Houston Criminal Defense Blog

Texas readers likely recall the scandal over the fraud perpetrated by Enron Corp. executives Kenneth Lay, Jeff Skilling and Andrew Fastow. The company, which had been the seventh-largest corporation in America, experienced skyrocketing stock prices in the early 2000s. However, Enron’s stock prices crashed after the company’s fraudulent accounting methods became public.

After an investigation, all three Enron executives were convicted of white collar crimes, including charges such as securities fraud, insider trading, lying to auditors and conspiracy. The scandal also prompted federal regulators to look at a number of Wall Street accounting practices. That prosecutorial zeitgeist led to several additional investigations of other companies, including Dynegy Inc.

Texas readers may not associate mob tactics with Montgomery County criminal defendants. Yet one 84-year-old Texas woman, recently arrested for an alleged immigration scheme, is reported to have paid for a hit to be taken out on the District Attorney assigned to her case. Notably, the woman allegedly arranged the deal from her jail cell.

An undercover officer claims the woman agreed to pay him $7,500 for the deed during a jailhouse meeting. The woman reportedly wanted the offense to appear similar to the recent shooting deaths of the Kaufman County District Attorney and his wife.

Upon reaching professional status, many athletes experience a tradeoff: Although their compensation and potential media exposure are greatly enhanced, they may also experience an invasion into their private lives. Many college athletes poised on the verge of professional careers also get a taste of both the pros and cons of a professional athlete's lifestyle.

That seems to be the experience of Texas Longhorns wide receiver Cayleb Jones. The college football athlete, a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, has been charged with aggravated assault. The charge was brought after the alleged assault victim, a tennis player at the school, suffered a broken jaw. The victim claims that Jones punched him out of jealousy because he is currently dating Jones' ex-girlfriend.

A Texas grand jury recently voted against indicting former District Attorney Pat Lykos for a charge of misuse of public resources. Lykos was charged with unlawfully investigating another grand jury's deliberations about the Houston Police Department's breath alcohol testing vehicles.

Under state law, grand jury proceedings must be kept secret, even to other public officials. In fact, even a criminal defendant must petition the court for disclosure of grand jury information, based on a showing of particularized need.