April 2010 Press Releases
April 30, 2010 - Vigil
FORMER LONE STAR NATIONAL BANK VP SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR BANK FRAUD
Defendant ordered to pay $589,494.74 in restitution to her victims
(McAllen, Texas) - A former vice president and senior lending officer of Lone Star National Bank (LSNB) has been sentenced to federal prison for bank fraud (Read more)
April 30, 2010 - Winn
IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY PLEADS GUILTY TO MAKING FALSE STATEMENT IN ASYLUM APPICATION
(HOUSTON) – Shelly Winn, an immigration attorney who formerly operated the Law Office of Shelly Winn in Houston, pleaded guilty today to making a false statement in an asylum application for a Chinese nationals who falsely claimed he was being persecuted in China for practicing Christianity (Read more)
April 29, 2010 - McCullough
FORMER CFO OF HOUSTON ENGINEERING FIRM PLEADS GUILTY TO EMBEZZLING MILLIONS
(HOUSTON) – Christopher McCullough, 47, currently of Frederic, Colo., and formerly of Houston, has pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property in connection with his embezzlement of more than $3 million while serving as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of LJA Engineering (LJA) (Read more)
April 29, 2010 - Neuwirth and Schneider
HOUSTON COUPLE SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR CREDIT CARD FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – Todd Neuwirth, 32, and Amber Schneider, 23, both of Houston, have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a scheme to defraud several different banks in Texas and neighboring states through fraudulent credit card cash advances and manufacturing false military spouse identification cards (Read more)
April 29, 2010 - Perez et al
SEVEN MEMBERS OF ALLEGED HOUSTON DRUG RING ARRESTED AND CHARGED
(HOUSTON) – Seven individuals have been arrested and the charged for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute hundreds of kilograms of cocaine (Read more)
April 29, 2010 - Cook and Williams
CHECK COUNTERFEITER AND FORMER BANKER SENTENCED IN BANK FRAUD SCHEME
(HOUSTON) - Kevin J. Cook, 25, a former Bank of America employee, and Wyane James Williams, 31, have each been sentenced by United States District Judge Sim Lake for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud the bank of more than $150,000 using counterfeit checks (Read more)
April 28, 2010 - Hale
LAREDO POLICE OFFICER INDICTED FOR COCAINE CONSPIRACY
(LAREDO, Texas) - Orlando Jesus Hale, 27, of Laredo, has been arrested as a result of the return of a sealed indictment which charges him with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and the use, carrying and possession of a firearm during and in relation to or in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Read more)
April 27, 2010 - Velasquez et al
ALLEGED TAX FRAUD CONSPIRATORS INDICTED
(LAREDO, Texas) - Jacqueline L. Velasquez, and her daughter, Minerva J. Bentley, along with Eloisa Garcia Casso, and Rosa Herrera, have all been arrested on bench warrants arising from a sealed indictment which alleges they aided and assisted one another in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. (Read more)
April 27, 2010 - Quintero-Payan
ALLEGED HEAD OF THE QUINTERO DRUG TRAFFICKING ENTERPRISE EXTRADITED TO U.S. FROM MEXICO
Eight-year battle by defendant to avoid extradition ends with one way trip to San Antonio
(SAN ANTONIO, Texas) - Juan Jose Quintero-Payan, 68, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, has been extradited to Texas to face charges of four felony violations of the drug and racketeering statutes, José Angel Moreno and John E. Murphy (Read more)
April 26, 2010 - Sharma and Sharma
HUSBAND AND WIFE PHYSICIANS CONVICTED OF 10-YEAR CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT HEALTH CARE FRAUD
Doctors Arun and Kiran Sharma plead guilty
(HOUSTON) - Dr. Arun Sharma, 56, and Dr. Kiran Sharma, 54, both of Kemah, Texas, have been convicted of conspiring to commit health care fraud over a 10-year-period in the Southern District of Texas (Read more)
April 23, 2010 - Patterson
FORMER POSTAL EMPLOYEE CONVICTED OF STEALING MONEY FROM US MAIL
(HOUSTON) – A former 20-year postal employee has pleaded guilty to stealing money from the U.S. Mail while on duty (Read more)
April 23, 2010 - Xu
CONVICTED DISTRIBUTOR OF COUNTERFEIT PHARMACEUTICALS RESENTENCED
(HOUSTON) – Kevin Xu, 38, a citizen of the Peoples Republic of China and the owner of Pacific Orient International Ltd., was re-sentenced to prison today for conspiring to distribute counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs and misbranding counterfeit drugs following the decision of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse one count of conviction (Read more)
April 23, 2010 - Quintinsky
OPERATOR OF UNITED CRANE INC. PLEADS GUILTY TO FAILING TO PAY $2 MILLION IN EMPLOYMENT TAXES
(HOUSTON) – The operator of United Crane Inc. has pleaded guilty to willfully failing to truthfully account for and to pay over the federal income taxes and FICA taxes from the wages of the company’s employees (Read more)
April 21, 2010 - Holley
EMBEZZLER GUILTY OF TAX EVASION
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – Gina Anzaldua Holley, the former office manager for a local medical group, has pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion (Read more)
April 21, 2010 - De Leon
ALLEGED FRAUDULENT TAX PREPARER INDICTED
(LAREDO, Texas) - Alma De Leon has been arrested following the return of a 41-count indictment alleging she aided and assisted in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns (Read more)
April 20, 2010 - Avila-Hernandez
ZETA ASSOCIATE GETS LIFE SENTENCE FOR KIDNAPPING
(McALLEN, Texas) - Luis Alberto Avila-Hernandez, aka Cua Cua, 27, of Reynosa, Tamaulipas Mexico, has been sentenced for conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping (Read more)
April 20, 2010 - Brown
MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MORTGAGE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) - Melvin Lendall Brown, a Houston area resident, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud (Read more)
April 20, 2010 - Higgins
FORMER TEXAS DPS TROOPER SENTENCED FOR VIOLATING CIVIL RIGHTS
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) B A former Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper has been sentenced to four years in prison for depriving multiple motorists of their civil rights (Read more)
April 19, 2010 - Zamora and Rodriguez
MEXICAN NATIONAL GETS LIFE FOR DISTRIBUTING COCAINE AND MARIJUANA
STEPDAUGHTER SENTENCED TO 58 MONTHS
(HOUSTON) - Miguel Zamora, 58, has been sentenced to life in federal prison for distributing cocaine and marijuana in addition to a concurrent 20-year-term for laundering the drug proceeds (Read more)
April 19, 2010 - Guajardo
BROWNSVILLE WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ALIEN SMUGGLING AND BRIBERY OF A CBP OFFICER
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) – A Brownsville woman has been arrested for bribing a customs officer and for alien smuggling (Read more)
April 19, 2010 - Anzaldua
PRESIDENT OF INTERCONTINENTAL COMMERCE INC. INDICTED FOR SECURITIES FRAUD
(McALLEN, Texas) – A 14-count indictment charging Albert “Andy” Anzaldua, of McAllen, with securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud for operating an allegedly fraudulent high-yield investment program was unsealed today following Anzaldua’s arrest (Read more)
April 19, 2010 - Samuel-Harris
ORMER NRG ENERGY INC. EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO WIRE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) - Dorothy J. Samuel-Harris, 43, of Sugar Land, Texas, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud (Read more)
April 16, 2010 - Rothenberg
LOCAL PHYSICIAN SENTENCED FOR INJECTING PATIENTS WITH FAKE BOTOX
(HOUSTON) - Dr. Gayle Rothenberg, a local physician specializing in providing image enhancement services, has been sentenced to five and one-half months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for injecting patients with a fake Botox product not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use (Read more)
April 16, 2010 - Ibanez
MISSION ATTORNEY INDICTED FOR FRAUD AND THEFT OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN
(HOUSTON) - An attorney and former bank chairman has been indicted for allegedly defrauding clients of his law firm as well as customers and employees of a title company he owned (Read more)
April 15, 2010 - Ferguson
MICHIGAN RESIDENT CONVICTED OF TRANSPORTING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY SENTENCED TO PRISON
(HOUSTON) – William Leroy Ferguson, 56, of Flint, Mich., has been sentenced to 109 months in federal prison and fined $10,000 for transporting child pornography (Read more)
April 15, 2010 - Madrigal
FORMER BANKER PLEADS GUILTY TO WIRE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) - Cesar Madrigal, a former personal banker for Wachovia Bank, has pleaded guilty to committing theft of funds from a bank (Read more)
April 15, 2010 - Grubbs et al
NINE AREA RESIDENTS CHARGED WITH METHAMPHETAMINE TRAFFICKING
(GALVESTON, Texas) – An Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation dubbed Operation Blood Loss has resulted in the indictment of nine southeast Texas area residents (Read more)
April 13, 2010 - Richarte et al
PLANNED ARMORED CAR ROBBERY YIELDS PRISON TERMS FOR FOUR
(HOUSTON) - Four Houston men convicted of conspiring to rob a Garda Cash Logistics Southwest Inc. armored car have been sentenced to prison terms without parole (Read more)
April 13, 2010 - Harden
CITY LETTER CARRIER CHARGED WITH MAIL THEFT
(HOUSTON) – A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier has been indicted for mail theft (Read more)
April 13, 2010 - McCoy
MAIL HANDLER CHARGED WITH MAIL THEFT
(HOUSTON) – A mail handler for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been indicted for mail theft (Read more)
April 12, 2010 - Torres et al
SAN BENITO SISTERS SENTENCED FOR ATTEMPTING TO SMUGGLE ALMOST $400,000
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) B Sisters Zu-Haidy Berenice Torres, 31, and Karla Judith Torres, 25, have been sentenced to 24 months in prison for evading a currency reporting requirement in their attempt to conceal $399,113 in a vehicle while trying to take the money into Mexico (Read more)
April 12, 2010 - Symmank
POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY LEADS TO PRISON TERM FOR HOUSTON MAN
(HOUSTON) - Keith Nathan Symmank, 48, of Houston, has been sentenced to prison for possessing child pornography (Read more)
April 12, 2010 - Marquis
EDNA MAN CONVICTED OF POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(VICTORIA, Texas) – Billy Forrest Marquis Jr., 51, of Edna, Texas, has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography (Read more)
April 12, 2010 - Black
FORT WORTH MAN INDICTED FOR MAIL FRAUD ARISING FROM ALLEGED NATIONWIDE SCHEME TO SELL OVER $100 MILLION IN FRAUDULENT SECURITIES
(HOUSTON) – A federal grand jury in Houston has indicted George Douglas Black Sr., 41, of Fort Worth, Texas, for mail fraud arising from an alleged scheme to sell more than $100 million worth of worthless construction bonds for projects across the U.S. (Read more)
April 12, 2010 - Yzaguirre et al
LEADER AND MEMBERS OF CORPUS CHRISTI METHAMPHETAMINE TRAFFICKING RING SENTENCED TO PRISON
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – Seven of 10 members of a methamphetamine trafficking ring, including its leader, previously convicted of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute kilogram quantities of the drug in the Corpus Christi area have been sentenced to prison terms for their respective roles in the illegal organization (Read more)
April 9, 2010 - Noble
135 MONTH PRISON TERM FOR HOUSTON MAN WHO DISTRIBUTED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(HOUSTON) - Roger Lynn Noble, 64, of Houston, has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography (Read more)
April 9, 2010 - Tillis
HUMBLE AREA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO RECEIVING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(HOUSTON) - Larry Don Tillis, 47, of Humble, Texas, has been convicted of receiving child pornography via the Internet (Read more)
April 9, 2010 - Aldridge
FORMER FEE ATTORNEY OF FIRST SOUTHWESTERN TITLE COMPANY AND OTHERS INDICTED IN ALLEGED MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MORTGAGE FRAUD SCHEME
(HOUSTON) – Vincent Wallace Aldridge and Tori Aldridge, both of Fresno, Texas, surrendered themselves to federal authorities as a result of the return of a 19-count indictment arising from an alleged scheme to defraud residential mortgage lenders of more than $3.7 million in connection with home purchases in the Houston area (Read more)
April 8, 2010 - Zamora, Pesina and Sanchez
THREE SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR DISTRIBUTING MARIJUANA VIA THE U.S. MAIL
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) – A former U.S. Postal Service employee and two others were sentenced to prison today for using the post office to distribute marijuana (Read more)
April 8, 2010 - Brown
HOUSTON MAN ARRESTED FOR POSSSESING APPROXIMATELY $2.6 MILLION IN COUNTERFEIT MONETARY INSTRUMENTS
(HOUSTON) – James E. Brown, 54, was arrested at his Houston home on Monday, April 5, 2010, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after accepting delivery of a package containing $747,990 in counterfeit monetary instruments, including cashier’s checks and money orders allegedly addressed to him (Read more)
April 8, 2010 - Villalon et al
SIX INDICTED IN $102 MILLION AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES FRAUD SCHEME
(HOUSTON) – Six individuals have been charged as a result of their respective roles in an alleged scheme to defraud the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) of millions of dollars for the export of agricultural commodities to Mexico (Read more)
April 8, 2010 - Masterson
JURY CONVICTS 22-YEAR-OLD CLEVELAND, TEXAS, RESIDENT OF TRAFFICKING MARIJUANA
(LAREDO, Texas) - After two days of trial and approximately two hours of deliberation, a federal jury has convicted Ashley Nicole Masterson, 22, of Cleveland, Texas, of conspiring to possess and possessing with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana (Read more)
April 7, 2010 - Thomas
NEW ORLEANS WOMAN CHARGED IN FRAUD RELATED TO HURRICANE KATRINA
Indictment brings to 104 the total number of persons charged in the SDTX with defrauding the government through hurricane disaster relief programs
(HOUSTON) - A New Orleans woman, indicted for conspiring to make false claims for disaster relief with multiple federal agencies following Hurricane Katrina, has been arrested (Read more)
April 6, 2010 - Rodriguez and Flores
LAREDOANS CHARGED WITH CONSPIRING TO SMUGGLE GOODS TO MEXICO
(LAREDO, Texas) – Daniel Rodriguez, 56, and Rosa Flores, 40, both of Laredo, have been charged with conspiring to and smuggling goods from the United States to avoid paying Mexican duties (Read more)
April 5, 2010 - Cole
CO-OWNER OF HOUSTON MEDICAL EQUIPMENT COMPANY CONVICTED OF HEALTH CARE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) – Fred Jessie Cole Jr., of Houston, has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of health care fraud (Read more)
April 2, 2010 - Govea
CORSICANA MAN SENTENCED FOR ALIEN TRANSPORTING CONSPIRACY
(LAREDO, Texas) – Martin Govea has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens by means of a motor vehicle (Read more)
April 2, 2010 - Marroquin-Salazar
JURY CONVICTS MATAMOROS MAN OF DRUG SMUGGLING
(BROWNSVILLE, Texas) – A federal jury has convicted Edgar Marroquin-Salazar, 23, of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on both counts of a two-count indictment charging conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute marijuana (Read more)
