Enforcement Actions: Criminal & Civil

A U.S. District Court grand jury in San Antonio on Feb. 2 indicted Richard Morin on six counts of wire fraud related to a real estate investment scheme. The indictment was unsealed on March 8.

According to the indictment, Morin solicited investor funds for businesses that would purchase...

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...

Samuel Longoria of Mercedes, convicted of the sale of unregistered securities and the sale of securities without a license, was sentenced Jan. 19 to a probated 10-year state prison sentence and ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution within a year.

The sentence, handed down in the...

A Harris County grand jury on Jan. 5 indicted Howard Judah and Gregory Jablonski on charges of securities fraud and sale of unregistered securities.

Judah, a three-time federally convicted felon, was the former CEO of National Life Settlements LLC of Houston, and Jablonski was a...

Adley Husni Abdulwahab was indicted Dec. 15 on six federal charges of securities fraud, aiding and abetting, and conspiracy for allegedly selling millions of dollars of "collateralized secure debt obligations" through the W Financial Group (WFG).

Abdulwahab and other principals of WFG...

Michael K. Wallens Sr. pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud on Oct. 19 in U.S. District Court in Dallas.

Wallens and his associates collected more than $17 million from about 180 investors who bought Collateral Secured Debt Obligations issued by W Financial Group.

...

Richard W. McFarland Jr. of Uncertain, a small town near Caddo Lake in East Texas, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison on Oct. 4 for selling interests in non-existent oil and gas wells to investors.

U.S. District Judge T. John Ward also ordered McFarland to $8,861,160 in...

The Bexar County District Attorney re-filed an indictment against Terrence Riely of San Antonio on August 26, alleging misapplication of fiduciary funds in connection with the fraudulent sale of promissory notes to Texas residents.

Riely was a director of Paramco Financial Group Inc....

Stephen Bayliss Jones of Corpus Christi was sentenced to 12 years in prison on July 12 for stealing money from investors in a building materials scam. Jones had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of felony theft.

Judge Nanette Hasette of the 28th District Court in Nueces County...

A Limestone County grand jury indicted Reginald Lee Clark on May 19 on charges of theft and misapplication of fiduciary property..

Clark, who did business as Clark Investment Advisors, most recently in McLennan County, allegedly stole more than $400,000 from his clients.

Clark...

Melissa Marie Ramon of Bellaire on May 10 was sentenced to serve 10 years in federal prison for an investment scam that was investigated by the State Securities Board and prosecuted by the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Houston. U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore also ordered Ramon to pay...

Albert "Andy" Anzaldua of McAllen was indicted on 14 counts of securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud for operating an allegedly fraudulent high-yield investment program.

The indictment was unsealed April 19 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern...