DEL RIO, Texas – Two Eagle Pass women were arrested Friday, May 26, on a four-count indictment related to their alleged scheme to defraud and embezzle money from their employer, a Texas-based trucking company headquartered in Eagle Pass.
According to court documents, Dina Maldonado Morales, 42, and Laura Ballesteros Haby, 52, allegedly used their positions with MH Group to divert the company’s customer account receivable payments to their own bank accounts. The total amount of the embezzled, diverted and stolen funds between July 2017 and April 2019 is alleged to have been approximately $1.4 million.
Both Morales and Haby are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting wire fraud. The defendants made their initial court appearances on Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Collis White of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy count and 20 years in prison on the three wire fraud and aiding and abetting counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas and Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of the Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Division made the announcement.
HSI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rex Beasley and Izaak Bruce are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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