Mar 28
2013

Richard M. Plato: Sentenced, 235 Months

Richard M. Plato , the founder of Momentum Production Corp., an oil-and-gas exploration company in Baytown, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison on March 28 and ordered to pay $3 million in restitution to investors in Momentum.

Plato was convicted Sept. 24, 2012, on five counts...

Mar 21
2013

Robert Roland Langguth: Sentenced, 4 Years

Robert Roland Langguth was sentenced to four years in federal prison on March 21 for operating a real estate fraud in Central Texas.

Langguth had pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in perpetrating a fraud that cost investors at least $7 million....

Mar 13
2013

Brian Keith Blalock: Indicted

Brian Keith Blalock was arrested March 13 in Tarrant County, five weeks after his indictment in Parker County for theft of property.

Blalock allegedly stole money from investors in IEP Oil Fund LP, an investment program he operated. According to the indictment, Blalock spent investors'...

Feb 20
2013

Howard G. Judah, Gregory F. Jablonski: Sentenced, 10 Years

Howard Glen Judah and Gregory F. Jablonski were each sentenced to 10 years in state prison on Feb. 20 for operating a nearly $30 million fraud based on the death benefits from life insurance policies.

Judah and Jablonski were sentenced in Harris County state District Court. Judah and...

Feb 1
2013

Karen P. Bowie: Sentenced, 80 Years

Karen P. Bowie was sentenced Feb. 1 to 80 years in state prison for her part in a $5 million fraud operated by Titan Wealth Management LLC of Plano.

Titan sold fictitious high-yielding foreign notes that were supposedly issued by European banks and claimed the notes would pay short-term...

Jan 31
2013

Tony Anthony Cruz Jr: Sentenced, Probation

Tony Anthony Cruz Jr ., who sold fraudulent promissory notes issued by his company, The Wealth Building Club of San Antonio, pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud and was sentenced Jan. 31 to five years' probation on each count and ordered to pay restitution of $1.1 million.

Cruz...

Jan 22
2013

Russell Erxleben: Indicted

Russell Erxleben was indicted Jan. 22 in U.S. District Court in Austin on charges of wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering.

Erxleben is accused of fraudulent practices in the sale of post-World War I reconstruction bonds issued by the German government. The indictment also...

Dec 19
2012

Arturo Gonzalez Salinas: Indicted

Arturo Gonzalez Salinas of McAllen was indicted Dec. 19 in Hidalgo County on charges of theft, securities fraud, and securing the execution of a document by deception.

Salinas was indicted in connection with his sale of interests in a company that said it would build a hospital in...

Dec 5
2012

Bruce Kyle Griffith: Guilty Plea

Bruce Kyle Griffith's guilty plea to federal conspiracy and securities fraud charges was unsealed Dec. 5 by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Griffith served as president and CEO of Always Consulting Inc., a Richardson company that sold investments in oil and...

Nov 29
2012

Norma Eltringham: Deferred Adjudication, Restitution

Norma Eltringham , a bookkeeper and tax preparer in Abilene, pleaded no contest Nov.29 to a charge of aggregate theft and was ordered to pay $67,792 in restitution to investors in an oil-related startup.

The sentence, issued in the 104th state District Court in Taylor County, includes...

Nov 17
2012

Sami A. London: Indicted

Sami A. London , a Euless resident, was arrested Nov. 17 in Tarrant County after being indicted in September on charges of securities fraud, theft, money laundering, and securing the execution of a document by deception.

The indictments charge London with stealing money from investors...

Nov 9
2012

Eddie Lacy Stivers III: Indicted

Eddie Lacy Stivers III was arrested Nov. 9 in Hood County, five days after being indicted for allegedly selling fraudulent stock and promissory notes.

The securities promised ownership and a share of future profits in companies called Patriot Insurance Co., Patriot Holding Co., and...

Oct 23
2012

Minor Vargas Calvo: Sentenced, 60 Years

Minor Vargas Calvo , a Costa Rican businessman with interests ranging from media to insurance to professional soccer, was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on Oct. 23 for perpetrating a $485 million bond fraud.

Vargas was the president of Provident Capital Indemnity Ltd., which...

Sep 24
2012

Richard M. Plato: Convicted

Richard M. Plato , a disbarred lawyer with three prior criminal convictions, was convicted Sept. 24 in U.S. District Court in Houston on five counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy related to an oil and gas scam.

Plato owned Momentum Production Corp. in Baytown, which sold...

Aug 22
2012

Michael D. Alexander: Indicted

Michael D. Alexander was indicted Aug. 22 for securities fraud in Rockwall County for allegedly selling investors shares in timber harvesting operation in the Amazon.

Alexander, a Rockwall resident, sold shares in Ecowood Recuperdore De Toras and Ecowood Resources International Inc....

Aug 9
2012

John Arthur Mertens: Indicted

John Arthur Mertens of Austin, who allegedly defrauded investors in a trading scheme, was indicted Aug. 9 in Bexar County district court on one count of securities fraud and one count of fiduciary misapplication.

According to the indictment, Mertens misrepresented to investors that he...

Jul 20
2012

D. Bowden, J. Priest, F. Howard: Sentenced

Three defendants in the wide-ranging AmeriFirst companies' fraud were sentenced to federal prison on July 20 in U.S. District Court in Dallas.

Dennis Woods Bowden of Farmers Branch, the chief operations officer of AmeriFirst, was sentenced to 16 years in prison and ordered to pay $23...

Jul 18
2012

Fred Howard: Sentenced, 5 Years

Fred Howard was sentenced to five years in federal prison on July 18 after pleading guilty to one count of securities fraud in U.S. District Court in Dallas.

Howard, a Florida resident at the time of his crime, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after prison and...

Jun 19
2012

Robert Joseph Mangiafico Jr.: Indicted

Robert Joseph Mangiafico Jr. of Dallas was indicted June 19 on a charge of tampering with a government record.

The indictment is related to the March 2011 indictment of Mangiafico on charges of theft, money laundering, and engaging in organized criminal activity. Mangiafico and a...

Jun 19
2012

Kelly Gordon Rogers: Indicted

Kelly Gordon Rogers was indicted June 19 on a charge of money laundering related to bank loans he received.

The indictment, issued by a Collin County grand jury, stemmed from the investigation into two other pending criminal cases against Rogers.

Rogers was indicted May 1 on...

May 1
2012

Kelly Gordon Rogers: Indicted

Kelly Gordon Rogers , an attorney in Frisco, was indicted May 1 in Collin County state District Court on two counts of aggregated theft, two counts of money laundering, and one count of securities fraud.

The charges stem from Rogers' alleged theft of $2.8 million from investors in two...

Apr 24
2012

Mary Alice Monteza and Alan Keith Nelsen: Sentenced

Mary Alice Monteza and Alan Keith Nelsen of San Antonio were sentenced to state prison terms on April 24 and April 2, respectively, after being convicted on charges related to a fraudulent overseas trading investment.

Monteza and Nelsen created a company called Castro International,...

Apr 12
2012

Robbie Dale Walker: Indicted

Robbie Dale Walker of Dripping Springs was indicted on additional charges for an alleged oil and gas fraud targeting elderly investors.

A Hays County grand jury on April 12 indicted Walker for securities fraud, money laundering, selling unregistered securities and acting as an...

Apr 12
2012

Terrence Riely: Community Supervision, Restitution

Terrence Riely , who pleaded no contest to misapplication of fiduciary property in Bexar County state District Court, on April 12 was ordered to pay restitution of $218,990, serve 10 years community supervision and perform 240 hours of community service.

Riely was an officer of the...

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