On July 25, 2014 court documents were unsealed accusing longtime Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price and three co-defendants; his longtime assistant Dapheny Fain, two political consultants Kathy Nealy and Christian Campbell of a variety of white collar crimes that abused the public’s trust.
Last Friday, Our Man Downtown, and his three co-defendants were brought before Judge Stickney of the Northern District of Texas; under a 13-count indictment all of who vehemently pled not guilty before the court and were released on bond. NCB5 outlined the 13-counts against the Dallas County Commissioner and his co-defendants below:
- Count One: Conspiracy to Commit Bribery Concerning a Local Government Receiving Federal Benefits by Price, Nealy and Campbell. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- Counts Two – Seven: Deprivation of Honest Services by Mail Fraud and Aiding and Abetting by both Price and Nealy. The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- Count Eight: Conspiracy to Defraud the IRS by Price, Nealy and Fain. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- Counts Nine – Eleven: Subscribing to a false and Fraudulent U.S. Individual Income Tax Return for the years 2007, 2008, and 2009. The maximum penalty is three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- Count Twelve: Attempt to Evade or Defeat Payment by Nealy. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- Count Thirteen: False statement provided by Fain. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
These charges came as no surprise to the Dallas community. A little more than three years ago, the FBI served search warrants for that of Price’s home and office in a surprise raid. According to the Dallas Morning News‚ the FBI also searched the homes and offices of Dapheny Fain, Price’s longtime executive assistant, and Kathy Nealy a political consultant with close ties to Price. Those search warrants outlined suspicions that Price and his longtime associates potentially committed multiple crimes.
None of the companies and/or individuals who won the bids of contracts or paid bribes have been charged yet however; they could face charges in the future.
