'Hot' checks still coming in from Bonham Livestock; indictments expected

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

September 19, 2002 -- About $250,000 in "hot" checks, issued from Aug. 5 and Aug. 12 cattle sales at Bonham Livestock, have been turned over to the District Attorney's office in Bonham.

On Sept. 11, District Attorney Miles Porter said checks issued by the sale barn are still coming in to their office from the people who sold cattle at those sales. "Maybe some people are holding them (checks) thinking they'll clear," he said.

The District Attorney's office is still investigating the case, but Porter said he "will indict the case in October." Although the indictees were not named, he noted it would "probably be some of the owners."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) are also investigating the situation. On Sept. 10, a spokesperson in GIPSA's headquarters said it is an "onoing investigation" and therefore would not comment on the case.

Bonham Livestock and the registered agent Ronnie Gibbs, and Independent Bank of Anna, are also named in a civil lawsuit filed by Surety Bank of Whitesboro. The lawsuit was filed in the district clerk's office, Bonham, on Aug. 15.

On Sept. 11, a spokesperson in the district clerk's office said there are yet "no settings of trial date" in the lawsuit. "Bonham Livestock has filed answer to the suit, but Independent Bank has not."