Going bust: Houston man sentenced for $1 million embezzlement scheme to fund gambling habit

HOUSTON – A 34-year-old Spring resident has been sentenced for embezzling more than $1 million from his employer, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Donald Ray Owens Jr. pleaded guilty May 9, 2025.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. has now ordered Owens to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony from Owens, who asked for leniency and said he had developed an addiction to online sports gambling. In imposing the sentence, the court noted the significant financial harm to the company and Owens’ repeated misuse of its credit card. Owens must also pay $1,081,722.96 in restitution.

Owens was employed at Dominion Aesthetics Technology Inc. Between May 2022 and January 2024, he used his company credit card approximately 217 times to send money to an online payment platform account opened in his wife’s name. He then transferred the funds to bank accounts he controlled and ultimately into a personal gambling account.

He admitted he used the company credit card to embezzle approximately $1.1 million to pay gambling debts he incurred.

Owens was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case.