SHERMAN, TX – Keith Todd Ashley, 51, of Allen, Texas, will spend the rest of his life in federal prison after a jury convicted him of a sprawling fraud scheme that ended in the brutal murder of a Carrollton man. U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant delivered the life sentence today, slamming the door on a calculated predator who preyed on his clients for years.
Ashley, a registered nurse who moonlighted as a financial advisor and life insurance agent, began pilfering funds from clients as early as 2016. The scheme wasn’t about quick riches, but a desperate attempt to prop up his failing brewery and fund a lavish lifestyle. He promised investments, but instead shuffled money between clients, siphoned off funds for personal use, and built a house of cards on stolen wealth. One victim, a Carrollton man, became the focal point of Ashley’s escalating greed.
The scheme against the Carrollton man involved not only stealing his investment funds and transferring them into Ashley’s personal accounts, but also manipulating the beneficiary of the man’s life insurance policy to a trust controlled by the defendant. But theft wasn’t enough. On February 19, 2020, Ashley committed murder, staging the scene to look like a suicide. The chilling detail reveals a coldness that went beyond financial desperation. After the victim was killed, Ashley then attempted to collect on the life insurance policy, drain the victim’s bank accounts, and even requested a copy of the autopsy report – a grotesque display of callousness.
“Mr. Ashley’s actions of defrauding and ultimately taking the victim’s life is reprehensible and indefensible,” stated U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. The U.S. Attorney’s office brought charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and bank fraud – all of which led to the life sentence. Ashley was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 12, 2020, but the investigation stretched back years, uncovering a web of deceit and violence.
“Keith Ashley funded his lavish lifestyle and attempted to rescue his failing business by robbing his clients of financial security, and when that wasn’t enough, he robbed one of his life,” added Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough. The investigation was a multi-agency effort, involving the FBI – Frisco Resident Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, and the Carrollton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Rattan, Jay Combs, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Fine led the prosecution.
The life sentence serves as a stark warning: financial crimes with deadly consequences will be met with the full force of the law. For the victim’s family and friends, the sentence brings a measure of closure, but the pain of loss remains. Ashley’s calculated greed and callous disregard for human life have earned him a permanent place behind bars.
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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