Four Suspects Arrested for Stealing Hundreds of Identities

September 15, 2009 - Houston Police Department Financial Crimes Unit investigators have arrested four suspects charged with the first degree felony of engaging in organized criminal activity for stealing the identities of hundreds of victims.

The suspects, Robert Lee Lyles (b/m, DOB: 4/8/44), William Douglas Jackson (b/m, DOB: 10/15/63), Derald Lane Desso (b/m, DOB: 2/8/67) and Evelyn Dixon (b/f, DOB: 2/24/63), are in custody and charged in the 176th State District Court.

Lyles, believed to be the ring leader, had rented an office suite at 440 Benmar, #2290, where he was operating a “business” consisting of selling counterfeit driver’s licenses and checks he was printing at the location, using various computers and other office equipment. Investigators recovered hundreds of personal and business checks Lyles had duplicated, along with passport size pictures and other information from his extensive “client list.” Information on many of the checks recovered indicates victims are scattered in as many as 25 states.

Lyles would use the information on personal checks to search the website www.publicdata.com to obtain a driver’s license number. He would then print a counterfeit driver’s license and a stack of checks for hundreds of other suspects who would then use the checks and counterfeit IDs to make purchases at various businesses. Lyles would also offer to buy back the merchandise purchased with the counterfeit checks for other suspects.

The suspects were arrested on September 2nd when officers executed a search warrant at Lyles’ “business” on Benmar. Lyles was in the process of printing a counterfeit check and Texas driver’s license when he was arrested. Jackson and Desso are Lyles’ business associates. Dixon is Lyles’ runner, in charge of delivering the false documents. She was also found in possession of false documents to be used to obtain a fraudulent loan.

The victims’ tally consists of 457 individuals, 83 businesses and an additional 191 other suspects, all on Lyles’ client list.

In a related case, officers executed an arrest and search warrant on June 15, 2009, at a residence at 16118 Chasemore Drive in Spring, Texas. The suspect arrested, Bobby Lee Harris (b/m, DOB: 2/4/78), was charged with a first degree felony of fraudulent use/possession of identifying information. Officers also recovered the identifying information of more than 50 victims and a number of counterfeit Texas drivers’ licenses from Harris’ rented mansion furnished with merchandise and electronics purchased with accounts opened using stolen identities. It has now been determined Lyles provided Harris with the documents he used.

RMM/JFC 9-15-09
Inc #084941709
Inc #124937509

For additional information, please contact the HPD Public Affairs Division at 713-308-3200 .