Enforcement Actions Criminal Civil

Richard M. Plato was indicted on April 6 by a U.S. District Court grand jury in Houston on seven counts of mail fraud and two counts of securities fraud. Plato, the owner of Momentum Production Corp. of Baytown, allegedly took in more than $5 million from investors in promissory notes that were...

A Collin County grand jury on March 31 indicted Thomas Earl Grimshaw and Robert Joseph Mangiafico on charges of theft, money laundering, and engaging in organized criminal activity. Grimshaw, of Frisco, and Mangiafico, who is currently detained in the Collin County jail, did business as Security...

Kenneth Paul Lawrence of Rowlett was indicted March 31 for his role in the alleged sale of interests in a Hunt County biodiesel plant. A Collin County grand jury indicted Lawrence for securities fraud, money laundering, theft, and engaging in organized criminal activity for his role in Greenway...

Jack Russell Gilvin of Amarillo pleaded guilty March 30 to one charge of selling unregistered securities in connection with interests in oil and gas projects in Ohio. The case was brought by the Potter County District Attorney's Office, based on an investigation by the State Securities Board. Even...

Christian M. Allmendinger , the co-founder of Houston-based A&O Life Funds, was convicted March 24 by a U.S. District Court jury in Richmond, Va., on mail fraud, money laundering and securities fraud charges. Allmendinger was among several Houston-area residents indicted in September 2010 for an...

Ronnie Gene Nichols Jr. pleaded guilty March 4 to a charge of theft for stealing money from investors who thought they were investing in a biodiesel plant in Hunt County. A Collin County state district judge sentenced Nichols to eight years in state prison. Nichols and other individuals associated...

Chad D. Taylor and Douglas L. Williams pleaded guilty on Feb. 25 to state charges stemming from their role in selling interests in non-existent oil and gas wells. Williams, of Dover, Ark., pleaded guilty to money laundering in the 382nd District Court of Rockwall County and was sentenced to 10 years...

John J. Kim , a Maryland resident who was part of a Texas-based scam to sell supposedly high-yielding European notes, pleaded guilty Feb. 21 in Collin County state District Court to engaging in organized criminal activity. Kim was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. Kim was part of a scheme...

Kurt Barton , the former CEO of Austin-based Triton Financial, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Austin on Feb. 15 on 33 charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and false statements regarding loans. Barton faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. Barton created a series of...

A U.S. District Court grand jury in San Antonio on Feb. 2 indicted Richard Morin on six counts of wire fraud related to a real estate investment scheme. The indictment was unsealed on March 8. According to the indictment, Morin solicited investor funds for businesses that would purchase and repair...