TEXARKANA, Texas–A man who bilked about $412,000 from a Texarkana construction company while performing contract work and as an employee pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to wire fraud.
Dezmann Joseph Rice pleaded guilty to one of six counts of wire fraud listed in an indictment handed up last May in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas. Rice appeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant at a hearing in Texarkana’s downtown federal building.
Rice was allowed to remain on a $20,000 unsecured appearance bond set for him following an appearance in May 2024 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Boone Baxter. Judge Bryant typically handles cases in the Western District of Arkansas, which has a courtroom in Texarkana’s unique bi-state federal building.
The building straddles the state line between Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Ark., and is home to courts for both the Eastern District of Texas and the Western District of Arkansas.
Beginning in January 2020 and continuing through March 2021, Rice scammed Trumble Construction Inc., doing business as RBT Construction by billing for work and equipment for water tank restoration projects that was never performed and never actually purchased, according to court records.
For example, Rice billed the company $75,000 in January 2020 for job materials from Weimer Mechanical Services despite having not made the purchase.
“I submitted this expense report by transmitting a wire communication in interstate commerce,” and “the transmission included a falsified expense report and a price quote from Weimer Mechanical Services,” Rice said in a court document.
Rice “abused a position of trust in a manner that significantly facilitated the commission or concealment of the offense,” court records state.
Rice will return to court for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III once the court has received a presentence investigation report including a recommendation for punishment under federal guidelines.
Rice faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He is represented by Sulphur Springs attorney Heath Hyde. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble is representing the government.
