The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas announced Thursday that a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector Carmen Turner.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, three individuals have been indicted for their alleged roles in a “scheme to defraud Fort Bend County through fraudulent payroll practices.”
The three individuals included Turner, Shemerrylyn Regina Fields, and Victor Calvin Ewing, whom Turner allegedly hired as part of the scheme. They all face charges including conspiracy, theft concerning federal program funds and wire fraud.
The indictment states that Turner orchestrated the scheme from approximately September 2023 through September 2025 and used county payroll funds to pay individuals for work they did not perform.
Fields was allegedly hired as a deputy tax clerk but was directed to provide care to Turner’s elderly mother during regular county work hours. Turner allegedly instructed Fields to clock in and out remotely through the county’s telephone timekeeping system while falsely reporting that she was performing her official duties.
Ewing was also hired by Turner as a full-time department coordinator, despite Turner allegedly knowing he already held a full-time position with a company based in Chicago and would not perform the duties of the county position. Ewing allegedly received a county salary while continuing his employment in Chicago. The indictment also alleges that Ewing agreed to transfer a portion of his county payroll deposits to Turner.
Turner also allegedly used Ewing’s credentials to access WebDealer, a system used by county tax offices and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to process vehicle registrations.
One of the alleged vehicle transactions approved by Turner involved a vehicle cost of $295,836.92 instead of $29,583.92, causing, according to the indictment, a significant error in the assessed sales tax.
“Carmen Turner has been strutting around Fort Bend County with the title The Honorable for years. Nothing could be more dis-honorable—or illegal—than her and her conspirators’ public corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz. “The people of the Southern District of Texas have my commitment to do everything we can to do justice and make it right. Taxpayers deserve so much better.”
If convicted of the charges, all three could face up to 20 years for each wire fraud count, up to 10 years for theft concerning federal program funds, and another five years for conspiracy. Each charge also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.
This isn’t the first time Turner has faced federal charges. In 2016, she was indicted on federal bankruptcy fraud charges. However, prosecutors dismissed most of the charges after she pleaded guilty to one count of contempt of court. Turner was subsequently sentenced to one year of probation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Texas Rangers conducted the investigation.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
