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An arrest warrant has been issued for a Dallas police officer and grand jury referrals have been made for a dozen others in connection with an alleged pyramid scheme, the department announced Friday evening.
In addition, grand jury referrals on the charge of participating in and promoting a pyramid promotion scheme have been made for 12 other officers — all also from the South Central Patrol Division, the department said. In alphabetical order, they are:
- Maj. David Davis
- Officer Anthony Edmond
- Sgt. Constance Lewis
- Officer Paul Logan
- Sr. Cpl. Pearl McDowell
- Sgt. Latasha Moore
- Sgt. Rachel Moore
- Officer Carlton Nelson
- Sr. Cpl. Raquel Oliver
- Sr. Cpl. Aaron Rucker
- Lt. Giovanni Wells
- Sgt. Jennifer Wells
Grand jury referrals on the same charge have also been made on Reserve Officer Brad Deason and civilian Sonja Davis, the department said.
All of the officers involved are on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, the release said.
The South Central Patrol Division is headquartered near Camp Wisdom and Lancaster roads in southeast Oak Cliff.
Calls to Dallas police Chief Eddie Garcia; Sgt. Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association; Sr. Cpl. Terrance Hopkins, president of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas; and Dallas City Council member Adam McGough, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee were not immediately returned Friday night.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn, who co-chairs the Public Safety Committee, declined to comment, saying she didn’t know enough about the case.
August memo to City Council
In late August, citing a memo from the Dallas Police Department to the City Council, reported that a dozen city police officers had been implicated in a pyramid scheme.
On Friday, the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether Jones or the other officers were the ones referenced in that memo. The department did not say in August what division or divisions the officers belonged to, but did say that their ranks ranged from officer to major.
In late 2020, the public integrity unit began investigating an officer who was suspected of taking part in a pyramid scheme. The investigation found that other officers were involved and may be criminally culpable, the department said.
Pyramid scheme vs. Ponzi scheme
In a pyramid scheme, participants are promised big returns on their investments if they are able to recruit new participants. Pyramid schemes differ from Ponzi schemes, in which people give their money to an organizer who pays out earlier investors with money from new investors.
Under Texas law, operating a pyramid scheme or recruiting people to take part is a state jail felony, punishable by six months to two years in state jail and a fine of up to $10,000.