Enforcement Actions: Criminal & Civil

Karen P. Bowie of Dallas was indicted June 9 in Collin County for her alleged role in the fraud perpetrated by Titan Wealth Management LLC of Plano.

Titan Wealth principal Thomas Lester Irby II is serving a 24-year state prison sentence after being convicted of money laundering....

Reginald Lee "Reggie" Clark of Woodway was sentenced to 25 years in state prison on May 26 after a Limestone County jury convicted him on a charge of theft.

Clark stole more than $400,000 from clients of his business, Clark Investment Advisors, which operated in Limestone County and...

Chad Michael Hays was sentenced to 25 years in state prison on April 25 after being convicted on one count of securities fraud, eight counts of the sale of unregistered securities, and eight counts of sale of securities by an unregistered dealer or agent.

Hays was convicted in the 196th...

Richard M. Plato was indicted on April 6 by a U.S. District Court grand jury in Houston on seven counts of mail fraud and two counts of securities fraud.

Plato, the owner of Momentum Production Corp. of Baytown, allegedly took in more than $5 million from investors in promissory notes...

Kenneth Paul Lawrence of Rowlett was indicted March 31 for his role in the alleged sale of interests in a Hunt County biodiesel plant.

A Collin County grand jury indicted Lawrence for securities fraud, money laundering, theft, and engaging in organized criminal activity for his role in...

Christian M. Allmendinger , the co-founder of Houston-based A&O Life Funds, was convicted March 24 by a U.S. District Court jury in Richmond, Va., on mail fraud, money laundering and securities fraud charges.

Allmendinger was among several Houston-area residents indicted in...

Chad D. Taylor and Douglas L. Williams pleaded guilty on Feb. 25 to state charges stemming from their role in selling interests in non-existent oil and gas wells.

Williams, of Dover, Ark., pleaded guilty to money laundering in the 382nd District Court of Rockwall County and was...

Kurt Barton , the former CEO of Austin-based Triton Financial, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Austin on Feb. 15 on 33 charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and false statements regarding loans.

Barton faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

Barton...

Four principals of Aspen Exploration Inc., the Dallas-based company that sold interests in fraudulent oil-and-gas programs to investors across the United States, pleaded guilty Jan. 26 in U.S. District Court in Dallas.

William Anthony "Tony" Rand of Plano and two of his sons, Gregory...

Wayne Anthony Rand , who orchestrated an extensive oil-and-gas scam, was sentenced to 20 years in state prison on Jan. 24 after pleading guilty to a felony charge of theft. Rand was sentenced in Rockwall County state district court.

Rand raised approximately $8 million from dozens of...

Travis County state District Judge Stephen Yelenosky on Jan. 7 approved a Temporary Restraining Orderagainst Warr Investment Group LLC and Warr International Group LLC , Austin-based firms that allegedly sold illegal investments in violation of a Cease and Desist Order issued by the Texas State...

Thomas Lester Irby of Frisco on Dec. 20 was sentenced to 24 years in state prison on a money laundering charge in connection with his sale of purported high-yield investments from European banks.

Irby was also sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication on charges of theft and...