Read more: Local, Crime, Jose Luis Villarreal, Juan Carlos Villarreal, Samantha Renee Vega, Deputy, Jailer, Payday Loan Scam, Fraudulent, Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, Texas Car and Title & Payday Loans, Corruption, Edinburg, Hidalgo County, Rio Grande Valley, Texas
A Hidalgo County deputy and jailer have been fired after being among three people arrested in an alleged payday loan scam.
The Texas Rangers arrested Jose Luis Villarreal, Juan Carlos Villarreal and Samantha Renee Vega over the weekend.
The three are accused of securing about $82,000 dollars worth of fraudulent loans from a Texas Car and Title & Payday Loan store in Edinburg.
An affidavit filed in the case shows that Vega worked as the store’s manager.
Authorities identified Jose Luis as a Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputy while his twin brother Juan Carlos worked as a jailer.
Both brothers are accused of working with Vega in the scheme, which was uncovered by the company’s corporate office in Atlanta, Georgia.
Juan Carlos Villarreal and Vega are charged with felony theft and engaging in organized criminal activity.
Jose Luis Villarreal was with felony theft, engaging in organized criminal activity and tampering with a government record.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño told Action 4 News that the two brothers were fired on Monday following an Internal Affairs Investigation into the case.
