In a recent development, Joseph Eventino DeLeon, a coconspirator in the scheme involving retired FBI agent William Stone, has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison. The scheme aimed to defraud a mother from Granbury, Texas, of over $700,000 by convincing her she was on "secret federal probation."
DeLeon, aged 63, was indicted in December 2021 and convicted in February 2024, along with Mr. Stone, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Mr. Stone faced additional convictions including wire fraud, engaging in monetary transactions from unlawful activity, and false impersonation of a federal officer. DeLeon's sentencing, totaling 70 months in prison, was handed down by U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, who also ordered him to pay $765,320.37 in restitution to the victim.
The trial revealed that Mr. Stone had convinced the victim, identified as C.T., that she was under "secret probation" for federal drug crimes in a fictitious court in Austin, Texas. He and DeLeon claimed to be appointed by a fabricated federal judge to supervise her probation, demanding financial compensation for their services. Over eleven months, C.T. gave Mr. Stone over $700,000 and DeLeon over $50,000.
The defendants went to great lengths to maintain the illusion of the probation, including monitoring C.T.'s communications, conducting surveillance, and staging spoof calls with a fictitious judge. They also manipulated C.T. into distancing herself from her family and transferring her assets to her own account. At one point, they even suggested that marriage to Mr. Stone could lead to the discharge of her probation.
Both Mr. Stone and DeLeon have been sentenced to federal prison terms, with Mr. Stone previously receiving 87 months. The investigation was conducted by the Texas Rangers and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the FBI.
