Post by KC on Jan 7, 2007 19:12:27 GMT -5
For years, Frank Salvador Bueno's nice clothes, fancy cars and exclusive addresses led people to trust the former Garland police officer's stories about amazing land deals, lucrative investments and life-changing legal settlements.
But as he stood before a Denton County judge this week, Mr. Bueno sang a different tune – admitting during testimony that he swindled tens of thousands of dollars from people in a web of deceit he wove across North Texas.
Moments before opening testimony was about to begin in his trial for taking money from two Lewisville women who believed he was a lawyer, Mr. Bueno unexpectedly pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony charge of portraying himself as an attorney at law.
And while he was under oath, he admitted to prosecutor Gretchen Choe that he stole thousands more from a Wise County couple and a Dallas woman after he was sentenced to probation in Dallas County for stealing about $90,000 from people in Mesquite.
The 39-year-old man was sentenced to four years in prison for the Denton County charge. But Ms. Choe said he could face more legal problems for confessing to the other allegations.
"Because those two particular instances came after he was on probation, it would not surprise me if Dallas was able to use those against him," she said.
Mr. Bueno's attorney did not return phone calls seeking comment this week.
In all, Mr. Bueno has formally pleaded guilty or otherwise admitted in court to stealing more than $100,000 from North Texans since 2003. Court filings, theft complaints and police records paint him as a man who has lied about his marital status, professional accomplishments and personal connections to get his hands on other people's money.
He told Terry Mickla and Mary Brieske of Lewisville that he was a lawyer who would take on their medical malpractice lawsuit. They gave him money for the case and say that months later, he told them he had secured a $275,000 settlement. They never saw that money and later learned that Mr. Bueno had never been licensed to practice law.
"It's one thing to take the money and never come back, but why get somebody's hopes up?" Ms. Mickla said.
And though Mr. Bueno is now behind bars, victims and relatives say they're still feeling the effects of his crimes, which have left them out thousands of dollars and his wife estranged from her family.
"To be honest, I am very glad that justice was served, but at the same time, that isn't how I wish that it would have unfolded," said Joe Miller. "I would have rather gotten my money back."
Last year, Mr. Bueno pleaded guilty to taking $45,000 from Mr. Miller and a group of business associates in an investment scam. He also pleaded guilty to taking another $45,000 from the owner of a used-car lot in Mesquite that he used to help make the down payment on a $430,000 home in Sunnyvale, police records say.
Mr. Bueno received a 10-year deferred adjudication probation sentence and was ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution to his victims in those cases. But Mr. Miller said he had seen few of those restitution payments and doubted he'd see his money again.
In a police complaint, JoAnna Evans of Dallas said she thought Mr. Bueno was a divorced father of two who owned a home in University Park. Ms. Evans alleged Mr. Bueno took $16,000 from her, something he confessed to in Denton County this week.
And according to a court filling, Mr. Bueno rented a University Park home with his longtime wife, Sandra. They were evicted this year after failing to pay thousands of dollars in rent.
According to Mrs. Bueno's relatives, the 38-year-old woman resigned from her position as a Mesquite police dispatcher last week after a story appeared about the string of allegations against her husband. She was initially questioned in connection with the 2003 theft cases but wasn't charged with a crime.
Mrs. Bueno and Mesquite police officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Mr. Bueno was a Garland officer in the 1990s who resigned in 1995 for no apparent reason. According to his personnel file, he was suspended three times, two of them for lying. In another court case, Ann Stryker claimed to be Mr. Bueno's wife in a 1999 Dallas County court filing and asked a judge to issue a restraining order against him. Ms. Stryker has since moved away from North Texas. She declined to comment on the relationship last month.
And Ms. Mickla and Ms. Brieske say their friend Debora Choiniere returned from a trip to Mexico in 2004 saying that she and Mr. Bueno had wed there. Ms. Choiniere accepted a plea agreement this year in connection with the Denton County case and was sentenced to probation. She did not return a phone call seeking comment this week.
Ms. Mickla said that while she's glad Mr. Bueno received jail time for stealing from her, she hopes his testimony this week bolsters other cases and leads to a revocation of his probation.
"He's like a tornado," Ms. Mickla said. "He cuts a path of destruction wherever he goes."
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/garland/stories/DN-bueno_14met.ART.North.Edition1.3dbffae.html
But as he stood before a Denton County judge this week, Mr. Bueno sang a different tune – admitting during testimony that he swindled tens of thousands of dollars from people in a web of deceit he wove across North Texas.
Moments before opening testimony was about to begin in his trial for taking money from two Lewisville women who believed he was a lawyer, Mr. Bueno unexpectedly pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony charge of portraying himself as an attorney at law.
And while he was under oath, he admitted to prosecutor Gretchen Choe that he stole thousands more from a Wise County couple and a Dallas woman after he was sentenced to probation in Dallas County for stealing about $90,000 from people in Mesquite.
The 39-year-old man was sentenced to four years in prison for the Denton County charge. But Ms. Choe said he could face more legal problems for confessing to the other allegations.
"Because those two particular instances came after he was on probation, it would not surprise me if Dallas was able to use those against him," she said.
Mr. Bueno's attorney did not return phone calls seeking comment this week.
In all, Mr. Bueno has formally pleaded guilty or otherwise admitted in court to stealing more than $100,000 from North Texans since 2003. Court filings, theft complaints and police records paint him as a man who has lied about his marital status, professional accomplishments and personal connections to get his hands on other people's money.
He told Terry Mickla and Mary Brieske of Lewisville that he was a lawyer who would take on their medical malpractice lawsuit. They gave him money for the case and say that months later, he told them he had secured a $275,000 settlement. They never saw that money and later learned that Mr. Bueno had never been licensed to practice law.
"It's one thing to take the money and never come back, but why get somebody's hopes up?" Ms. Mickla said.
And though Mr. Bueno is now behind bars, victims and relatives say they're still feeling the effects of his crimes, which have left them out thousands of dollars and his wife estranged from her family.
"To be honest, I am very glad that justice was served, but at the same time, that isn't how I wish that it would have unfolded," said Joe Miller. "I would have rather gotten my money back."
Last year, Mr. Bueno pleaded guilty to taking $45,000 from Mr. Miller and a group of business associates in an investment scam. He also pleaded guilty to taking another $45,000 from the owner of a used-car lot in Mesquite that he used to help make the down payment on a $430,000 home in Sunnyvale, police records say.
Mr. Bueno received a 10-year deferred adjudication probation sentence and was ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution to his victims in those cases. But Mr. Miller said he had seen few of those restitution payments and doubted he'd see his money again.
In a police complaint, JoAnna Evans of Dallas said she thought Mr. Bueno was a divorced father of two who owned a home in University Park. Ms. Evans alleged Mr. Bueno took $16,000 from her, something he confessed to in Denton County this week.
And according to a court filling, Mr. Bueno rented a University Park home with his longtime wife, Sandra. They were evicted this year after failing to pay thousands of dollars in rent.
According to Mrs. Bueno's relatives, the 38-year-old woman resigned from her position as a Mesquite police dispatcher last week after a story appeared about the string of allegations against her husband. She was initially questioned in connection with the 2003 theft cases but wasn't charged with a crime.
Mrs. Bueno and Mesquite police officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Mr. Bueno was a Garland officer in the 1990s who resigned in 1995 for no apparent reason. According to his personnel file, he was suspended three times, two of them for lying. In another court case, Ann Stryker claimed to be Mr. Bueno's wife in a 1999 Dallas County court filing and asked a judge to issue a restraining order against him. Ms. Stryker has since moved away from North Texas. She declined to comment on the relationship last month.
And Ms. Mickla and Ms. Brieske say their friend Debora Choiniere returned from a trip to Mexico in 2004 saying that she and Mr. Bueno had wed there. Ms. Choiniere accepted a plea agreement this year in connection with the Denton County case and was sentenced to probation. She did not return a phone call seeking comment this week.
Ms. Mickla said that while she's glad Mr. Bueno received jail time for stealing from her, she hopes his testimony this week bolsters other cases and leads to a revocation of his probation.
"He's like a tornado," Ms. Mickla said. "He cuts a path of destruction wherever he goes."
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/garland/stories/DN-bueno_14met.ART.North.Edition1.3dbffae.html