Former Tarrant County Justice Of The Peace Jacqueline Wright Found Guilty Of Fraud
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Former Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Jacqueline Wright was convicted on Feb. 2 of tampering with a government record.
A Tarrant County jury found Wright, who was justice of the peace for Precinct 4 from 1991-2018, guilty on three counts of falsifying homestead exemptions. Visiting Judge Daryl Coffey sentenced her to four years' probation, 10 days in jail and a $2,500 fine. The judge also required Wright to write a 50-page essay apologizing to the court and public for her behavior. She must write the essay and publish in the next three months.
Wright, 74, committed the felony crimes by falsely applying for and receiving a homestead exemption for a home where she did not live between 2015 and 2018.
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Lloyd Whelchel and Tommy Brown prosecuted this case. Investigators Marcus Rink and Kyle Pisula worked on the case as well.
During the trial, testimony revealed Wright was not living in Precinct 4, as required, when she ran for re-election as Justice of the Peace between 2012 and 2018. Testimony also showed the day after Wright filed for re-election in 2018, using the address of a home she leased to a renter in Precinct 4, she changed a water bill into her name to make it appear she lived in that home.
A tipster complained that Wright didn't live in the district in which she sought re-election. During the investigation, law enforcement officials discovered fraudulent homestead exemptions.
"Jacqueline Wright knows what the law is, she knows what she is doing... she wanted the tax benefits," Whelchel, chief of the White Collar and Public Integrity team, told the jury. "She is guilty of this crime. It was her job to serve the public, not be a deceiver. That is what she did for a long time. That is what the public integrity unit is about, to hold us accountable."
