Houston

Published on: July 11, 2019

Houston Police Seized $955 from Ovide Ned During Traffic Stop

In January 2016, police officers searched Ovide Ned’s car during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas. After they found a bottle of opioid painkillers, police charged Ned, then aged 40, with drug possession. Ned had $955 on his person at the time. Officers seized this money as well.

Once Ned was able to prove he had a valid prescription for the medication, the criminal charges against him were dropped. The money, however, was never returned.

Angela Beavers, the chief civil asset forfeiture prosecutor at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, said that despite the prescription, Ned was “obviously selling the pills.” She explained that drug dealers would often obtain prescriptions for the meds they were selling from pain clinics.
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Published on: January 29, 2019

Texas Company Ordered to Pay $250,000 after Workers’ Compensation Scam

by Brian Silber

A company based in Houston, Texas has been ordered to pay a quarter of a million dollars after it was found to be involved in a workers’ compensation insurance scam.

The conviction was obtained by the prosecution unit of the Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC). The DWC’s investigation showed that, in the four-year period between 2008 and 2012, John Stergion, an employee of Alpha Mar, had both misrepresented the number of people employed by the company and also concealed payroll. Stergion’s actions resulted in reduced workers’ compensation insurance rates.
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Published on: May 9, 2018

Border Patrol Seized $41,000 From Texas Woman, Refuses to Relinquish It

by Brian Silber

In October 2017, a Texas woman had nearly $41,000 seized from her as she tried to board a plane to Nigeria. More than six months later, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has not yet returned her money.

Anthonia Nwaorie, a nurse, had long dreamed of saving up enough money to open a medical clinic in southern Nigeria. She spent years putting money aside for the clinic. Last year she had finally saved up enough money and bought a flight to Nigeria.
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