Texas man told woman she was on ‘secret probation.’ Then he conned her out of $700K: feds
A Fort Worth man has been named in a conspiracy to con a woman out of more than $700,000 by convincing her she was on “secret probation,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Texas said Joseph Eventino DeLeon, 63, worked with a former FBI agent and is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is expected to make his first appearance in federal court Wednesday.
The former agent, William Stone, 62, retired from the FBI in 2015, and was indicted in May for wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, false impersonation of a federal officer and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity.
The woman, according to court documents, was told that she was under “secret probation” for drug crimes under the direction of a fictitious federal judge, according to the release. The release did not include the woman’s hometown.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said DeLeon and Stone told her they were to “mentor” and “supervise” her and that she would be required to text them reports of her daily activities and compensate them for their services and any expenses they incurred.
The pair told her she was not allowed to tell anybody about her probation status and would risk prison time and losing her children if she did not comply, according to the release.
The woman was convinced they were able to monitor her phone, according to the release. The pair convinced her they had spoken to a psychiatrist about her probation, found another person to impersonate the DEA “Intelligence Center,” and placed spoof calls between Stone, the woman and the fictitious judge. They carried a weapon in her home while telling her they were providing “protective services.”
DeLeon could face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, while Stone could get up 178 years.
The investigation was conducted by the Texas Rangers and Justice Department Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Fort Worth Police Department.