A former controller of a local printing company, the watermark Group, has been indicted on tax charges alleging she stole more than $500,000 from the company U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy said.

A federal grand jury in San Antonio on Wednesday returned a 14 count indictment charging Monica R. Richardson with 10 counts of failure to collect and pay withholding taxes and four counts of filing a false income tax return.

From 2005 to 2007, Watermark withheld tax payments from its employees paychecks.  But from July 2005 until September 2007, the indictment alleges Richardson caused Watermark to fail to account for and pay the internal Revenue Service approximately $554,305 in payroll taxes. 

She’s accused  of pocketing the money and filing fraudulent federal tax returns for 2004 through 2007 in which she understated her own income.  If convicted, Richardson faces a maximum of five years in prison.

When a business owner hires an accountant to manage the day to day financial transactions, that owner is putting enormous amount of trust into the employee.  One simple bad decision can multiply into charges of embezzlement.  I’ve been helping people accused of financial crimes for more than 35 years.  If you have been accused of any type of white collar crime, contact me immediately at (210)225-6600 for a free criminal defense consultation.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

A man charged with stealing identities to make purchases and lease an apartment in San Antonio was booked with Bexar county jail on Wednesday.  Trey Lane McCoy  is accused of stealing mail from Hill  Country Village residents to make multiple fraudulent drivers licenses and a medicare health insurance card according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

l A U.S. secret service agent had video surveillance of McCoy making fraudulent transactions at a Target Furniture Factor Warehouse and IBC Bank, the affidavit states McCoy also leased an apartment in the 1200 block of Blanco Road under a stolen name.

Lane is being held without bail on six counts of fraudulent use and possession of identifying information and four counts of check forgery.  He had been in the Guadalupe County Jail since May on separate charges of tampering with a government issued license and fraudulent use of identifying information.

Finding an experienced criminal defense attorney is easy, but find an attorney that has more than 35 years of experience fighting against fraud allegations is almost impossible until now.  I’m a dedicated Identification Theft Fraud lawyer in San Antonio and I offer free consultations 7 days week, 24 hours a day.  To schedule a consultation call my office at 210 225-6600.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

With his federal fraud trial about to start this week a San Antonio real estate broker has pleaded guilty for his role in a $2million mortgage fraud scheme that was targeted during a national crackdown in 2009.  Darnell Mason 54 opted to send jurors home Monday by pleading guilty to a charge of making a false statement on a loan application and two counts of wire fraud.

With the downturn in the economy the opportunity for fraud is every where.  That’s not an excuse just an honest view of the world today.  As we all fight to maintain the temptation to make a simple false statement or innocently report more income than you actually are able to generate we need to stop and ask ourselves if this is really neccessary.  As a society we need to take a look at the individual’s motive and determine if prison is the correct solution.  In more than 35 years I’ve never seen the economy in such distress and as a San Antonio white collar criminal defense lawyer I offer free consultations and case evaluations 24/7, just call me at 210 225-6600.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

A man scammed $30,700 in cash payments from six people by claiming he could help them fix their immigration status, an arrest warrant affidavit states.

The man, 61, uses several alias but was charged under the alias Jesus Lopez with theft and money laundering, $20,000 to $100,000, authorities said. He was held in Bexar County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Investigators said they began investigating Lopez when a victim, Juan Nicolas Estrada, told U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in San Antonio he had paid Lopez $7,000 to secure immigration documents in the belief that Lopez was a retired immigration agent.

Lopez asked all six to pay cash and provide photos — in one case, he took the Mexican birth certificates of a family desperate to leave Mexico; in another, he fingerprinted a man who sought a resident alien card and a social security number, the affidavit states. None received the promised documents.

If you have been charged with a crime such as bribery, fraud, money laundering or embezzlement, contact white collar criminal lawyer  Robert I. Kahn at (210) 225-6600 for a free consultation.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

A Houston businessman pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that he helped lead a scheme to give Zachry Industrial employees kickbacks so they would inflate invoices and cause the San Antonio company to overpay about $10 million for supplies.

David J. Reitman pleaded guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy to launder money at a hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery. As part of a plea deal, Reitman will face seven to 12 years in prison, four years of supervised release and restitution of $10 million when Biery sentences him Sept. 30.

Reitman admitted to a scheme in which four then-managers for Zachry, one of San Antonio’s largest employers, inflated invoices so the company would pay Reitman — who was president and a 30 percent owner of Mill & Safety Supply Co. — and co-owner Gary Schwing for items that never were delivered.

Additionally, a fifth now-former project manager wrongly diverted $100,000 to Reitman and Schwing from scrap metal sales that should have gone to Zachry between 2008 and 2010, court records say.

In turn, Reitman and Schwing gave the former Zachry workers kickbacks, according to court records.

Schwing is now the lone defendant awaiting trial, scheduled for Sept. 19. Six others, five of them ex-Zachry employees, pleaded guilty for their roles.

The inflated invoice scheme ran for seven years, from January 2003 to July 2010, court records said.

Zachry Industrial is part of Zachry Holdings Inc., which handles construction, engineering and industrial maintenance services. Zachry uncovered the invoice scheme for items such as hard hats, small tools and gloves and turned over its findings to the FBI and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division.

The probe found workers submitted false invoices and made entries in Zachry’s records to try to cover their tracks, court records said.

The records said Reitman and Schwing used a shell company, Louisiana Marine and Industrial Supplies, and a tool/equipment company, Constructors Rental & Supply, LLC, to funnel the ill-gotten proceeds and disguise the kickbacks.

As part of his plea deal, Reitman also agreed to a forfeiture order of $10 million, and his lawyers told Biery that he had already given up “several hundred thousand dollars” and was about to sell a home to help offset his restitution.

If you have been charged with a crime such as fraud, embezzlement, or money laundering.,  contact  white collar criminal lawyer Robert I. Kahn at (210) 225-6600 for a free consultation.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

A federal grand jury has indicted a Greendale man on eight counts of tax fraud.

The indictment handed down Tuesday accuses Arvind Ahuja of filing false tax returns and failing to report $8.7 million held in foreign accounts.

The U.S. Department of Justice says Ahuja failed to report the bank accounts to the Internal Revenue Service on four recent tax returns. The DOJ says he also failed to report more than $1.2 million in interest income from the accounts.

Defense attorney Dan K. Webb released a statement saying Ahuja was innocent, and that the government had made a “colossal mistake.” Webb says the bank failed to issue documents stating Ahuja’s interest income.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 52 years in prison and a $3 million fine.

If you have been charged with a crime such as tax fraud, failing to pay taxes or any type of white collar crime,  contact criminal defense lawyer Robert I. Kahn at (210) 225-6600 for a free consultation.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

A couple facing wire fraud charges for their part in the expanding bribery probe of a former Texas state judge pleaded not guilty in federal court on Monday.

Armando and Karina Pena entered their pleas before U.S. Magistrate Felix Recio in Brownsville.

An indictment says the Penas wired $1,800 from their Arkansas home to Texas for then-state District Judge Abel Limas to change Armando Pena’s parole terms. Court records show Pena is serving eight years’ probation for aggravated assault and wanted to report to his probation officer by mail.

Karina Pena is free on bond, but Recio delayed Armando Pena’s Monday hearing until Thursday so his lawyer could determine the status of his aggravated assault charge. The federal charge jeopardized Armando Pena’s deferred adjudication and probation.

Limas pleaded guilty in March to racketeering and is to be sentenced in October. A federal investigation has shown he accepted thousands of dollars to appoint attorneys and grant favorable rulings. The Penas were the latest of several people, including lawyers and a former state legislator, arrested in connection with the case.

If you have been charged with a crime such as Wire Fraud, Bribery, Racketeering,  contact the Law Office of Robert I. Kahn at (210) 225-6600 for a free consultation.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

A San Antonio man was sentenced Tuesday to three months in federal prison and two years of supervised release for his role in a massive fraud scheme that swindled about $1.5 billion from financial institutions.

Sean William Ragland, 37, a former senior financial analyst with Ocala, Fla.-based Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp., faced up to five years in prison after pleading guilty in March to one count of conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud. The sentencing was in Alexandria, Va.

Ragland was one of seven people charged in a sweeping scheme that defrauded three banks of more than $2.9 billion, though his role in the conspiracy was “more limited” than some of the others, according to a court filing by the Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors charged that in 2005 Taylor Bean created a lending arm called Ocala Funding LLC that raised money by selling asset-backed commercial notes to various financial institutions. Ocala used the money to buy mortgages from Taylor Bean, once the largest non-depository mortgage lender in the country.

Ragland and others defrauded the financial institutions from 2006 through 2009 by misleading them about Ocala’s financial health. Ragland and Taylor Bean’s CEO created false reports that inflated by “hundreds of millions” of dollars the value of the collateral backing the notes.

“Ragland played a significant role in the Ocala Funding fraud,” prosecutors charged in a June 15 court filing. “He administered the day-to-day activities of the Ocala Funding scheme and was fully aware that his actions were fraudulent.”

On the other hand, prosecutors noted that Ragland raised concerns to his supervisors about the deficit in Ocala Funding on a “relatively consistent basis.” In addition, Ragland had no involvement in other parts of the conspiracy, prosecutors said in the document.

Just when Ragland will start his sentence wasn’t decided Tuesday. He remains free on a $50,000 unsecured bond issued in March. He will have to pay restitution, though the amount hasn’t yet been determined.

Ragland and another person bought a home in November in the Stage Run neighborhood on the far Northwest Side.

If you have been charged with a crime such as DWI, arson, auto theft, etc., please contact the Law Office of Robert I. Kahn at (210) 225-6600 for a free consultation.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

A financial adviser who stole $481,000 from former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros was sentenced Thursday to 41 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution.

Fred L. May III, a former Texas A&M University classmate and friend of Cisneros, apologized to U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia, who could have given him as much as 51 months.

May sought probation and claimed he spent most of the money to help pay for chemotherapy and other medical treatment for his wife that his Tricare insurance would not pay for.

“There’s absolutely no excuse for what I have done,” the 62-year- old retired Air Force lieutenant colonel said. “Again, my apologies for the one client I harmed and the undue publicity it brought on him and his family.”

May was a financial account manager with Planto Roe Financial Services in San Antonio, which offered broker investment services through Securian Financial Services Inc. of St. Paul, Minn. Cisneros became May’s customer in 2000 when May established various accounts for him.

The FBI found that, from October 2004 through August 2007, May transferred $481,000 from Cisneros’ accounts to his personal accounts. May, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, forged Cisneros’ signature on the transfer orders, the FBI said.

Richard Planto, a partner of Planto Roe and former friend of May, said May “cast a shadow of a doubt on our firm” and left Planto feeling “personally violated.”

Planto’s partner, Charles Eugene Roe, told the judge that May had money in his own investment accounts that he could have used for medical bills.

Planto and Roe said May carried a “very good” lifestyle because he had box seats at the rodeo, three homes and a membership at the Sonterra Country Club, and he traveled to Las Vegas. May downplayed that, saying, for instance, that he did not own the homes all at once.

Securian ended up reimbursing Cisneros $550,000 for his loss, plus interest.

“It’s very damaging to our industry and our firm,” Loyall Wilson, senior vice president of Securian, told the judge.

In February, the Texas State Securities Board reprimanded Securian, saying its procedures didn’t comply with the board’s regulations and assessing the firm a $50,000 fine.

If you have been charged with a crime such as DWI, arson, auto theft, etc., please contact the Law Office of Robert I. Kahn at (210) 225-6600 for a free consultation.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

Three people charged in the Southwest Airlines stolen-ticket scandal were sentenced Thursday to two years of probation.

Lance Williams and Holsey Dewayne Clayton, a former guard at the Bexar County juvenile justice center, each were ordered to pay $40,000 restitution, while David Anderson of Houston was ordered to pay back $60,000 for stolen tickets purchased from former Bexar County Court Bailiff James Jackson and his wife, Althea Jackson.

Althea Jackson was accused of stealing 5,600 special tickets from the airline that she and her husband then sold in San Antonio and Houston. Some were used by judges and other public officials. The Jacksons were sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Last week, Luis Vasquez was ordered to pay $43,000 and Tasha Williams $20,000, and they each got two years of probation. All seven took plea deals. Three others convicted at trial in September of conspiracy to commit wire fraud are awaiting sentencing, while the jury acquitted two others.

If you have been charged with a crime such as fraud, embezzlement, or money laundering.,  contact  white collar criminal lawyer Robert I. Kahn at (210) 225-6600 for a free consultation.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions