HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Three former Harris County Tax Office employees are accused of taking bribes in exchange for processing fake car transactions.
Diana Flores-Cibrien, 34, is one of the former workers who was recently arrested.
According to investigators, she resigned from the tax office but was the ringleader of the scheme. One of the other employees was fired and the other also resigned.
They said Flores-Cibrien accepted more than $100,000 from car title companies. She's accused of passing on fraudulent paperwork to current employees.
It's estimated that the state lost about $50,000 in tax revenue as a result of the fake transactions.
Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett issued this statement:
"Three former Harris County Tax Office employees were recently indicted for accepting bribes in exchange for processing fraudulent automobile transactions.
"Based on the Harris County Tax Office’s internal controls and systems procedures, management in my office’s Automobile and Compliance Departments detected the fraudulent activities of former employees. One employee was terminated, and the other two had resigned a year prior but were still investigated to ensure that justice was served, and the integrity of our office was upheld. This commitment to integrity is unwavering and will continue to guide our actions.
"Once the fraudulent activities were discovered, the Texas State Comptroller’s Office, the Harris County Precinct One Constable’s Office, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office were immediately contacted to investigate the deceptive transactions. My staff and I are grateful for the swift and collaborative action and assistance provided by the offices of the Texas State Comptroller’s Office, Constable Alan Rosen, and District Attorney Kim Ogg. I will continue to monitor the criminal proceedings of these former employees and will assist prosecutors if any help is needed.
"All Harris County residents should be assured that the Tax Office maintains a high level of internal controls and procedures to guarantee that all transactions are conducted in accordance with all state laws. I remain proud of my staff and am grateful to those who discovered the crimes committed by these individuals, ultimately upholding the public’s trust in everything we do."