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RV thief’s conviction affirmed

Sentence of 65 years

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The convictions and sentences totaling 65 years a would-be Willow Park RV thief was given by a Parker County jury last January were affirmed in an appellate ruling last week.

In the trial, Lori Beth Wiles, 53, of Newark, was convicted of attempted theft in an amount of $150,000 or more but less than $300,000 and fraudulent use or possession of identifying information from an elderly person. In 2022, she tried to steal an RV from a Willow Park business using a woman’s bank account. Jurors sentenced to prison terms of 65 and 40 years on the cases.  Under Texas law, those sentences run concurrently.

Wiles was a habitual offender with prior convictions and sentences for forgery, identity theft, six felony drug charges, two thefts, two assaults, and failure to identify that total over 130 years in prison.

“This defendant was a longtime con woman who got caught trying to make a big score,” said District Attorney Jeff Swain. “If it wasn’t for one victim checking her bank account and a local business promptly reporting and then working with the Willow Park Police Department to catch her, Ms. Wiles could have driven away in an RV worth almost a quarter million dollars.

“Especially in the Christmas season, it is very important that Parker County residents be watchful of their credit cards and bank accounts. If you have the ability, regularly check your account transactions and balances online and report any questionable activity immediately. 

“Also, be wary of great deals from people you don’t know,” Swain added. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Wiles’ case began in August, 2022 when a Willow Park woman noticed multiple fraudulent charges on her bank account. One of the charges, a $229,559 draft from a Willow Park RV business, caused her account to overdraft. She called the business and found out that Wiles used her account information to pay for an RV purchase.

Upon hearing from the victim, the business called WPPD and it was decided to set up a sting operation the following day when Wiles came to do her final sale paperwork. She arrived, signed the paperwork, and was arrested.

According to testimony from the salesman and one of Wiles’ friends, she said she had recently received a large inheritance. She showed them a banking app on her phone that showed she had a net worth of over $45 million.

Officers testified that they later found that, in addition to your regular account balances, the app would allow users to input additional properties or accounts and provide a stated value for each. In this way, someone could be made to look quite wealthy even if they only had a small balance in their account. Testimony at trial showed that Wiles actually only had around $6 in cash and investments, not millions.

“Ms. Wiles had no problem with lying to her friends, to sales and finance staff at the RV business, or to police officers to accomplish her theft or try to get away with it,” said Assistant District Attorney Al Charanza, who tried the case for the prosecution with Assistant District Attorney Abby Placke. 

On appeal, Wiles contended that evidence from her cell phone should not have been admitted, claiming it should not have been searched and that also she should have been given a copy of its contents. 

Assistant District Attorney Brian Wolfskill, who handled the appeal for the prosecution, argued that the search was lawful because Wiles gave officers consent to search the phone. He added that, while screenshots were taken from the phone, which were provided to the defense, law enforcement did not have a complete download of the phone and when trial prosecutors offered to download it for Wiles’ lawyer, the defense declined.

The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth found that 415th District Judge Graham Quisenberry, who presided over the trial, “did not abuse [his] discretion by denying” Wiles’ motion. The appeals court also rejected a claim that prosecutors should have been disqualified.

Wiles can still appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the highest criminal appeals court in Texas, Swain said.

Wiles will be eligible for parole when her time served plus good time credit equals a quarter of her sentence, Swain said. “At that time, it will be in the discretion of the Board of Pardons and Paroles if they want to keep her in prison or put her back on the street.”

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