There was no “secret probation," but the Granbury woman, identified only as C.T. in court documents, ended up paying the supposed officer and his partner more than $700,000.
William Roy Stone Jr., the man C.T. allegedly was paying all those years, was indicted in May on several counts of fraud, one count of false impersonation of a federal officer, and several other charges.
The alleged scheme wasn't built completely on lies, though. Stone was, after all, a recently retired FBI agent.
Federal prosecutors say the scheme began in November 2015, a month after Stone's retiring from the FBI Dallas field office. That month, Stone told C.T. she was on “secret probation” for drug crimes in “Judge Anderson’s court in Austin, Texas.”
The judge, Stone claimed, appointed him and another man named Joseph Eventino DeLeon to “mentor” and “supervise” C.T. throughout the course of her probation. Stone also said the probation required that C.T. report all her activities and a list of her assets. Additionally, per the terms of her “secret probation,” C.T. would have to pay for Stone’s and DeLeon’s services, as well as their expenses. And, she couldn’t tell a soul about it. If she broke the terms of her probation, she might get thrown in jail and lose her children, Stone claimed, according to prosecutors.
To make this all more believable, the feds say, Stone and DeLeon got someone else to leave C.T. messages claiming they were with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration "intelligence center.” They also told C.T. they had the ability to monitor her cell phone records and were discussing her probation with a psychiatrist. DeLeon also once carried a gun to a meeting with C.T., under the guise of providing her “protective services.”
Through the course of the alleged scheme, Stone and DeLeon also persuaded C.T. to distance herself from her family because, the two claimed, they wanted to take away her inheritance. This led C.T. to transfer all of her inherited assets from a trust fund into an account under her name, the government alleges.
All the trips to Austin to discuss C.T.’s probation weren’t free. C.T. would have to reimburse him for those, Stone said. He also told C.T. she needed to cough up some money for restitution fees to be paid to a wronged company as the result of her drug crimes. Stone secretly deposited the money into his own bank account, the feds claim. Later, he’d persuade her to hand over large sums of money, which he used to buy cars and a house."The [Office of Inspector General] is committed to holding accountable those who commit this type of conduct.” – Cloey C. Pierce, Office of Inspector General
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Allegedly, Stone then asked C.T. to marry him, saying he would then try to get her discharged from her probation.
Throughout the course of the alleged scheme, C.T. would give the two men over $700,000. Stone got over $700,000, while DeLeon got over $50,000, authorities say.
Cloey C. Pierce, special agent in charge of the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General Dallas Field Office, said in a press release: “Stone allegedly conned, threatened and stole from his victim, exploiting her trust in law enforcement for his own financial gain. The [Office of Inspector General] is committed to holding accountable those who commit this type of conduct.”
Stone could get stuck with a 178-year sentence in federal prison if he’s convicted. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Gregg Gallian, Stone's lawyer, told the Observer, "We will continue to proceed to trial and will expose the truth."
DeLeon faces up to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is expected to make his first appearance in federal court this Wednesday, Dec. 29.
The Texas Rangers and DOJ conducted the investigation with help from the Fort Worth Police Department.
