Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening an Armed Attack Against the Polk County Department of Human Services Office

FORT SMITH, AR—Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Gregory Judge, age 50 of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty today to making interstate threats to injure a case worker at the Polk County Department of Human Services (DHS) and to commit an armed attack against the office. Chief Judge P. K. Holmes, III presided over the plea in federal court.
United States Attorney Eldridge commented, “Mass threats of violence, like the ones made by Gregory Judge, are something this office takes very seriously, especially in light of recent events. This office will continue to protect an individual’s right to be free from fear, and those who attempt to evoke terror in our communities will be brought to justice.”
According to court records, on October 10, 2012, Judge placed a phone call to Polk County Department of Human Services regarding his child, with whom his parental rights had been terminated. During this call, Judge became angry and made several threats to a case worker. Judge threatened to blow up the DHS offices and kill everyone in the building. He then referenced mass shootings in schools and told the case worker that he was going to do the same before December 2012. Judge stated that, while he planned to die during the attack, he was going to make sure he killed every person at the DHS before law enforcement killed him.
Judge was originally indicted on November 27, 2012. At sentencing, he will face a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
This case was investigated by the Mena Police Department, the Polk County Prosecuting Attorney, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Glen Hines is prosecuting the case for the United States.

Men from California and Texas Plead Guilty to Federal Kidnapping Charge

ALBUQUERQUE—Brandon Lawrence Jones, 35, of San Diego, California, and Jesus Manuel Gallegos, 41, of El Paso, Texas, have entered guilty pleas to an indictment charging them with a federal kidnapping charge.
Jones entered his guilty plea on December 28, 2012, and Gallegos entered his guilty plea on January 3, 2013. Both guilty pleas were entered without the benefit of plea agreements.
Court records reflect that, on the night of November 5, 2011, Jones and Gallegos carjacked and kidnapped a man as he was leaving a basketball game in El Paso, Texas.
Using an air pistol that resembled a semi-automatic pistol, Jones forced the victim to get into the passenger seat of the victim’s vehicle. Gallegos later joined Jones and the victim in the vehicle.
After directing the victim to identify banks at which the victim maintained accounts, Jones took bank cards out of the victim’s wallet; forced the victim to reveal the PINs for his bank accounts; and withdrew cash from the victim’s bank accounts.
During this time, Jones and Gallegos repeatedly struck the victim in the face and body with their fists.
Jones and Gallegos drove the vehicle from El Paso to Clines Corner, New Mexico. During one stop, they tied the victim’s hands and feet with duct tape but later released him from the restraints when they realized that it might be hard to explain a restrained passenger as they crossed through the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint at Hatch, New Mexico.
During a stop in Albuquerque, Jones and Gallegos continued to use the victim’s bank card to withdraw money from the victim’s bank accounts.
When they arrived at Clines Corner in the early morning of November 6, 2011, Jones and Gallegos parked the vehicle at a truck stop and fell asleep.
After ensuring his kidnappers were asleep, the victim escaped from the vehicle and sought help from restaurant employees at the Clines Corner truck stop, who called 911 and helped the victim contact family members in El Paso.
Shortly afterward, officers of the New Mexico State Police and Torrance County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jones and Gallegos, who were still asleep in the victim’s vehicle.
When they were arrested, Jones was in possession of a wallet containing the victim’s driver’s license, and Gallegos was in possession of one of the victim’s bank cards. In the vehicle, the officers found an air pistol, which looked like a semi-automatic pistol with a laser site; ATM receipts; and wads of used duct tape.
Jones and Gallegos were arrested on federal charges on November7, 2011, and have been in federal custody since that time.
At their sentencing hearings, which have yet to be scheduled, Jones and Gallegos each face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Albuquerque Division of the FBI and the New Mexico State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles L. Barth and William Pflugrath and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Rowley.

Holiday Bank Robber Lacking in Christmas Cheer

The FBI Bank Robbery Task Force needs your help to identify a holiday bank robber who brandished a black semi-automatic handgun during the armed robbery of a Houston bank earlier this evening. Bank surveillance photographs of the robber are below.
The bank robbery happened at the Chase Bank located at 1351 West 43rd Street in Houston, Texas shortly after 5:00 this evening. The bank robber walked up to the counter, grabbed a deposit slip, and wrote a threatening note on it demanding cash. He then walked up to a teller, showed her the note, and pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun from his waistband. The teller gave the man some cash. He was last seen walking away from the bank on foot. No one was physically hurt during the robbery.
The armed bank robber was described as a white male in his mid-30s, about 5’8” to 5’9” tall, 200 pounds, with a medium build. He was clean-shaven and possibly had acne scars on his face. He had light brown short to medium-length hair with thin, light brown eyebrows. He wore a dark jacket and a black ball cap with a 1st Calvary Division logo on the front. He carried a black semi-automatic handgun during the robbery.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and arrest of this robber. If you have information about this case, please call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 713-222-TIPS (8477), or the Houston office of the FBI at 713-693-5000.