Another Texas oil and gas executive pleads guilty to fraud

Another oil and gas scammer bites the dust. This time, it's Western Pipeline owner John Arthur Apple Jr., who schemed with co-conspirators to trick investors into giving them money. In the guise of false identities, the conspirators told potential investors that they had invested in past Western Pipeline oil and gas projects that were a success, federal prosecutors say. Then Apple used the investors' money for other purposes, prosecutors say. This week, Apple  pleaded guilty to felony offenses in connection with the scheme. He will be sentenced in April and faces up to 5 years in prison on each count. Four conspirators also await sentencing. In prison, they might say hey to these other area oil and gas scammers, listed by U.S. Attorney Sarah Saldana. The dishonor roll: brothers Bill and Greg Rand and their father, Tony, of Aspen Exploration; Alan May of Prosper Oil and Gas; Robert Baxter Williams III of Excalibur Energy; Tommy Eugene Barber of T-Bar Resources; Tracy Lee Pool of Reunion Resources; Joshua Wayne Bevill of United States Petroleum and North Texas Partners and of Progressive Investment Partners. - Lois Norder

Comments

[Tim Ruggiero]

Hey, give the guy a break...you have any idea how expensive it is to fully reimburse someone for all the land you steal from them for pipelines? Damn Supreme Court of Texas ruled that landowners should get more money for their land they are forced into giving up for pipelines, the actual value of the land as well as any additional losses. This is much more expensive than it used to be, where the 'public' utility could just give you a small amount of cash, and if you refused, they would just condemn it and give you nothing.

[Rob]

GET A ROPE ! ...... if there were REAL PUNISHMENT for this type of criminal activity it would never occur at all !!!!!!