John Wiley Price was arrested this morning at 8 a.m. on an FBI indictment alleging bribery, mail fraud, tax fraud, and other crimes associated with influence peddling. Co-defendants in the 107-page indictment, which was released this morning, include longtime assistant to Price Dapheny Fain and political consultant Kathy Nealy. A fourth defendant, Christian Lloyd Campbell, was also named in the document.
Price’s attorney, Billy Ravkind, was stunned by this morning’s arrest, alleging that neither he nor his client knew that the indictment was coming out today. Jim Schutze thinks that this means that there is no cooperation coming from Price or his associates, or that a crucial player has recently opted to flip to federal authorities. We’re certain that things will become more clear after the U.S. Attorney addresses the media later today, and as the days and weeks progress.
One thing is certain: a lot of real assets will likely get caught up in this arrest and indictment, one that is swiftly becoming the biggest public corruption case Dallas has ever seen. Price currently resides at 510 E. 5th Street in North Oak Cliff, which was raided by the FBI almost three years ago to the day, but he was listed as owner for several other properties, too. Agents found more than $229,000 in cash inside Price’s home during the June 2011 raid, which also targeted Fain and Nealy’s homes and offices.
“The U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas will lay out charges against Price at a news conference later this morning. Court documents filed since a raid on Price’s home and office over three years ago depict a wide-ranging probe of his business transactions, personal financial activities including land transactions and a bankruptcy,” said Schutze in his post from this morning.
UPDATE: U.S. District Attorney Sarah Saldana addressed the press, laying out the charges against Price, Fain, Nealy, and Campbell. All four are alleged to be conspirators in a plan that funneled Dallas County contracts and payoffs to Price and his associates, some of which involved car payments and insurance, as well as real estate and rental income according to a DMN report:
The indictment unsealed Friday alleges that Nealy provided Price “the full use of a new Chevrolet Avalanche” approximately every four years and a BMW 645Ci convertible,” making car payments and insurance payments that totaled more than $191,000.
Nealy is accused of secretly funneling almost $200,000 to Price as a “straw purchaser of four pieces of real estate, and handing over about $113,600 in rent payments from a property.
UPDATE 2: All four defendants were walked into a courtroom Earl Cabell Federal Building downtown today in cuffs, and all four plead “not guilty” to the charges against them.
Price was led into court along with longtime assistant Dapheny Fain, 52, political consultant Kathy Nealy, 61, and Nealy associate Christian Lloyd Campbell, 44. All had their hands cuffed behind their backs, and the commissioner was dressed in a shirt and dark slacks, without his signature bow tie.
He and the others were later freed on bond. As Price left the courthouse, all that he would say was that he was not guilty and he was eager to get back to work.
