Pecos Credit Union C.E.O. and Former State Employee Pleads Guilty to Financial Institution Fraud Conspiracy and Failure to File a Tax Return

Today in San Antonio, Reeves County Teachers Credit Union Chief Executive Officer and former state of Texas employee James T. “Jimmy” Dutchover admitted to defrauding the credit union and willfully failing to file a federal income tax return, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash; FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division; and, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Richard D. Goss, Houston Field Office.

Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard B. Farrer, Dutchover pleaded guilty to a Superseding Information charging him with one count of conspiracy to defraud Reeves County Teachers Credit Union and to obtain money and property owned by it or under its care, custody and control by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses and representations, and one count of willfully failing to file a federal income tax return.

According to papers filed in the case, Dutchover was the CEO of Reeves County Teachers Credit Union. He was also an employee of the State of Texas working for an elected official. Together Dutchover and the elected official conspired to use Dutchover’s position as CEO to obtain  $10,000 from the credit union through a loan made in the name of a relative of Dutchover, which was actually for the benefit of the elected official. Further, for the year 2015, Dutchover, having received gross income from several sources, including approximately $9,197 from the State of Texas, wage income in the amount of approximately $107,153 from the Reeves County Teachers Credit Union, and approximately $77,350 from his sole proprietorship, willfully failed to make an income tax return to the IRS.

Dutchover faces up to five years in federal prison for the conspiracy charge and up to one year in federal prison for the tax charge. He remains on bond pending sentencing. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Public Corruption Task Force consisting of investigators from the FBI and IRS–CI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William R. Harris, Joseph E. Blackwell and Sean O’Connell are prosecuting this case for the Government.