Houston, TX Criminal Defense Blog

Late last month, three Houston residents were sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges stemmed from a three-year-long Texas mortgage fraud scheme.

According to prosecutors, the three individuals - a husband and wife and their adult daughter - worked together to illicitly secure mortgages on at least 70 homes. The husband's role was to recruit "straw buyers" to sign mortgage paperwork, even though they had no intention of making payments on the loan or residing in the home. He pitched the scheme to buyers as an investment opportunity.

The wife and daughter were both licensed mortgage loan officers. Both were accused of providing lenders with false information in order to obtain the proceeds of the loan.

It's easy to get upset or angry at a situation and overreact. All of us have said something at one time or another that we wouldn't have had we been in a calmer emotional state.

In these situations though, it's important to remember that law enforcement takes threats of violence very seriously. Even if you never had any intention of harming anybody, using threatening language can land you in serious trouble.

In one such incident, a Houston mother is facing serious felony charges after she became upset and made threats against her daughter's school.

Last year, Houston resident Michael Giacona was convicted of causing a drunk driving accident in which a 20-year-old man was killed. He was recently released after serving a 90-day prison sentence and will now have to comply with the terms of a two-year probation term.

All of this is relatively standard punishment for a Houston DWI conviction. But, there is a third element of Giacona's punishment that is very unique. He has been ordered to sit at the accident site wearing a sign reading "I killed Aaron Pennywell while driving drunk."

This week, three Houston men were convicted on federal hate crime charges for the assault of an African-American man last August. The conviction is the first of its kind in the Houston area.

According to the charges, the men encountered the victim at a bus stop on the night of August 13. One of the men asked the victim for the time, and then another used a racial slur. The group then attacked the victim, stomping him and kicking him in the head.

Initially, the assailants were charged with misdemeanor assault offenses in state court. Ultimately, though, federal authorities intervened with felony hate crimes charges.

The leaders of a Houston-based sex trafficking ring were sentenced to federal prison this week, four months after pleading guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens.

According to federal prosecutors, the two ringleaders illegally transported Mexican women across the border with the intent of using them in the sex trade. Initially, the women were told that they would be given legitimate jobs at Houston-area restaurants and bars. Instead, they were reportedly forced to work as prostitutes.

A Texas man was arrested last month after law enforcement uncovered electronic information indicating he had engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship with an underage girl. He is now facing a number of Texas sex crimes charges.

The man, age 23, is accused of participating in sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl.

Authorities were made aware of the relationship after the girl's father came home from work to find a car parked outside the family's home. As he entered the house, a man ran through the front door, got in the car and drove away.

The founder of a Houston record label pleaded guilty last week to charges of cocaine distribution and money laundering. Prosecutors alleged that Estell "Hump" Hobbs was part of a nationwide drug distribution network that had ties to Mexican cartels.

Along with the rapper Lil' Flip, Hobbs founded hip-hop label Suckafree Records back in 1998.

Prosecutors say Hobbs had been involved in the drug distribution ring for more than 15 years. Hobbs's plea agreement is sealed, and neither he nor prosecutors have commented publicly on his alleged role in the organization. He is not accused of being a killer or a "kingpin."

A Texas man is facing charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault after he allegedly crashed his car into an apartment complex, killing one young child and injuring another.

The Houston DWI accident happened at about 11 p.m. last Saturday night. Police say the suspect lost control of his vehicle, crossed the median and drove into the corner of an apartment complex.