A Harris County criminal court-at-law judge has resigned following his conviction of official oppression for trying to woo a woman facing a drunken-driving charge in his court.
Judge Donald Jackson’s resignation, delivered Tuesday in a one-sentence letter to county commissioners, is effective Thursday.
A 28-year-old woman accused Jackson of offering her a better court-appointed attorney if she’d agree to a romantic relationship.
A jury convicted Jackson of the misdemeanor earlier this month.
The judge was sentenced to 30 days in jail, two years probation, 200 hours of community service, a $4,000 fine and must take legal ethics courses. The jail term and fine were maximums. He’s free while his conviction is under appeal.
Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
A Cuban citizen accused of defrauding Medicare of about $1.9 million in Kentucky has been detained by customs officers in Brownsville.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday that Leobaldo Perez Gonzalez, 49, was detained after walking across the Gateway International Bridge Sunday from Matamoros, Mexico.
Perez, of Miami, appeared before a federal judge magistrate in Brownsville on Tuesday and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals for transport to Kentucky. Perez requested a court-appointed attorney, but one had not been assigned.
According to court records, Perez Gonzalez set up a false medical supply company in Louisville, Ky. that billed Medicare for reimbursements for services never provided.
Oil prices edged above $79 a barrel Wednesday as America’s crude stockpiles fell for the fourth week in a row.
Gasoline supplies also fell unexpectedly and futures neared a high for the year for January delivery, a contract that closes Thursday.
Benchmark crude for February delivery added 41 cents to settle at $79.28 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude for February delivery rose 39 cents to settle at $78.03 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
It is typical to see crude draws at this time of year because many companies empty out storage facilities for tax purposes. While supplies have fallen nearly 14 million barrels over the past four weeks, they remain relatively high compared with past years.
Most energy experts discounted oil prices that have risen every day this week because so many traders take the week off for the holiday.
In other Nymex trading, heating oil for January delivery added less than a penny to settle at $2.1093 a gallon, and gasoline for rose 3 cents to settle at $2.0406 a gallon. Natural gas for February delivery gave up 13.1 cents to settle at $5.709 per 1,000 cubic feet.