(Publisher’s Note: This article is the second of a two-part series composed after extensively interviewing a former Roxby Development employee who stepped forward to tell her story once the president of the company, Jeffrey J. Morris, was charged with wire fraud by the federal government. U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld of the Northern District Court of West Virginia said in a statement more charges against Morris will follow in the future. A trial date has not been established.)
Many of the employees have since made peace with each other. Not all, but most, Corinne Chamberlin – or “Crin Joy” – believes.
After unknowingly being placed in positions opposing one another, Roxby’s former “Human Alarm Clock” and a plethora of former employees of Roxby Development now believe they were made to be pawns in some undefined, one-man game. What they finally figured out was, she explained, the instigation was caused by the company’s founder himself.
Jeffrey J. Morris, indicted on federal wire fraud charges on September 8 in the Northern District Court of West Virginia, registered Roxby Development W.Va. Secretary of State Office on February 2, 2020. By December 2021, the company owned the Scottish Rite Cathedral, Roxby Labs, the 12th Street Garage, and the McLure House Hotel, and there were more than 100 employees on the payroll.
This past summer, however, Roxby was foreclosed on for both the hotel and the Scottish Rite, and Morris’s attempts to file for federal protections under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws were dismissed because of a failure to maintain insurance for the properties.
Chamberlin, and most other employees, had quit long before the locks were changed on both buildings.
“And there is a strong bond among most of us, that’s for sure. You know, there’s like a trauma bond, and that bond is pretty thick with those of us who have gotten together since the whole thing fell apart,” Chamberlin explained. “If and when I see someone I know from working for Roxby, even if I was frustrated with them at some point, it’s still there. That bond is still there, at least for me.
“Because of the environment Jeffrey created, I think, people turned into monsters. That’s my opinion anyway,” she insisted. “When I run into most former employees now, the first thing I ask is if they are OK. And it’s immediate because of the concern I had for everyone when we were in the middle of it all. All the craziness. I got this impression he was putting people at odds in order to control.”
Chamberlin’s role with Roxby included project management and event planning, but she was initially hired in October 2021 as Morris’s personal assistant. It was during those few months when Chamberlin noticed what she referred to as “abnormal behavior.”
“Especially from someone who was supposed to be the person in charge,” she said. “I witnessed him saying one thing to me, one thing to another staff member, and then something completely different to someone else. I finally realized that it wasn’t meant to be organized at all.
“Honestly, I think I realized that because I felt like I was in survival mode the whole time, and now, I think everyone was in survival mode. It was chaotic. Just chaotic. And Jeffrey would complain that things were chaotic, but it was always his fault. He didn’t let people help him. He either didn’t see it that way, or he just played the game he created.”
A Shattered Dream
Along with the investors, Roxby listed creditors like the electric, water, and gas companies, the police and fire departments, the payroll processor, the painter, the printer, the local newspaper and TV station, a lot of attorneys, and even Roto-Rooter on its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing dated May 1, 2023.
In all, the failing development company stated it owed between $10-$50 million to between 50-99 creditors. Before the request was dismissed, Morris released a statement promising re-organization with a new management company that would “manage event, entertainment, and food & beverage operations at the Scottish Rite as well as the hospitality operations at the hotel.”
At the time of the federal dismissal, Roxby employed only a few individuals at the McLure House Hotel.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know why anyone would work for that company when so many of us had issues with getting paid. I mean, I guess they still believed in it, and they had put in so much emotion into it. Like so many others. Like I did,” Chamberlin said. “I don’t know how much money anybody put in, but I know there were significant amounts invested. I think we all know that now.
“I know a lot of people put up with all the pay delays and the frustrations because the vision that was talked about was what everyone has always wanted to see take place in Wheeling,” she said. “It really was the dream come true for the city and everyone who lived in the area. Older residents remember when downtown Wheeling was the place to be with all the stores and restaurants, and younger people like me, well, wanted to see it all come back because it sounded pretty awesome.”
But then Chamberlin smashed into her personal “Can’t do this anymore” wall.
“My final straw was after Bluesfest in 2022 because a lot of us didn’t get paid by Roxby for working it, and when I found out that another staff member had not been paid. This person told me they couldn’t afford to be behind so much,” Chamberlin explained. “They told Jeffrey they couldn’t afford not to be paid, and he had the gull to tell them they needed to do a different job. That was after he promised we’d be paid. That’s when I knew I was done. I was done.
“I know some of my former co-workers hired lawyers, but I never did get one. I didn’t want a lawyer to tell me I couldn’t talk about it. I didn’t want anyone else telling me I can’t talk about it,” she added. “It’s like, you know what? Just keep the money because I would rather tell anybody anything about the situation than let someone try to silence me about it. Because it was so wrong. It was so wrong, and I’m all out of pity for him.”
This is all just very, very sad.
I wish the best for all employees.
I am sure they started believing
they were going to be involved
in something great for Wheeling
(and themselves).
The Wheeling area will survive this.
My heart goes out to the employees
and wish them all the best.
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