HOUSTON
Cameras were there when Jack Heard Jr. walked out of the federal court house late Thursday afternoon.
A judge had just read a long list of criminal charges against him. If his face looks familiar, maybe it's because you remember his dad.
The accused is the son of former Harris County Sheriff Jack Heard Sr., who died in 2005 after a long and distinguished career in law enforcement.
Heard Junior spent seven years as a Houston police officer, and he's been a fixture in this community. At least twice he's spent thousands of dollars helping young people by outbidding others at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
But now it seems he needs some help. He said he has hired prominent defense attorney Dick DeGuerin to help him fight a federal indictment.
According to the indictment, Heard has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States of employment taxes, bribing a government official, trying to obtain government contracts, failure to pay prevailing wages and a couple of other charges, including tax evasion.
All the allegations are associated with a security company Heard owns called Superior Protection, Inc.
Three other men, Gary Lambert, William Lane and John Bailey were also indicted. They all work for Heard.
A closer look at the indictment reveals allegations that Heard failed to pay employment taxes on more than $5.7 million going back as far as 1987. He also failed to provide the required firearms training to his security guards, nor did he properly pay the guards.
Agents from the IRS, ATF and the Department of Homeland Security said they spent years investigating this case.
If he's convicted, the son of a longtime sheriff could spend up to 15 years in prison.
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