Suburban Houston’s Sharai Poteet has been unsealing a 20-count indictment charging her with wire fraud, assaulting an officer, and threatening to kill a witness. The 56-year-old Porter resident is accused of fraudulently applying for and receiving a $435,000 newly built house by falsely claiming she had 11 household members, including children and a disabled adult. Poteet is further alleged to have submitted three fraudulent disaster relief claims totaling over $400,000, intended for victims of Hurricane Harvey.
The investigation revealed that Poteet threatened to kill a whistle-blower during the probe. She also assaulted a federal agent during an operation to seize her cell phone, leading to additional charges. If convicted on all counts, Poteet faces up to 30 years in federal prison and fines exceeding $1 million.
Poteet’s charges include seven counts of wire fraud, which carry potential sentences of up to 30 years each; two counts of obstruction of justice with sentences ranging from 20 to 30 years; an additional eight years for assaulting a federal officer; and seven counts of aggravated identity theft, each requiring at least two years in prison consecutively to any other sentence.
The HUD-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shalimar Addy is prosecuting the case. Poteet appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan for her initial appearance.
An indictment is a formal accusation and does not prove guilt; Poteet is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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