June 2010 Press Releases
June 30, 2010 - Watkins
MISSOURI CITY MAN PLEAS GUILTY IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEME
(HOUSTON) – Albert Terrance Watkins has pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud arising from a $10 million mortgage fraud scheme (Read more)
June 30, 2010 - Green
SHERIFF’S DEPUTY CONVICTED OF EXCEEDING AUTHORIZED COMPUTER ACCESS
(HOUSTON) - A former Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputy has been convicted of exceeding his authorized access to a national crime database for financial gain (Read more)
June 29, 2010 - Chapman
CONVICTED BURGLAR SENTENCED TO LENGHTY PRISON TERM FOR POSSESSING A FIREARM
(HOUSTON) - Steven Dallas Chapman, 33, of Baytown, Texas, a convicted burglar, has been sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison without parole for possessing a firearm (Read more)
June 29, 2010 - Cole
HOUSTON MAN PLEAS GUILTY IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEME
Admits using Social Security Number of a minor on loan application
(HOUSTON) – Adrian Levale Cole has pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud and false representation of a Social Security number arising from a $10 million mortgage fraud scheme (Read more)
June 29, 2010 - Phillips
HOUSTON ATTORNEY AND WIFE CHARGED WITH MISAPPROPRIATING FUNDS OF VETERANS, MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS AND TAX FRAUD
(HOUSTON) - A Houston attorney and his wife have been indicted for conspiring to misappropriate more than $2 million from the accounts of military veterans, making false statements and tax fraud (Read more)
June 29, 2010 - Torres-Gomez
MAN SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR ASSAULTING A BORDER PATROL AGENT WITH HIS VEHICLE
(LAREDO, Texas) - Rigoberto Torres-Gomez, a citizen of El Salvador who was illegally residing in Houston, has been sentenced to 55 months in the Bureau of Prisons for assault on a federal officer while in the performance of his official duties by means and use of a dangerous weapon (Read more)
June 25, 2010 - Cavazos et al
CORPUS CHRISTI GROUP INDICTED FOR ALLEGED CONSPIRACY TO TRAFFIC CRACK COCAINE AND MARIJUANA
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – A four-count sealed indictment charging several Corpus Christi residents with trafficking crack cocaine and marijuana has been partially unsealed (Read more)
June 25, 2010 - Pickens
HOUSTON LOAN BROKER SENTENCED TO PRISON
(HOUSTON) - Dana Pickens, also known as Dana Davis-Pickens, of Indianapolis, Ind., has been sentenced today to 24 months in prison for submitting fraudulent invoices for payment to El Paso Corporation (Read more)
June 24, 2010 - Deason
HOUSTON WOMAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR BANK ROBBERY
(HOUSTON) – Tuaca Elaine Deason, 25, of Houston, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for her role in a conspiracy to rob the Wachovia Bank branch located at 5311 Wesleyan (Read more)
June 24, 2010 - Essien and Akpan
TWO MORE DME OPERATORS INDICTED IN HEALTH CARE FRAUD CASE
(HOUSTON) – Bassey Essien and Ebong Akpan, of Houston, have been charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy, multiple counts of health care fraud and aggravated identity theft for their roles in a scheme to defraud Medicaid through the fraudulent billing for adult urinary incontinence supplies (Read more)
June 23, 2010 - Bui
LEADER OF ILLEGAL GAMBLING AND MONEY LAUNDERING OPERATION SENTENCED TO 12 MONTHS IN PRISON
(HOUSTON) - Thanh V. (Tommy) Bui, 33, has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for conspiracy to launder funds and operate an illegal gambling business (Read more)
June 22, 2010 - Agar Corporation Inc.
HOUSTON COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGALLY FACILITATING EXPORTS TO SUDAN
Corporation sentenced to four years probation and to pay $2 million in civil penalties and criminal fines and forfeitures.
(HOUSTON) - Agar Corporation Inc. (ACI) has pleaded guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and agreed to pay $2 million to the United States in criminal fines and forfeiture as well as civil penalties to the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) (Read more)
June 22, 2010 - Gutierrez, Gonzales and Zuniga
THREE 20-YEAR-OLDS SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR LYING TO BUY FIREARMS
As convicted felons they are prohibited from even possessing a firearm
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) – Three 20-year-old Brownsville residents who lied to buy firearms for another are now convicted felons and will be serving prison terms (Read more)
June 22, 2010 - Lim et al
SIX INDICTED IN POSTAGE METER FRAUD SCAM RESULTING IN MORE THAN $14 MILLION IN POSTAGE REVENUE LOSS TO U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
(HOUSTON) – The owners of three third-party mailing and presort companies and several of their employees have been charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit mail fraud by possessing and using counterfeit postage meter machines to affix counterfeit postage in large mailings resulting in lost revenue of more than $14 million to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) over a four-year period (Read more)
June 22, 2010 - Martinez
FINAL DEFENDANT SENTENCED FOR COCAINE DISTRIBUTION
(McALLEN, Texas) - Four men who were convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately 226 kilograms of cocaine, have been sentenced to several years in prison (Read more)
June 21, 2010 - Ndubuisi
NIGERIAN NATIONAL CONVICTED FOR ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL IDENTITY THEFT AND MONEY LAUNDERING RING
(HOUSTON) – A federal jury has found Ezumah Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi, 54, a Nigerian national and resident of Richmond, Texas, guilty for his role in a conspiracy to launder funds and commit bank fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft (Read more)
June 21, 2010 - Clues
JUDGE SENTENCES OWNER OF EXCLUSIVE TEMPORARIES INC. TO PRISON FOR EVADING EMPLOYMENT TAXES
(HOUSTON) - Priscilla Ann Clues, the owner of Exclusive Temporaries Inc., has been sentenced to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the United States of $1,411,975.34 (Read more)
June 21, 2010 - Washington and Overstreet
CHURCH LEADERS SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR STUDENT LOAN AND FEMA FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – Two pastors and a deacon from a former church in southwest Houston called “Fishers of Men Worship Center” (FOM) have been sentenced to prison for committing student loan and FEMA fraud (Read more)
June 18, 2010 - Perry and Olear
DOCTOR AND DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PROVIDER OWNER PLEAD GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT HEALTH CARE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – John Edward Perry III, 47, of The Woodlands, Texas, and Kate Ose Olear, 43, a Nigerian national residing in Houston, have been convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud (Read more)
June 18, 2010 - Toliver
CREDIT CARD FRAUD RESULTS IN PENITENTIARY SENTENCE
(HOUSTON) - Edward Toliver, 36, formerly a resident of New Orleans, La., has been sentenced to federal prison for credit card fraud (Read more)
June 18, 2010 - Cooke
LEADER OF TEXAS PRISON/STREET GANG SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR FIREARMS CONVICTION
(HOUSTON) – Steven Walter Cooke, 47, a reputed high ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) prison/street gang and a previously convicted felon, has been sentenced to prison for possessing firearms (Read more)
June 17, 2010 - Operation Stolen Dreams
FINANCIAL FRAUD ENFORCEMENT TASK FORCE ANNOUNCES REGIONAL RESULTS OF “OPERATION STOLEN DREAMS” TARGETING MORTGAGE FRAUDSTERS
Operation Stolen Dreams nets four Montgomery County residents in alleged $7.5 million mortgage fraud scheme involving purchase of Calibre Homes. Former REMAX realtor indicted in yet another multi-million dollar scheme
(HOUSTON) – Following an announcement today by Attorney General Eric Holder in Washington, D.C., representatives of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force in Houston, announced the results of the nationwide takedown, Operation Stolen Dreams, which targeted mortgage fraudsters in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) and throughout the country and is the largest collective enforcement effort ever brought to bear in confronting mortgage fraud (Read more)
June 10, 2010 - Project Deliverance
58 ALLEGED MEMBERS OF MEXICAN DRUG ORGANIZATIONS INDICTED IN SDTX
SDTX investigations lead to seizure of tons of contraband and millions in cash
(HOUSTON) – United States Attorney José Angel Moreno today announced the indictment of 58 alleged members of Mexican drug organizations responsible for smuggling drugs into the United States and transporting and delivering the contraband to various points within Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Illinois and North Carolina, transporting bulk cash proceeds south to Mexico and laundering the proceeds through the acquisition of Texas real estate (Read more)
June 10, 2010 - Butler
FORMER UTPA PROFESSOR SENTENCED FOR RECEIVING THOUSANDS OF IMAGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY VIA THE INTERNET
(McALLEN, Texas) - Brian S. Butler, a former University of Texas-Pan American Professor, has been sentenced to prison for receiving child pornography (Read more)
June 10, 2010 - Chance
TWO CONVICTED OF CONSPIRACY TO POSSESS WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE HEROIN SENTENCED TO PRISON
(LAREDO, Texas) - Jerry Chance, a U.S. citizen from Fort Smith, Ark., was sentenced today to 262 months in the Bureau of Prisons for conspiring with Donald Joe Huckaba to possess with intent to distribute more than a kilogram of heroin (Read more)
June 10, 2010 - Musick
JURY CONVICTS “SENIORLOVERMAN” OF ATTEMPTED SOLICITATION OF A MINOR
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – A 73-year-old man who called himself “Seniorloverman” online has been convicted of using a telephone and a computer connected to the Internet in an attempt to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity (Read more)
June 10, 2010 - Segura-Guel
RIO BRAVO RESIDENT SENTENCED TO STATUTORY MAXIMUM FOR TRANSPORTING UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS
(LAREDO, Texas) - Alfredo Segura-Guel, a resident alien residing in Rio Bravo, Texas, has been sentenced to the statutory maximum of 10 years in prison for the transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain (Read more)
June 9, 2010 - Quintanilla, Ballard and Malone
FEDERAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST THREE FOR THE ARMED ROBBERY OF COMMUNITY BANK IN BAYTOWN
(HOUSTON) – Federal charges have been filed against three men for the June 7, 2010, robbery of the Community Bank in Baytown (Read more)
June 8, 2010 - Hunick
HOUSTON MAN CHARGED WITH POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ORDERED HELD WITHOUT BOND PENDING TRIAL
(HOUSTON) – Following a detention hearing today, Marvin Oscar Hunick, 51, a Houston resident, was ordered held in federal custody without bond pending trial on charges that he possessed child pornography obtained via the Internet (Read more)
June 8, 2010 - Gammon
ATTORNEY HELD WITHOUT BOND ON CHARGES OF POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(HOUSTON) – Following a detention hearing today, William George Gammon, 49, an attorney, was ordered held in federal custody without bond pending trial on charges that he possessed child pornography obtained via the Internet (Read more)
June 8, 2010 - Garza
FORMER FALCON DAM EMPLOYEES PLEAD GUILTY TO THEFT OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY
(McALLEN, Texas) – Two former employees of the United States International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) at Falcon Dam Power Plant Project have pleaded guilty to theft with the use of the government issued credit card (Read more)
June 8, 2010 - Vargas
FORMER BANK OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR SENTENCED FOR STEALING FROM BANK’S UTILITY FUNDS
(LAREDO, Texas) – Norma Vargas, 41, a former operations supervisor of International Bank of Commerce, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for defrauding her former employer of more than $190,000 during the last two years of her employment (Read more)
June 7, 2010 - Kline
FAILURE TO REGISTER WITH TEXAS AUTHORITIES RESULTS IN CHARGES AGAINST CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER
(McALLEN, Texas) – Kenneth Kline Jr., 50, formerly of Denham Springs, La., and a current resident of Mission, Texas, has been arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) for failing to register as a sex offender in the state of Texas in violation of the Sexual Offender and Registration Act (SORNA) - part of The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Read more)
June 7, 2010 - Torres-Ortega
LAST DEFENDANT IN DEADLIEST SMUGGLING OPERATION SENTENCED
(HOUSTON) – The last defendant charged and convicted for his involvement in a smuggling operation that left 19 undocumented aliens dead or dying of asphyxiation, dehydration and hyperthermia, has been sentenced (Read more)
June 4, 2010 - Holt
HOUSTON MAN ORDERED HELD WITHOUT BOND PENDING TRIAL ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
(HOUSTON) - Curtis John Holt, 71, a Houston resident, has been ordered held in federal custody without bond pending trial on one count each of distribution and possession of child pornography (Read more)
June 4, 2010 - Robbins and Tieu
FORMER BANK BRANCH MANAGER AND AN AUTO DEALER CONVICTED OF DEFRAUDING BANK OF MILLIONS IN A CHECK KITING SCHEME
(HOUSTON) - A former bank branch manager and an auto dealer have pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud a Houston-area bank of more than $2.5 million through a check kiting scheme (Read more)
June 3, 2010 - Bujol
TEXAS MAN INDICTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO PROVIDE MATERIAL SUPPORT TO AL QAEDA IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
(HOUSTON) – A federal grand jury in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas returned an indictment today charging Barry Walter Bujol Jr. with attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and aggravated identity theft (Read more)
June 3, 2010 - Garcia
ILLEGAL ALIEN IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM SENTENCED TO PRISON
(McALLEN, Texas) - Jose Garcia, 31, of Comales, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been sentenced to prison for possession of a firearm and for being an alien illegally and unlawfully present in the United States (Read more)
June 3, 2010 - McCollum
NEW ORLEANS WOMAN CHARGED IN FRAUD RELATED TO HURRICANE KATRINA
Indictment brings to 105 the total number of persons charged in the SDTX with defrauding the government through hurricane disaster relief programs
(HOUSTON) - A New Orleans woman, indicted in the Southern District of Texas for making a false claim for disaster relief, theft of government property and aggravated identity theft following Hurricane Katrina, has been arrested (Read more)
June 2, 2010 - Davidson et al
IFCO SYSTEMS MANAGERS CHARGED WITH UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT OF ILLEGAL ALIENS
(HOUSTON) – Five managers of Houston-based IFCO Systems North America have been indicted for allegedly conspiring to unlawfully employ illegal aliens (Read more)
June 2, 2010 - Vannoy
KINGSVILLE MAN INDICTED FOR FRAUD, MONEY LAUNDERING AND AGGRAVATED IDENTITY THEFT
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – Douglas Eugene Vannoy, 57, of Kingsville, Texas, has been arrested following the return of a federal indictment charging him with mail fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering (Read more)
June 2, 2010 - Williamson
THREAT TO BLOW UP FBI BUILDING IN D.C. RESULTS IN PRISON TERM
(HOUSTON) -- Jeff Henry Williamson, 45, convicted of threatening to blow up the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to prison (Read more)
June 1, 2010 - Birts
OWNER AND OPERATOR OF BEHAVIORAL COUNSELING COMPANY CONVICTED OF HEALTH CARE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – Edward Birts, of Houston, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud and aggravated identity theft arising from his role in a health care fraud scheme in which Medicare and Medicaid were fraudulently billed for psychiatric counseling services (Read more)
