An Amarillo city employee pleaded guilty today to embezzling more than $465,000 in funds meant to provide shelter for homeless people, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.Amy Dixon, 44, the City of Amarillo’s former Homeless Management Information Specialist, pleaded guilty Monday to a criminal information charging conspiracy to embezzle from a federally funded program.In her role, Ms. Dixon was responsible…

HOUSTON – A 45-year-old Houston area resident has pleaded guilty to fraudulently applying for and receiving a newly rebuilt house worth $314,000, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.Christopher Montealegre admitted to one count of theft of government funds after he knowingly applied for relief intended for victims the hurricane impacted through a program the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administered. Montealegre…

WACO, Texas – An Austin woman was arrested this week on criminal charges related to her alleged embezzlement of federal funds for personal use while serving as the executive director of the Killeen Housing Authority (KHA).According to court documents, DeAdra Johnson, 52, allegedly stole thousands of dollars designated for KHA programs and used them for personal use. A federal indictment alleges that Johnson used the stolen funds to pay for…

Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Maria Del Carmen Montes (46, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to three counts of bank fraud. Each bank fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. Montes was indicted, along with coconspirator Carlos Ferrer, on July 20, 2022.According to the plea agreement, Montes, coconspirator Ferrer, and others created and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting…

LAREDO, Texas – A 38-year-old man was sentenced for his role in a complex mortgage fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.Edmundo De La Torre pleaded guilty April 19 to orchestrating a mortgage fraud scheme in which he altered hundreds of documents to get otherwise unqualified buyers’ approval for government-backed mortgages.U.S. District Judge Marina Marmalejo has now ordered De La Torre to serve 36 months in federal prison to…

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul Byron has sentenced Omayra Ujaque (52, St. Cloud) to two years and eight months in federal prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Ujaque was convicted at trial on April 13, 2023. According to evidence presented at trial, Ujaque, in her capacity as a licensed mortgage loan officer, created and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting the financial institution where she worked. To ensure…

McALLEN, Texas - A 51-year-old Rio Grande City resident and employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been charged with bribery of public officials and witnesses, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.  Roberto Rodriguez, 51, turned himself in to authorities today. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 9 a.m. Also taken into custody and appearing today are Jose…

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Oliver Barrington King (44, Deland) has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds. King faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. In addition, King has agreed to forfeit $16,618.91, the amount he obtained as a result of the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. According to the plea agreement, King was the property manager for an apartment…

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Omayra Ujaque (52, St. Cloud) guilty of three counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Ujaque faces a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment for each bank fraud count and a mandatory 2-year sentence for the aggravated identity theft county. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 5, 2023. Ujaque had been indicted on…

HOUSTON – A 61-year-old man has been sent to federal prison following his conviction of money laundering as well as conspiracy to commit and committing wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. A federal jury deliberated for approximately half a day following an eight-day trial before returning a guilty verdict Sept. 20, 2022, on all counts against Clarence Roland III. Today, U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ordered Roland to…

Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Maria Del Carmen Montes (46, Kissimmee) with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, four counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.  If convicted, Montes faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on the conspiracy count, up to 30 years for each fraud count, and a mandatory penalty of 2 years’…

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A loan officer is accused in a bizarre scheme to help home buyers get bigger loans than they might have qualified for otherwise. She was working for a mortgage company in Kissimmee, at the time, and later started her own business. Court records show she is also accused of stealing the identities of judges. According to the federal indictment, she is accused of making fake divorce documents, including forging judges’…

Orlando, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Evelisse Hernandez (40, Kissimmee) with four counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in federal prison on each bank fraud count and a mandatory consecutive 2 years’ imprisonment on the aggravated identity theft counts. The indictment also notifies Hernandez that the United States…

McALLEN, Texas – The former mayor of La Joya and two others have been ordered to federal prison for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. Former mayor Jose Adolfo Salinas, 83, pleaded guilty July 19, 2021, while his daughter - Frances Salinas De Leon, 54 - and Ramiro Alaniz, 40, both admitted to their guilt June 17, 2021. All are from La Joya Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Salinas to 33 months in prison,…

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Vladimir Volgaev (69, Sarasota) to two years and nine months in federal prison for theft of government property and smuggling goods from the United States, in violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The court also ordered Volgaev to forfeit $6,835, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense. Volgaev had pleaded guilty on August 19, 2019. According to…

TYLER, Texas – U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox announced today that six individuals have been arrested pursuant to a federal indictment alleging money laundering violations. “The threat posed by transnational organized crime is continuing to increase,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox.  “Of particular concern to us is the financial exploitation of older Americans by foreign-based crime rings.  These villains are located thousands of…