Real estate agent pleads guilty to embezzlement
A Texarkana real estate agent pleaded guilty Wednesday to embezzling from a former employer.
Reena Corbin, 35, appeared before 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart with Texarkana lawyer John Pickett on Wednesday afternoon at the Bi-State Justice Building in downtown Texarkana. Corbin entered a plea to theft of property between $30,000 and $150,000. The third-degree felony theft is punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp asked Lockhart to order a pre-sentence investigation by Bowie County probation. The report will include the amount of restitution Corbin owes to Coldwell Banker Elite in Texarkana as well as a recommendation for punishment.
In the absence of a prior criminal record, Corbin is eligible to receive probation. Crisp said she anticipates that Pickett will be asking the court to grant a term of deferred adjudication probation while the state intends to seek a standard, fully adjudicated term of probation. If Lockhart grants a term of deferred adjudication, Corbin will not have a final felony conviction on her record if she successfully completes probation. However, should Corbin violate the terms of a deferred adjudication probation, she could later be adjudicated guilty and sentenced to prison or a term of standard probation.
If Corbin is fully adjudicated as Crisp indicates is the state’s preference, she will be a convicted felon. A felony conviction can impact a person’s eligibility to hold certain employment, possess firearms and ammunition, serve on a jury and hold public office.
Lockhart scheduled the case for sentencing Sept. 10 at the Bowie County courthouse in New Boston, Texas.
Corbin arranged to receive commission checks for property sales while working for Coldwell Banker Elite, where she was a salaried employee earning $88,000 annually and ineligible for commission, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. Corbin is accused of pocketing a little more than $30,000 of the company’s money between October 2016 and December 2016.
Corbin is currently listed as an associate with Texarkana Re/Max Preferred, according to the business’ website.