By Steve Neavling
A Texas jury convicted a retired Dallas FBI agent who swindled a woman out of more than $700,000 by convincing her she was on “secret probation,” the Justice Department announced Thursday.
William Roy Stone, Jr., 64, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud, engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity, and false impersonation of a federal officer.
Co-conspirator Joseph E. DeLeon, 54, was also convicted by the jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Stone, who retired from the bureau in October 2015, was indicted in May 2021.
“Mr. Stone used his imposing status as a former FBI special agent to manipulate, intimidate, and steal from his victim,” U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said in a news release. “Federal agents should be pillars of integrity. When they fail to meet that standard, we will not hesitate to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The indictment alleged Stone convinced the victim she was on “secret probation” for drug crimes in front of a fictitious federal judge in Austin, Texas, in November 2015. As a condition of the fabricated probation, Stone told the victim she must pay him for the expenses he incurred while supervising her and that she was prohibited from disclosing her probation status. If she failed to comply, he told her she could be imprisoned and lose her children, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said Stone concocted an elaborate ruse to convince the victim that she was on probation.
Stone purchased a home and cars with the money that the victim allegedly paid him.
Stone now faces a maximum penalty of 158 years in prison. DeLeon faces up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Texas Rangers and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the FBI.
