A 50-year-old Texas woman faces federal wire fraud charges after allegedly embezzling nearly $1 million from the Tomball Independent School District, federal officials announced today.
Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck stated that Kristi Williams, the district’s former manager of Property Tax Administration, is accused of stealing approximately $996,174. Williams is scheduled to make her initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard W. Bennett on July 13 at 10 a.m.
According to the filed criminal information, Williams managed the Tomball ISD property tax office from January 2018 to November 2023, during which she oversaw the collection of local property taxes.
The charging documents outline a specific protocol for handling cash transactions within the office. When a taxpayer made a payment in cash, a tax office employee would place the money inside an envelope and log the transaction into specialized accounting software as part of a batch.
Once a batch reached a total of $15,000 or $20,000, it was closed. According to the allegations, Williams was then expected to physically deposit the funds collected directly into Tomball ISD’s bank accounts.
Instead of making the deposits, prosecutors allege that Williams used the tax office software to reverse the recorded cash payments, allowing her to keep the funds for her personal use.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into the missing funds. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Lewis is handling the government’s prosecution.
If she is convicted of the wire fraud charges, Williams faces a statutory maximum penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential fine of up to $250,000.
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