North Texas man accused of slipping abortion drug in pregnant girlfriend’s drink

A North Texas man who works for the U.S. Department of Justice was arrested after he was accused of sneaking medication to induce an abortion into his pregnant girlfriend’s coffee, authorities said.

The suspect, 38-year-old Justin Anthony Banta, faces a capital murder charge in Tarrant County and a charge of tampering with evidence in Parker County after an investigation into the alleged forced termination of the pregnancy, the Parker County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The Sheriff’s Office arrested Banta, who is from Joshua, on Friday, June 6. He was booked into the Parker County Jail and released on bond, according to jail records.

The woman, who had been in a relationship with Banta, was six weeks’ pregnant in October 2024 when she suddenly lost her baby on Oct. 19, the release stated.

The victim’s doctor told the woman that the baby was healthy and had a strong heartbeat at a sonogram appointment on Oct. 16, investigators said. Later that day, she met Banta for coffee at a shop in Tarrant County, where she believes Banta slipped the drugs into her drink without her knowledge, she told investigators.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit written by an investigator with the Texas Rangers, Banta bought the drink before the woman arrived and surveillance video from the coffee shop showed him putting an “unknown, white-colored substance” from what “appears to be a small clear bag” into her cup. Banta also brought homemade cookies for the woman, which she took home with her but did not eat, according to the warrant.

The following day, the woman began to experience pain, fatigue and heavy bleeding, and she went to the emergency room on Oct. 18, the affidavit states. The doctor told her the baby’s heartbeat was weaker and that she should expect to have a miscarriage. She lost her baby on Oct. 19, investigators said.

After she contacted police, the woman gave an investigator the cookies, and testing at an FBI lab showed they contained mifepristone and misoprostol — drugs which can be used together to terminate a pregnancy at 10 weeks or less — according to the affidavit. Banta had asked the woman to send him a photo of her eating one of the cookies, investigators said. Law enforcement and private labs told investigators that they don’t have the capability to test the woman’s blood or urine for the presence of the drugs.

Banta had offered to pay for the abortion-inducing drugs and order the pills online about a month earlier when the woman initially shared the news of her pregnancy, despite her expressing her desire to keep the baby, investigators said. Cellphone record showed Banta had texted the woman a photo of the box of medication he bought, which was a combipack of mifepristone and misoprostol tablets, according to the affidavit.

Man and his attorney deny allegations

In an interview with investigators on Oct. 20, Banta said that he had pressured the woman to get an abortion. He confirmed that he ordered the pills but said he had a change of heart and disposed of the medication, according to the affidavit. He denied putting anything in the woman’s drink.

In a statement to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV, Banta’s defense attorney, Michael Heiskell, said, “The charges against Justin will result in a vigorous defense. He maintains his innocence as he did so when he fully cooperated and met with the investigating officers. This cooperation included him voluntarily consenting to his phone being seized by said investigators. I remind the public that these are only allegations and that Justin looks forward to clearing his good name in court. In that vein, we ask that his privacy and the due process our law provides him and the rest of us be honored and protected.”

Heiskell called the allegations against his client “purely fictional.”

“They’re trying to spin any actions on his part, or any statements on his part, in a way that makes him look and appear guilty,” the defense lawyer told WFAA. “This is kind of par for the course of these investigators who take it upon themselves to believe each and everything that the alleged victim tells them without doing the actual scrutiny that these types of cases should require.”

Investigators collected Banta’s cell phone as evidence after their interview with him, but crucial evidence was deleted, according to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators believe that Banta, who works in IT at the Justice Department, remotely reset his phone to delete evidence. Authorities said they were able to retrieve messages between Banta and his wife in which he tells her that the other woman is pregnant and that he has ordered the medication with the hope that she would have an abortion, according to the affidavit.

Three days after his interview with law enforcement, Banta returned to the coffee shop and asked employees whether police had asked to see the security footage, the affidavit states. He then walked around the store and appeared to inspect the angles of the cameras, employees told police.

The Texas Rangers investigated the unborn child’s death and obtained the warrant to arrest Banta on a capital murder charge. The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office has not yet filed charges, and the case has not gone before a grand jury, according to court records.

Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier said that the owners and staff of the coffee shop, which is in Benbrook, cooperated with the investigation, which also involved assistance from the FBI, Benbrook police, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office Digital Forensic and Technical Services, the U.S. Secret Service and the Regional Organized Crime Information Center.

Suspect works for federal Bureau of Prisons

The federal Bureau of Prisons, where Banta works, declined to comment on if or how the arrest will affect his employment, saying it does not comment on specific personnel matters.

“However, we can share incidents of potential criminal activity or misconduct inside BOP facilities are thoroughly investigated for potential administrative discipline or criminal prosecution,” Randilee Giamusso, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson, wrote in an email.

Giamusso included a statement from BOP Director William K. Marshall III about how the bureau generally handles allegations of misconduct.

Marshall said that Bureau of Prisons employees are held to a high standard, and if there is credible information regarding an employee’s misconduct, they will be held accountable.

“The 99% of staff who are doing the right thing every single day deserve a Bureau that reflects their integrity, not one overshadowed by the misconduct of a few,” Marshall said.

This story was originally published June 9, 2025 at 1:24 PM.