Texas lawyer arrested in relation to email frauds targeting law firms
The ABA Journal has reported that a Texas lawyer was arrested in relation to email debt collection frauds that have been plaguing law firms in recent years. The lawyer appears to have been running the fraud as part of an international criminal gang targeting lawyers in several countries, which matches information we’ve seen from a previous fraudster arrest.
It’s probably too much to hope that one arrest will slow the pace of these emails, but its good to see
law enforcement takes the problem seriously. While the nearly 800 fraud-related posts on AvoidaClaim have helped prevent many frauds in recent years, we still hear about lawyers being duped for large amounts of money.
Here is the text of the ABA Journal article:
A Texas lawyer has been indicted in alleged conspiracy targeting law firms, businesses and lonely singles.
The lawyer, Perry Don Cortes of Little River, Texas, was charged along with a nonlawyer co-defendant, Priscilla Ann Ellis of Harker Heights, Texas, Texas Lawyer (sub. req.) reports. The Aug. 20 indictment (PDF) seeks forfeiture of at least $8.8 million. The Temple Daily Telegram and the Killeen Daily Herald also have stories.
The law firm scheme worked this way, according to the indictment: The defendants created phony companies that sought legal representation in legal disputes. They obtained money orders for low amounts, then altered them for much higher amounts that were made payable to law firms that had agreed to represent them.
The phony companies would then notify law firms they had settled the case, and would send the forged money orders to the law firms. Then the companies would ask the law firms to immediately send the fake companies all or part of the settlement proceeds.
The defendants are also accused of participating in a conspiracy that spoofed emails from legitimate businesses and that hacked into email accounts of individuals and businesses to fraudulently obtain wire transfers. The conspiracy also targeted users of Internet dating sites, feigning romantic relationships to persuade the targets to send funds, the indictment says.
Cortese and Ellis are accused of conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering. They were arrested on Aug. 31and removed to Florida to face charges.
September 12, 2015 at 1:36 am, Truth Sharing said:
Ms. Priscilla Ellis already has a felony conviction for Frauds and Swindles from 2001 in the Western District of Texas – Waco Division where she forged student loan documents at several banks and received $59,589. (United States of America v. Priscilla Ann Ellis, Criminal No. W-00-CR-070)
December 31, 2015 at 5:22 am, Wolfram Hagen said:
Our team at Viventus are curious if these two will escape prosecution or be jailed.
February 18, 2016 at 11:22 pm, Truth Sharing said:
They are both currently incarcerated in Florida with a U.S. Marshal Service hold order on them. Both are pending a federal trial sometime in November 2016 and they will remain in jail until then.
August 11, 2016 at 5:05 pm, mike mitchell said:
Does anyone know if this is the same Priscilla Johnson (Ellis) from Marion Indiana,
I am trying to serve her with papers for a pending lawsuit in Indiana.Thanks
August 19, 2016 at 11:26 pm, Truth Sharing said:
Mike, yes she is one in the same. Her daughter Kenietta Johnson was arrested, released on bond, and is also pending trial. Ms. Ellis has been incarcerated pre-trial in the Pinellas County Florida Jail since August 2015 under a U.S. Marshall hold.
http://bailbondcity.com/pinellas-inmate-ELLIS/1651977
http://www.pcsoweb.com/whos-in-jail (search name: ellis, priscilla)
October 03, 2016 at 9:46 pm, Truth Sharing said:
Jury selection was completed today and the trial starts tomorrow.
October 21, 2016 at 1:29 pm, Jane Smith said:
Ellis, Cortese & Johnson were all found guilty on both counts in the Middle District of FL.
October 24, 2016 at 7:24 pm, Truth Sharing said:
www.kwtx.com/content/news/398180611.html
Sentencing hearing is scheduled in January 2017
October 25, 2016 at 3:53 am, Wolfram Hagen said:
Priscilla Ann Ellis guilty????????
October 25, 2016 at 7:21 pm, Truth Sharing said:
Yes, guilty
https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/jury-finds-texas-lawyer-and-others-guilty-international-money-laundering-and-fraud
October 31, 2016 at 10:53 pm, Truth Sharing said:
The plot thickens…Texas Woman Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot to Kill Trial Witnesses.
…”During recorded conversations with the inmate and undercover agents posing as co-conspirators, Ellis told the agent posing as the hit man that the first witness’s child should be killed along with the witness, if necessary.” The actual criminal complaint is available at the bottom left of the justice.gov weblink below.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/texas-woman-charged-murder-hire-plot-kill-trial-witnesses
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/pinellas-county-jail-inmate-accused-of-murder-for-hire-scheme-to-have/2300767
February 08, 2017 at 4:48 am, Wolfram Hagen said:
Does anyone know if Ms. Priscilla Ellis & and associates have been sentenced yet?
February 24, 2017 at 4:30 am, Danielle Poe said:
I was just incarcerated in Prunella’s Co jail with Priscilla Ellis and we became friends per se. Since I got out on Monday I’ve been researching her charge and she is a liar. She said that she beat the money laundering case. Nothing she said to me was true. I don’t think she has been sentenced yet tho.
March 14, 2017 at 3:35 pm, truthsharing said:
A federal jury found Priscilla Ann Ellis (52, Killeen, TX) guilty of murder-for-hire, retaliating against witnesses, and conspiring to create counterfeit securities.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/texas-woman-found-guilty-murder-hire-plot-kill-trial-witnesses
May 15, 2017 at 10:32 am, Wolfram Hagen said:
This is very sad reading indeed and my guess this is the ultimate end of Ms. Priscilla Ellis!
October 16, 2017 at 4:28 pm, Truthsharing said:
Ellis sentenced to 40yrs.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/criminal/woman-gets-40-year-federal-sentence-for-fraud-convictions/2341031
December 08, 2017 at 6:33 am, Wolfram Hagen said:
Does anyone have news on Priscilla Ellis sentence for the Murder for hire case?
December 13, 2017 at 10:41 am, Former Houston area lawyer said:
Does anyone have insight regarding the identity of the unidentified lawyer that may also have been a target of Ellis’ murder for hire plot? I believe the reporting states he is in Houston or the Woodlands.
December 15, 2017 at 12:12 am, Truth Sharing said:
Ellis murder for hire sentencing has been postponed until January 2018.
January 04, 2018 at 8:10 pm, Truth Sharing said:
Ms. Ellis received a 65-year prison sentence today for the Murder-for-Hire Plot.
January 29, 2018 at 5:59 pm, Wolfram Hagen said:
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2018/01/27/texas-woman-hit-65-year-sentence-hired-killer-scheme-top-money-laundering-conviction
Apparently 40 years in prison wasn’t enough for a Texas woman, who had 65 more years tacked on after she was convicted of trying to hire someone to kill witnesses who had testified against her in a money-laundering scheme.
Priscilla Ann Ellis of Killeen was convicted on murder-for-hire charges by a Florida jury in March and was sentenced Jan. 4 to serve 65 years — a sentence that runs consecutively to the 40-year term she received in the money-laundering scheme, the FBI reported.