Cops: Organized-crime ring busted

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) - Half of a Georgetown business' staff has been arrested on accusations of ripping off customers for more than $100,000.

Police said Georgetown Homes was the base for an organized-crime ring in Williamson County, and the business owner is also a victim.

"It hit him like a brick wall,” said Tammye Austin. “He had no idea this was going on."

General manager Tammye Austin was hired by Georgetown Homes owner, Chad Denton, to clean up the mess after the five employees charged with the crime were fired.

"It was 50 to 60 people that money was taken from," said Austin.

Julie Kay Carter, Dulce Guerra-Villarreal, Joe Eric Ramos, Francisco Rivera and Jami Bowen have all been arrested for engaging in organized criminal activity. They are accused of misapplying loan application fees, down payments and mortgage payments, conspiring to steal money by falsifying cash receipts and by fraudulently completing checks and money orders.

Denton is the one who tipped off police.

"The owner became concerned after receiving notification from the Better Business Bureau of some claims, and that started the ball rolling," said Lt. Todd Terbush of the Georgetown Police Department.

Georgetown police found nearly $129,000 had been taken from customers who were buying manufactured homes and land from November 2006 to April 2009.

"The investigators involved in this worked about six months on this case," said Terbush.

During the embezzlement, Georgetown Homes was managed by Julie Kay Carter, 44, who hired the other organized-crime suspects as sales representatives.

According to Austin, they took $70,000 and $80,000 from Denton.

"He's out quite a bit of money," said Austin.

That amount is in addition to the money Denton had used to reimburse Georgetown Homes clients.

“He felt it was the most important thing to get these people paid back and made whole again, and so he liquidated assets and cashed in [his] 401K and basically paid back everyone,” said Austin.

All five suspects face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Police are not saying what the money was spent on, but none of it has been recovered.