United States of America v. Kristi Williams

Houston, Texas, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343.

Reported by: Kent Morlan

Kristi Williams was the manager of Property Tax Administration at Tomball ISD from January 2018 until November 2023 and oversaw the collection of local property taxes.

The charges allege that when a taxpayer paid in cash, a tax office employee would place it inside an envelope and record the payment in specialized software as part of a batch. Once the amounts reached a certain threshold, either $15,000 or $20,000, the batch was closed and Williams was expected to deposit the money into Tomball ISD’s bank accounts, according to the allegations.

Williams allegedly used the software to reverse the payments in the system and kept the funds for her own personal use.

A criminal information is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

If convicted, Williams faces up to 20 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.