TEXARKANA, Texas – A gritty federal crime has erupted in the Eastern District of Texas as seven individuals face charges for their alleged role in a multi-million-dollar conspiracy against the U.S. government, specifically targeting the Red River Army Depot.
The Department of Justice announced today that Kenneth Ray Shackelford, 54, of Texarkana; Anthony Paul Vera, 54, of Dekalb; Shaun Dennis Knorr, 35, of Douglasville; Patrick Ray James, 54, of Hooks; William Robert Barr, 56, of Atlanta; Rodney Glen Cornelius, 63, of Queen City; and William Randall Scott, 59, of Dekalb have all been indicted on federal charges involving conspiracy to commit an offense and defraud the U.S. government.
The defendants are accused of orchestrating a scheme that resulted in over $2 million in losses to the Department of the Army and Red River Army Depot. According to the indictment unsealed today, the plot is alleged to have taken place between January 2007 and April 2013.
At the heart of this case is Benny Woodard, a deceased Army civilian employee at RRAD who was responsible for maintaining the depot’s fleet of tractor-trailers. It is claimed that Woodard conspired with local vendors, including Shackelford, Vera, Knorr, James, and Barr, to bill RRAD for goods and services never received. Cornelius and Scott are charged with facilitating the scheme under Woodard’s direction.
The indicted face serious penalties if convicted. conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government carries up to five years in federal prison, while theft of government property or money could lead to a decade behind bars.
This investigation is a collaborative effort by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigations Division, and the Red River Army Depot Criminal Investigations Division, with Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Ryan Locker leading the prosecution.
It’s important to note that an indictment is not evidence of guilt; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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