By Todd Bensman, The Dallas Morning News
A federal grand jury has indicted the former president of the 700-member Dallas Police Patrolman’s Union on one charge of mail fraud related to misappropriating union funds and one charge of lying to the FBI.
Sgt. Rick Wilson, 43, who also acted as the union’s treasurer, is accused of misusing a union credit card to divert union dues for personal use from at least March 1998 to February 2002. Among his purchases was a new Ford F-150 pickup truck, which authorities allege he bought with a $2,420 down payment made on the union credit card.
Sgt. Wilson’s attorney, Barry Sorrells, said “He’s going to be pleading not guilty.”
He said his client has been alerted by the police department that he will be terminated. Sgt. Wilson plans to turn himself in to U.S. Marshals Service on Thursday, Mr. Sorrells said. He declined to make Sgt. Wilson available for comment.
Sgt. Wilson, a 20-year police veteran, was placed on paid administrative leave from the department in February 2002. He resigned from the union that same month after union officials reported bookkeeping irregularities to authorities.
If convicted on the federal charges, Sgt. Wilson faces up to 10 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.
The police union, the second largest in the 2,700-member department, was affiliated with the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO, as Local 588. Since the FBI began investigating Sgt. Wilson, the organization left the AFL-CIO and joined the national Fraternal Order of Police. A union spokesman said there would be no comment until a news conference scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The indictment touches on fund-raising activities by the union and a telemarketing company called Business Relations Services Inc. The company’s contract allowed it to keep 80 percent of all the funds it raised, with the other 20 percent going to the union.
According to the indictment, the firm’s methods generated more than 200 citizen complaints to the police department and other officer associations. The indictment alleges that Sgt. Wilson lied to the FBI when he told agents that only six complaints had been received and mostly were resolved “well knowing that these statements and representations are false.”