to “D.L. Clay” or “L. Clay,” authorities said.

Darlene Corbett also wired funds to Clay, sometimes to “D.L. Clay, LLC,” they said.

The 22 transfers ranged from a low of $6,465 to a high of $75,000 and averaged about $27,600, according to the indictment.

Each defendant faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 22 counts of wire fraud. The maximum penalty for each count is 20 years in prison plus a $250,000 fine, prosecutors said.

Judge Stephen Hyles did not order either suspect jailed, though FBI Agent Gordon Hurley testified agents had difficulty getting Clay to turn herself in when they went to her home on Sept. 27.

Clay was not home, and for hours over the phone gave agents varying accounts of where she was and when and where she would surrender. Authorities staked out her home until she returned about 9 p.m., when she was arrested.

Hurley testified also that some of The Grand Reserve business checks still are missing, and one for $17,000 was cashed in Darlene Corbett’s name this past June in Las Vegas.

As conditions of their release pending trial, Hyles ordered each defendant to have no contact with each other or witnesses in the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals asked Hyles to order Clay to avoid gambling casinos.

Here are the transactions listed in the indictment:

• April 15, 2015; $9,200 from CB&T to PNC Bank in the name Dorita Clay.
• May 14, 2016; $46,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• June 8, 2016; $20,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• June 13, 2016; $10,500 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• June 27, 2016; $17,500 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• June 29, 2016; $28,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 1, 2016; $6,465 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 6, 2016; $25,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 11, 2016; $12,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 14, 2016; $37,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 15, 2016; $23,500 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 19, 2016; $8,500 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 20, 2016; $25,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 21, 2016; $44,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 22, 2016; $9,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 22, 2016; $11,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• July 26, 2016; $22,500 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• Aug. 5, 2016; $24,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• Aug. 19, 2016; $43,200 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• Aug. 30, 2016; $75,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• Sept. 2, 2016; $70,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.
• Sept. 13, 2016; $40,000 from CB&T to Wells Fargo in the name D.L. Clay.

This story was originally published October 2, 2017 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Grand Reserve owner’s stepmother, 2nd suspect charged in $600,000-plus wire fraud."