Published Saturday, October 11, 2008 6:05 AM
Ex-CS official pleads guilty
By MATTHEW WATKINS
matthew.watkins@theeagle.com
Former College Station public works official Paul Urso, shown with attorney William Carter, pleaded guilty Friday to taking money and other gifts from a contractor.
A former supervisor for the College Station Public Works Department was in jail Friday night after pleading guilty to conspiring to deprive the city of tens of thousands of dollars.
Paul Urso, 52, was set to stand trial Monday on two first-degree felony charges of engaging in organized criminal activity. Authorities said he signed off on invoices submitted to the city by Texcon General Contractors for work that was either never completed or exaggerated.
Texcon paid Urso about $100,000 in cash over a two- to three-year period beginning in 2000, authorities said. He spent the money on trucks, rent and a Caribbean cruise, according to prosecutors. The corporation also gave him a guided hunting trip to Montana, officials said.
Urso, who committed the crimes while serving as superintendent of streets and drainage for the city, was sentenced to two concurrent 10-year prison sentences but will likely serve much less time, lawyers said.
District Judge J.D. Langley will review a report on Urso's behavior during the first 180 days of his sentence and will consider placing him on shock probation for the remainder of his term. He would be sent to prison for the entire term if he committed any crimes while on probation.
The 25-year city employee has also been ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution and to perform 600 hours of community service for the city.
As part of his plea bargain, Urso is required to stand before the City Council in handcuffs at its Oct. 23 meeting, apologize for the crime and present a check for $50,000.
"Choose your words carefully," Langley warned Urso in court Friday.
At the hearing Friday, Urso told the judge that he had the money and was prepared to hand it over to the city.
"Mr. Urso has accepted responsibility for his actions, and he and his family are glad that this ordeal is over," said William Carter, Urso's attorney. "He is truly sorry for what he has done, and he looks forward to returning to his family next year and beginning restitution payments to College Station."
Texcon and its president, Carey Smith, are also scheduled to be tried in the case, and Urso has agreed to testify against them.
Langley approved a continuance for that case Friday because one of the defense lawyers lives in Houston and his practice was affected by Hurricane Ike, lawyers said.
A search warrant was executed at Texcon's headquarters Monday, and lawyers said they needed time to review the evidence. Langley said Friday that he expected the trial to begin early next year.
City Manager Glenn Brown said the city took steps to prevent fraud after Urso's actions came to light.
The program is heavy on oversight. The city hired an internal auditor in 2006. The following year, a program was launched that created an independent oversight committee to which the auditor reports.
The city also initiated ethics and fiscal responsibility components in its employee training and orientation programs, Brown said, adding that the finance department files monthly reports in attempts to identify trends related to potential abuse.
The Public Works Department has implemented new purchasing procedures to ensure appropriate supervisory review and created a system that documents labor and material for jobs done by both city crews and contractors.
"On behalf of our citizens, I am glad the District Attorney's Office was able to obtain monetary restitution through Mr. Urso's plea-bargain agreement," Brown said, also thanking the Police Department for its work on the case. "It's very disappointing that anyone in a position of trust and responsibility would misuse it and abuse it."
Conditions of the plea deal:
A former supervisor for the College Station Public Works Department pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to accept bribes in exchange for overcharging the city for projects performed by a construction company. As part of a plea agreement, Paul Urso will:
* Serve 10 years in prison with the possibility of probation after 180 days.
* Pay $100,000 in restitution to the city of College Station.
* Publicly apologize -- while handcuffed -- to the City Council at its Oct. 23 meeting and present a $50,000 check toward restitution.
* Testify in the upcoming trials against Texcon Contractors and Carey Smith.
* Serve 600 hours of community service to the city.
Comments
[comment]
24 comment(s) found!
Posted by:
NBC-NORMAL BRYAN CITZEN On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 5:50 PM
Comment Title:
COMMITING CRIME IN CS.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 4:44 PM
Comment Title:
Dunno, someone from Anderson TX reported that Vimax was the worst suppository he had ever used.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 4:15 PM
Comment Title:
Since this has become the non sequitur thread and we're talking about good and happy things; what do you think about this Vimax stuff advertised on The Eagle? Does this stuff work? If it does, my life could be gooder and happier
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 4:09 PM
Comment Title:
Where's the beer? The nuts are writing responses?
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 4:08 PM
Comment Title:
We're talking about beer 'n herbs 'n good 'n happy things here. Beat it.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 3:58 PM
Comment Title:
Once again, a crime in College Station committed by a man from College Station somehow turns into an attack on Bryan. These College Station propaganda boys are good.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Neighborhood Uncle On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 12:04 PM
Comment Title: God did create beer
but he did create the green herbs....and saw that they were good.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 11:39 AM
Comment Title:
"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Neighborhood Uncle On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 11:18 AM
Comment Title: ignorance is bliss
Who are the uninformed? and do you want them to continue to believe that there isn't any racism? whoever the uniformed are must not be black....We know racism exists and that the justice system is not fair, so who are you talking about?
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Neighborhood Uncle On:
Monday, October 13, 2008 11:07 AM
Comment Title: You ought to be ashamed of yourself,
You dang on right I am not ashamed, this is an open forum and I am exercising my right to freedom of speech. Besides anyone who thinks that racism doesn't exist in the day and age is ignorant. (you) I see rampant racist drivel on this forum each and everyday and it was only a few days ago that I ever replied to any of this. (I was made to wallow in other people's ignorance just by reading my morning paper. So I thought I would throw a little salt in the game.Also maybe you don't know who I am , but the hood does and they know how to reach me. Now back to Urso. He got caught and now he is gonna snitch and that's the way you get a lighter sentence. I also believe that people who can't accept another person's opinion and arbitrarily call that person ignorant and stupid. What is stupid and ignorant and definitely blind to the fact that racism does and will continue to exist in B/CS is comments like this one "Your kind of ignorant rantings are what inflame otherwise uninformed people to believe that racism exists where it doesn't and that the justice system is unfair when it isn't (which isn't to say that the system is always fair or that racism doesn't exist). " That in itself sounds like the most ignorant thing that I have ever read. Educated fools
Report Abuse
Posted by:
NBA-Normal Bryan Activity. On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 11:20 PM
Comment Title:
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Has Marshall Law been declared on da East Side? Warz unka? On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 10:37 PM
Comment Title:
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 7:36 PM
Comment Title:
On Thursday someone said, referring to Uncle, that Jamie@CS and NBA no longer had a monopoly on stupidity. I now see the wisdom in those words.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 7:02 PM
Comment Title: You ought to be ashamed of yourself, but you won't be
Neighborhood Uncle: Yours is the most racist post I have seen in some time. This has nothing to do with race at all. The proof is in the fact that your "facts" are dead wrong. The lady at the District Attorney's Office did, I repeat, DID get shock probation. She served only 180 days in prison and was then released to probation. Check it out on the Eagle archives or Justice Web. Urso is actually being punished more seriously than Queen Walker, as he was sentenced to more prison time and has to do more community service. Also, Urso is cooperating with the State against the two other defendants. Finally, you are ignorant also about the deferred adjudication you think Urso received. The truth is that neither Urso nor Walker received deferred adjudication. In fact, you cannot receive deferred adjudication when you get shock probation. Even if someone does receive deferred adjudication on a felony, it is always, repeat, always on their criminal record. Your kind of ignorant rantings are what inflame otherwise uninformed people to believe that racism exists where it doesn't and that the justice system is unfair when it isn't (which isn't to say that the system is always fair or that racism doesn't exist). You will, of course, not lift a finger to confirm any of this and will prefer to wallow in your ignorance because you simply enjoy feeling like you are being put down. It's easier than the truth.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
I have been getting a lot of response for my post. On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 6:57 PM
Comment Title:
Where is it you are getting this response to your post?
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Neighborhood Uncle on da EastSide On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 5:30 PM
Comment Title: I forgot to mention
I forgot to mention in my previous post that Urso did this in only a couple of years instead of his whole career working with the city. Another thing. I have been getting a lot of response for my post. Positive and negative. For all of the people who gave positive feedback xoxox to all of you. If you gave negative feed back well just imagine a middle finger pointed up at you and a menacing sneer. That's to my readers @ Tom Light Chevrolet
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Neighborhood Uncle from da East Side On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 5:01 PM
Comment Title: Another example in the disparity of Justice between Blacks and Whites
I know you are going to say " but the crime you Bryan gangstas commit is different, we're to good to commit petty crime, this is high end white collar stuff, what yall jiggaboos know about that?" Hmmm, I can only say this. There was a case a couple of Years back. A female who is black, that worked for the District Attorney was charged and found guilty of embezzlement. She was ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution or serve an 8 year prison sentence. Now in our community we were wondering how can that be? This lady is a pillar of the community. An upstanding Christian lady who was engaged in her churches activities. The say she stole this money over the course of her 18 year career working with the white folks. Is it possible that she could have done that by herself? Blacks aren't smart enough to commit white collar crime if you believe in some of the stuff that is posted on this forum. Or was she only the pawn in the plan of another higher placed official? I guess we will never know. What I want to know is how is it that she is ordered to pay 100,000 in restitution or serve an 8 year prison sentence? Half of what she supposedly stole over a 18 year period, and this guy Urso only gets shock probation for 180 days. I know, I know he got sentenced two 10 year prison sentences, but 180 days shock probation. That means he will only be in jail for 180 days and then he is through with deferred adjudication that means this isht (isht is my favorite word.)is not going to be on his record. And you ask us what is the problem. (us = Black people)
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 12:22 PM
Comment Title:
Look at how much money Urso got. Close to $100,000. If he got that much as a bribe then the city must have overpaid Texcon by at least ten times as much. They want their money back so they are using his testimony to get an exact dollar amount. They can then use this as a hammer to get the Texcon president to plead guilty and make restitution.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 12:17 PM
Comment Title: Consider this...
If Urso had simply pled to 10, 15 or even 20 years, he wouldn't spend that much time in prison. Because our prisons are so overcrowded, white collar and other non-violent criminals are spending one or two months, maybe, for each year they are sentenced. Urso, undoubtedly, would be out in less than a year and a half, best case scenario, and then would be completely unsupervised. Also, there wouldn't be any restitution to the City. According to this article, and other news accounts, Urso is paying $100,000 in restitution. I think that's pretty important. If he's just sent to prison, there's no way the City of College Station ever sees a dime of restitution. Urso's also agreed to help the prosecution against the other defendants. So, he is going to prison, paying restitution, cooperating with the prosecution, doing 600 hours of community service, and will have to report for probation every month for ten years. At least he admitted his crimes and took his medicine. Looks like the DA's office and the judge made the right call.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 12:05 PM
Comment Title:
Yeah, it's strange that a "liberal" newspaper like The Eagle would bury a story like this.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
David On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 9:41 AM
Comment Title: Ex-CS Official pleads guilty
He says he's sorry and has accepted responsibility for his actions!!?? First, he got caught. That always makes them say they're sorry. Second, he got caught. Like he has a choice in accepting resposibility. If he had been sorry and accepted responsiblity on his own accord, he would have admitted the whole thing the first day he accepted the bribe. His remorse comes a little too late to be believable. Why the judge is being so lienient on Mr. Urso is really the question this article doesn't answer. Mr. Urso violated the public trust and has caused damage beyond the amount of money he took. It casts a shadow on anyone involved in letting contracts for the city and undermines the citizens trust in their government. For Judge Langley to allow Mr Urso to serve only 180 days of a ten year sentence is unacceptable. What kind of message does that send? And 600 hundred hours of community service? Is that punishment? How about serving the entire sentence, loss of pension, complete restitution, plus a fine?
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Serve 10 years in prison with the possibility of probation after 180 days. On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 9:23 AM
Comment Title:
Taxpayer dollars are wasted on processing this guy if he gets out in 180 days.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Ann R Key On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 8:28 AM
Comment Title: Sorry
I should have cited some examples. Check out the washingtonpost.com or nytimes.com. For something closer to home check out Houston's cron.com or Austin's statesman.com.
Report Abuse
Posted by:
Ann R Key On:
Saturday, October 11, 2008 8:08 AM
Comment Title: Interesting
How the the story on the Palin report is front page news in almost every newspaper across the country. But is was buried in the Eagle this morning. If it is on the web page, I have not seen it.
Report Abuse
RSS
|
Mobile
|
Daily Emails
|
We Twitter
| Make us your home page
