Ernesto Villarreal Jr., a former employee of Valentine Independent School District (ISD), pleaded guilty to charges related to his role in a fraudulent scheme that misappropriated district funds for personal use. Villarreal, 43, from Marfa, Texas, served as the Business Manager and Tax Collector for the district. Court records show that he used two ISD credit cards to make hundreds of unauthorized purchases totaling thousands of dollars.
Additionally, Villarreal issued over $10,000 in unauthorized checks to himself from Valentine ISD accounts and used more than $20,000 in ISD funds to pay off personal credit card bills. He also altered bank account information for several current and former employees, resulting in more than $100,000 in fraudulent payments for work that was never completed. These funds were routed directly to Villarreal’s personal bank accounts without the employees’ knowledge or consent.
The total financial damage caused by Villarreal’s actions is estimated to exceed $300,000. Villarreal spent the stolen funds on a range of personal expenses, including travel, home improvements, fuel, and cell phone bills.
Villarreal is scheduled to be sentenced on February 21, 2025. He faces significant penalties, including a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the theft charge and up to 20 years for each wire fraud count.