Tarrant constable’s office was ‘hostile’ and corrupt, witness testifies in fraud case
A Tarrant County deputy constable accused of working private security while on duty worked in a corrupt precinct office where the rules weren’t evenly enforced, a whistleblower testified Tuesday.
Former Precinct 8 Deputy Constable Keith Johnson faces a theft charge in what prosecutors have described as a scheme to draw checks from Tarrant County for law enforcement duties that were never performed.
During opening statements, Tarrant County prosecutor Nathan Martin said that Johnson confessed to shirking his public duties for the county during an interview taped by investigators.
“You’re going to hear evidence of 69 false entries entered into the records,” Martin said. “This defendant claimed 300 hours that were not worked, yet they were paid for.”
Johnson also faces six counts of tampering with a government document, resulting from allegations that he falsified his time sheet records.
A whistleblower in the case, Precinct 7 Deputy Constable Roosevelt Masters, used to work in Precinct 8. He testified that the people who ran the constable’s office were corrupt and would use their power over off-duty assignments and disciplinary procedures to keep employees in line.
He said that Precinct 8 Constable Michael Campbell worked so many off-duty private security jobs that he was hardly ever in the office.
“In my opinion he did nothing,” Masters said.
Campbell replied during a telephone interview Tuesday that he has never heard about any of the activities Masters described, and said he was at work Tuesday and had been there all day.
Those involved in this case are no longer with his office, Campbell said.
“I don’t have any comment on anything that he has to say,” Campbell said, referring to Masters’ testimony. “We don’t want to do anything to advance his agenda. As for these guys who are being prosecuted, let’s let due process take its course.”
Oliver Hassibi, the attorney defending Johnson, called the Precinct 8 Constable’s office “a mess, a snake pit,” and called Johnson a good man trying to do the best he could under difficult circumstances.
Johnson drew checks from Tarrant County in 2016 and 2017 totaling more than $8,500 while he was working security for private employers, according to court documents.
Arnold Holmes, 61, the chief deputy for the Tarrant County Precinct 8 constable, was sentenced to five years’ probation in March for working private security jobs at the same time he was being paid for his Tarrant County duties. As part of a plea agreement, Holmes was sentenced on a charge of abuse of official capacity. In addition to probation, Holmes was ordered to pay $6,660 in restitution.
Masters, who lost his 2012 election bid for the Tarrant County Precinct 7 Constable position, said that friends of Campbell and Holmes were treated differently and held to a different standard than the people who were outside their circle of friends.
Johnson was in the clique with Campbell and Holmes, while Masters testified that he was not. Johnson would show him the money that he earned from his off-duty security work as though he were bragging about it, Masters said.
Masters testified that Holmes told him he had to contribute $500 to Campbell’s re-election campaign in 2016. He refused, he told the jury.
“At first he said $500 and I said I can’t do that; I have kids. So I gave $250,” Masters said. “He told me that — ‘We have to scratch each other’s back. You have these part-time jobs’ — I gave. It had to be the 2016 election. I‘ve heard that the constable was mad that I was out there. I was not in the clique. “
Holmes was a scheduler for Fiesta Mart grocery stores in Tarrant County, according to Masters’ testimony. Deputy constables needed the extra money to support their families and those off-duty job assignments were used to ensure loyalty, according to Hassibi.
“They’re working crazy hours trying to make ends meet,” Hassibi said during his opening statement. “Lots of people were doing it and for good reason. They needed the money. Precinct 8 is a tough place to work. The environment is a place where you had to watch your p’s and q’s. You had to do things that would benefit the people at the top.“
Masters testified that the people who refused to toe the line received unfavorable reviews, which made it difficult to continue their law enforcement careers. Masters also testified that the rules were strictly enforced for him but not for others.
“Had you been fired, would you have had problems getting another job,” Hassibi asked Masters.
“Yes, sir, you have a F-5 form that tracks your employment,” Masters said. “If I had appealed it, they were going to mess with my off-duty money. I have six kids. I needed the money. It was a hostile environment. It’s like the military. If I had a dishonorable discharge, I would not have had a career.“
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Tarrant constable’s office was ‘hostile’ and corrupt, witness testifies in fraud case."
