The El Paso Police Department’s White Collar Crime Unit was founded in 1994 in response to the rise in white-collar crimes in the El Paso area. Investigating white -collar crime involves many specialized investigative techniques, patience, problem solving skills, and time. As the El Paso Police Department decentralized its investigative functions among five regional command centers, the white-collar crime unit retained its location at Police Headquarters to maintain central control over investigators capable of dealing with extremely complex cases. In 1999 the White Collar Crime Unit was renamed the Financial Crimes unit, which now consists of the White Collar Crime Unit, Identity Theft Unit, Special Victims Unit, Internet Crime Against Children Unit, Fugitive from Justice Unit and the Public Integrity Unit. The Financial Crimes Section is commanded by Lieutenant Patrick Pelletier.

 

The White Collar Crime unit consists of one sergeant, and twelve detectives. The personnel are trained in various law enforcement skills specifically related to fraud, embezzlement, computer analysis, and other Internet and Financial related crimes. The unit works very closely with outside law enforcement agencies and private sector resources to accomplish its goals.

 

The Special Victims Unit has been established to address incidents of abuse, neglect or exploitation (as defined by the Texas Human Resource Code, Chapter 48) by caretakers (as defined by the Texas Administrative Code Title 40) of the following individuals:

PC. 22.01 Assault
PC. 22.04 Injury to Elderly or Disabled Individual
PC. 22.07 Terroristic Threats
PC. 22.08 Aiding Suicide
PC. 31.03 Theft Over $50.00 & Under $20,000.00
PC. 32.31 Credit/Debit Card Abuse
PC. 32.51 Misapplication of Fiduciary Property Over $50.00 & Under $20,000.00
PC. 32.51 Fraudulent Use or Possession of Identifying Information
PC. 42.07 Harassment
PC. 42.072 Stalking
PC. 25.10 Interfering with Guardianship
Human Resource Code, Title 2. Section 48.051

 

Make a police report by calling (915) 832-4400. If your case is classified as one of the crimes listed above, it will be assigned to a white-collar investigator within 3-5 business days. All other cases will be assigned to an investigator at the Regional Command center in the region where the crime occurred.

 

• Thefts over $20,000 involving real estate fraud, investment fraud, embezzlement,
• Theft of trade secrets
• Forgeries and credit card abuse when organized rings are involved
• Trademark Counterfeiting over $20,000
• Commercial Bribery 
• Misapplication of Fiduciary Property over $20,000 loss
• Securing Execution of Document by Deception
• Telecommunication offenses and computer security breaches
• Insurance Fraud and filing of fraudulent financial statements

 

• All businesses should maintain strict controls over cash, inventory, and other valuable assets.
• The responsibility to authorize transactions, the responsibility for collecting or paying cash, and the responsibility to maintain accountability records must be separated within an organization.
• Job descriptions must be clearly defined and responsibilities for each position clearly delineated. Ensure employees receive and acknowledge in writing, all related training material, job descriptions, and responsibilities.
• Maintain a strict accountability protocol related to the movement of inventory and the flow of cash through an organization. Do not deviate or become lax in the enforcement of this protocol. The rules must apply to everyone in the organization, no matter how long they’ve worked there, or how trusted they are.
• Cash receipts should not be handled by employees who have access to accounts receivable records or the general business ledger.
• Reconcile and audit your company’s books often. Regular audits should be occasionally backed up by an unscheduled, unannounced audit.
• Make sure that passwords to computer files, pass codes to enter facilities, and security protocols are frequently changed to reduce the potential for abuse. Evaluate the necessity for someone in your organization to know certain passwords or codes. Do not permit people to use other’s passwords for convenience sake.
• Ensure that invoices paid by your company are not paid twice, overpaid, or your company is not billed for services/goods not received. Keep a strict watch over your vendors. Conduct frequent spot checks of invoiced services or items and the related documents generated by your business.
• Company checks should be issued and recorded in pre-numbered order. The sequence must be accounted for when reconciling bank accounts. Lock up unused checks and account for them numerically in a log. Limit access to the checks to a limited number of authorized personnel. Bank statements should be reconciled independently and away from those employees authorized to handle accounts payable/receivable or employees recording the information.
• Do not fail to discipline employees that deviate from company policy. An atmosphere of permissiveness breeds the potential for internal corruption.
• Make sure that specific employees can be positively linked to any specific transaction involving your business: any sale, purchase of goods, or services. Do not permit transactions that cannot be traced back to a specific individual within your organization.
• Ensure that discounts given to customers are in line with company policy. Maintain credit records separately and in pre-numbered order, with independent verification and reconciliation.
• Consider an automated property tracking system to facilitate accountability and speedy inventory, particularly for expensive or easily disposed of items.
• Develop a formal policy for property/inventory write offs or disposals. Management authority should be required for inventory adjustments. Payroll records must be reconciled to the actual time worked. Terminated employees must promptly be removed from payroll systems. Personnel departments should send payroll modifications directly to the payroll department; not routed through the affected employee’s department.

 

• PC 32.51. Fraudulent Use or Possession Of Identifying Information

 

 

 

For additional advice or to report a possible problem, contact the unit at (915) 564-7130 and ask to speak to a detective. Point-of-contact for the unit is:

Lt. Patrick Pelletier:	Pelletierp@elpasotexas.gov
Sgt. Don Black:	blackda@elpasotexas.gov

Even the most long-standing and trusted employees may be misapplying company assets or stealing money. A system of checks and balances that is applied unilaterally throughout the business or organization protects everyone and fosters trust. Laxness and the easing of internal controls merely because no one has ever been caught “stealing,” has been the start of many internal theft cases handled by the white-collar crime unit.

 

Scams are becoming more and more common throughout the world. Scams take place by use of the U.S. Mail, E-mails, telemarketers, internet sites, door to door salesm and newspaper ads to name a few. The scams listed on this page have taken place in the El Paso area and are provided for public awareness. [click here]