WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A West Allis woman is facing felony charges after prosecutors say she conspired to steal thousands of dollars from her former employer by manipulating rent payments at a Milwaukee apartment complex.

Jessica Renae Fogel, 38, has been charged with conspiracy to commit theft in a business setting, according to a Thursday, Feb. 5 criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

Fogel reportedly worked as property manager at the Burnham Hill Apartments on 29th Street from May 2019 until her termination in 2025.

She told tenants to leave money orders for their rent payments blank, and she would fill in the rest, according to the complaint. She then made the money orders payable to "Luis Cruz," a former tenant whose information she had access to, prosecutors say.

Cruz told investigators Fogel would meet him to give him the money orders, which already had his name filled in, and he would cash them at Educators Credit Union and return the money to her, minus $20 to $50 per money order to repay a loan, according to the complaint.

Investigators reportedly traced just over $31,000 in money orders to Cruz's account, but the total scope of misapplied payments exceeded $69,000 according to the complaint.

When company officials questioned high delinquency rates among tenants, Fogel allegedly told them it was due to irregular subsidy payments, such as COVID-era payments or government rental subsidies.

The alleged scheme was revealed when a tenant was denied an apartment in Rockford, Ill. due to an apparent history of missed payments, despite having receipts showing he paid rent months in advance, prosecutors say. An investigation revealed 111 payments were misapplied between June 2024 and June 2025, affecting 85 tenants

After Fogel's termination, the building's delinquency rate dropped from 85 units to four units, prosecutors say.