Story Created:
Nov 16, 2007 at 5:52 PM CST
Story Updated:
Nov 16, 2007 at 5:58 PM CST
It's the state of Texas versus Mauricio Celis. The Nueces County Grand Jury returned felony indictments today against the 36 year old.
There are four indictments:
1. falsely holding oneself as a lawyer
2. impersonating a public servant
3. state jail felony theft
4. aggravated perjury
There are seven counts on that first charge of falsely holding himself as a lawyer. According to the indictment, Celis used a business card, letterhead, and was even described as an attorney-at-law on a business web page. The seven counts of falsely holding himself out as a lawyer is a third degree felony.
On the one count of impersonating a public servant, Celis is accused of displaying a badge and requesting a Corpus Christi Police officer to allow Celis to take with him a person being questioned.
The felony theft stems from, an earlier civil case, in which prosecutors are alleging, Celis kept money that belonged to a woman named Paloma Steele.
On the count of aggravated perjury, the indictment says Celis made statements under oath in Zapata County, that he was a graduate of Universidad Regiomontana in Monterrey, Mexico.
District Attorney Carlos Valdez says that statement is simply not true. He also said his office has not ruled out the possiblity of a continuing investigation. "We still have talks with other people, and we may decide at a future time to continue this investigation."
If convicted, and if the counts are tried separately, celis could face a max of 32 years in prison plus an abundance of fines.
Valdez says his office will be asking for a million dollar bond, $250,000 for each count.
