A Fort Bend County Sheriff’s detective and an FBI agent tracked down a Rosharon man in Panama and arrested him on charges related to the theft of more than $320,000 from his relatives.
Russell Ruble
Russell Lynn Ruble, 54, was just transported from Panama back to Houston, by the FBI agent and sheriff’s Det. R. Williams. Upon landing in Houston he was arrested on charges of misapplication of fiduciary property and is being held in Fort Bend County Jail in Richmond in lieu of $5 million bond on that charge.
Ruble also has been charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit theft. No bail has been granted on either of those charges, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Williams, who has been working the case since February 2008, believes Ruble used his power of attorney to transfer more than $320,000 from accounts belonging to his elderly uncle and aunts.
A statement from the sheriff’s office said Williams got a recent tip that Ruble was hiding in Panama. After confirming details, Ruble and an FBI agent – who went along “to provide assistance and coordination with the Panamanian law enforcement officials” – traveled to Panama on Thursday.
They learned Ruble had been living in Panama for 18 months to avoid prosecution in the United States, the sheriff’s statement said.
“After a two-day stay in Panama, the Panamanian officials learned Ruble had made false statements on his Visa application and, with pending criminal charges in the United States, resulted in Ruble being expelled from Panama,” the sheriff’s statement said.
A grand jury already has indicted Ruble, and his case is expected to go to trial in 268th District Court.
