San Antonio Man Arrested for Wire Fraud Related to Theft from Border Patrol Union
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 21, 2012 |
LAREDO, TX—Pedro Palacios, 36, of San Antonio, Texas, has been arrested on charges of wire fraud arising from his alleged theft of blank checks from the Border Patrol Union Council (BPUC) Local 2455, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
The indictment, returned under seal Thursday, May 8, 2012, was unsealed after he was taken into custody late last week. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Scott Hacker on Friday, at which time he was ordered into custody pending his detention hearing, set for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
The indictment alleges Palacios stole checks from the BPUC treasurer, his father-in-law, and fraudulently forged that person’s signature. Palacios allegedly deposited 63 checks totaling $225,385 into his personal account between July 23, 2011 and November 29, 2011.
This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D.J. Young.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.