5 parole officers, counselor arrested for allegedly tampering with government records

Five parole officers and a counselor were arrested last Thursday by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) on suspicion of tampering with government records, according to jail records.

Investigators say five of the state employees were arrested at the El Paso office while another was arrested at home. ABC-7

OSCAR NUNEZ
Oscar Nunez faces five counts of tampering with government records.

On September 25, 2014, a confidential informant told Nunez he/she was supposed to have administered a urine analysis exam to a parolee earlier that morning. The informant told Nunez no one was present at the parole office that morning and the exam was not administered.

The informant then asked Nunez to sign the exam form and advised, “take your time to copy the parolee’s signature correctly, to avoid anyone questioning the validity of the signature on the document.”

According to a separate complaint affidavit, Nunez falsified a urine analysis exam for a parole offender on March 19, 2015.

A confidential informant walked into Nunez’s office and requested a favor. The informant asked Nunez to file and sign a urine analysis form for a parolee even though no urine analysis was ever administered. Nunez allegedly signed the form and asked the informant to use a different pen to forge the parolee’s signature.

Nunez allegedly asked for a physical description of the parole so he would be able to describe him in case the urine analysis was ever challenged. The complaint affidavit states the informant recorded the entire meeting with Nunez.

On May 7, 2015, the informant told Nunez he/she needed a favor and asked Nunez to sign two urine analysis test forms. The informant told Nunez he/she had not actually administered the tests, but needed his signature in order to prove the tests were administered. Nunez was allegedly recorded by a video camera signing both forms.

The next day, on May 8, 2015, Nunez asked the informant to forge a parolee’s signature on a Disclosure of Information and Waiver of Confidentiality form. Nunez asked the informant to date the form 5/1/15, the last day the parolee met with Nunez.

On July 2, 2015, Nunez allegedly asked the informant to witness a urine analysis about to be administered to another parolee. The analysis tested positive for cocaine and the woman on parole told Nunez diet pills were responsible for the positive result. Nunez allegedly asked the informant to falsify the results of the urine analysis because the woman “was almost done with her probation.”

The informant asked Nunez why he would risk his job for the woman and if he was in a sexual relationship with the woman. Nunez denied he was in a relationship with the woman and reminded the informant he had previously falsified information for him/her in the past. The conversation was allegedly recorded by the informant.

Records show Nunez started working for the department March 20, 2006.

SERGIO GALVAN
Sergio Galvan faces three counts of tampering with government records. The substance abuse counselor had been with the department since June 13, 2005.

According to a complaint affidavit, Galvan was supposed to hold a Therapeutic Community Substance Abuse Class on November 5, 2014. Galvan was not present for the class and the class was never held. On November 6, 2014, Galvan allegedly had another parole officer order parolees to sign a sheet as if they had attended the class.

Document further state that on May 7, 2015, a confidential informant asked Galvan if he could falsify Texas Parole Substance Abuse Program Attendance Rosters in order to falsely document the parolees’ attendance. The informant allegedly took the sign-in sheet to a halfway house, where several parolees signed the sheet to make it look like they had attended one of Galvan’s substance abuse programs.

LUZ QUINONEZ
Luz E. Quinonez faces two counts of tampering with government records. Quinonez started working for the department November 19, 2012.

According to a complaint affidavit, on June 16, 2015 and August 6, 2015, Quinonez falsified a document to make it appear like she visited offenders assigned to a halfway house.

JESUS LARA

On June 23, 2015, Jesus Lara allegedly helped a confidential informant falsify a urine analysis test. Lara had been with the department since March 13, 2000.

CYNTHIA LEON

On September 25, 2014, Cynthia Leon allegedly helped the confidential informant falsify a document to make it look like Leon had visited an offender at a halfway house.

JESSICA IBARRA

On September 2, 2015, Jessica Ibarra allegedly falsified a form to make it look like she visited offenders at a halfway house.

Robert Hurst of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice wrote in an email the arrests were a result of a partnership with the Office of the Inspector General, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and other law enforcement agencies. He would not comment on the investigation, which is continuing.

The TDCJ El Paso District Parole Office has 39 employees. The five parole officers and counselor will not be allowed to work at the office during the course of the investigation, said Jason Clark, a TDCJ spokesman.

“The Parole Division will ensure there is appropriate number of staff at the district parole office and any distribution to normal operations will be minimal,” Clark said.