HOUSTON — More than 50 people in the Houston area have been charged for taking part in "wire fraud schemes related to the use of falsified documents to obtain bail bonds for individuals charged with criminal offenses," the United States Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.
The DOJ called it a "colossal bail bond scheme."
"An integral part of the criminal justice system is the bail bond, as old as the system itself, a device that allows defendants temporary release while awaiting trial by guaranteeing future court appearances," U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said. "Honesty in the underwriting of those bail bonds is essential to ensuring compliance and protecting the community. However, this indictment alleges employees of AABLE Bonds and many others conspired to violate that trust. Today’s arrests and charges are the culmination of a multi-year, multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional effort to help protect the integrity of the bail bond system in Harris County."
Federal investigators said they're accused of falsifying records to make it easier for suspects to qualify for bond and get back on the streets.
Of the 50 people in custody, some will be making their first court appearances on Thursday morning.
Three people are still wanted:
- Tawana Jones, 44, of Houston
- Pamela Yoder, 60, of Detroit, Michigan
- Amir Khan, 60, of Pakistan
Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call the Houston FBI office at 713-693-5000.
What was happening?
According to federal investigators, employees at AABLE Bonds lied on financial reports in order to "qualify individuals charged with criminal offenses who would not otherwise qualify for what was necessary to meet the terms of their bond."
In other words, they were allegedly lying about the financial situations of people charged with crimes to get them back out on the street.
"This investigation exposing alleged fraud within the bail bond industry is the first of its kind and the result of a 24-month long FBI Houston-led operation into a colossal bail bond scheme operating out of Harris County," FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams said. "By allegedly falsifying financial reports related to bail bonds, the accused individuals secured their release back onto the streets of our community through an illicit revolving door within the bond system."
Eleven people in Harris County are facing criminal charges for getting bonds with falsified documents, according to the DOJ.
According to authorities, Mary Brown, 29, and Oscar Wattell, 34, both employees of AABLE Bonds, recruited people to lie about the employment status of people who were charged with crimes to establish earned income. According to the DOJ, the co-conspirators then falsified the information in financial reports.
The government and insurance agencies rely on those financial reports to enter into surety bonds, according to a release from the DOJ.
"Utilizing the bail bond system in a fraudulent manner to allow the release of criminals is unacceptable. We are proud to have joined with our local, state and federal partners in getting these individuals off the streets," said acting Houston Police Chief Larry J. Satterwhite.
Of the 53 co-conspirators, all but one have been charged in connection to alleged conspiracies to commit wire fraud, the DOJ said.
According to the DOJ release, the CEO of AABLE Bonds and an agent of Financial Casualty & Surety -- Sheba Muharib, 58, Missouri City -- is charged with allegedly affecting persons engaged in the business of insurance.
Muharib renewed her license in 2022. She was approved by the board, but some people voiced concerns about it. One of those people is a bail bondsman himself and part of the board.
"These companies, as I say, had a 'rob Peter to pay Paul' business model ... started bonding people out they shouldn't have," Mario Garza said.
Another man named in the indictment, Gerald Williams, was found guilty of killing David Castro during a road rage incident after an Astros game. On Wednesday, David's father said his son's killer was released on a 2% bond.
If convicted, those who were charged face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for the wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges. Muharib could receive up to five years in prison and a $250,000 possible fine upon his conviction.
The FBI, Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigated with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Marshals Service.
Family members of victims speak out
"We need to stop making money off homicide victims. This should not be a lucrative business," April Aguirre said during a news conference after the announcement of the arrests.
Anger and frustration are what Aguirre said she has felt for years after her 9-year-old niece, Arlene Alvarez, was killed. She never understood why Arlene's accused killer was able to bond out so quickly.
"I don't know about y'all, but we didn't have that kind of money sitting around," she said.
She said she was relieved the investigation resulted in the widespread indictments.