WOAI: TroubleShooters

Harlandale's Josh Cerna loses control

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:37:00 -0600

Joshua Cerna is out of the closet.

On December 5, the ever-controversial Harlandale school trustee was found hiding in a closet in the home of a district elementary-school principal. The principal's husband, who is a Windcrest police officer, suspected his wife was cheating and set a trap by telling her he was going out of town for the night. He returned later that evening. According to the statement the husband gave to deputies who responded to the family-disturbance call, when he entered the house, Cerna ran and hid inside the bedroom closet.

It was an early Christmas present for Cerna’s long list of enemies who for years have been waging a behind-the-scenes battle to unseat him. It’s also another sign the powerful and politically connected Cerna is losing his more than decade-long grip on the scandal-prone district.

“This is ridiculous. We don’t want these scandals out here. We don’t want to be on TV,” said Harlandale resident Lillian Zapata at Tuesday's board meeting. “Be honorable, have integrity, and you know, watch what you do. Watch what you do out there because everyone is seeing you."

Cerna sat with the rest of the seven-member board without saying a word, his wife and two children in the audience.

"This is just an unfortunate misunderstanding," Cerna told me in December, shortly after the report became public. He claims he was just dropping off food for the principal’s school holiday party. At about 10 p.m.

It’s an excuse few believe.

"The issue is, we have a gentleman who, in my opinion, is using his power as a board member to influence the employee that he's supposedly having an affair with,” said George Alejos, who describes himself as a concerned citizen who manages rental property in the district.

During the interview with Cerna last month, I asked him what happened inside the house when the husband came home. "I can't answer that, but there's no truth to any of the affair. I've always tried to maintain integrity and professionalism when dealing with our employees."

The district says the principal has been on administrative leave since December 16 while it conducts an investigation of the incident. The Sheriff’s department didn’t file any charges against anyone involved in the incident.

Despite the dust-up, Cerna insists he’s not going to resign over the scandal.

Standing around six-feet tall, Cerna looks like he could play offensive lineman for the Harlandale Indians. Until recently he was pushing close to 300 pounds, but in the past few months lost 50 pounds on a low-calorie diet. The 38-year-old isn't the kind of guy to be pressured or intimidated — and he certainly didn’t quit over past scandals.

Cerna has long been the bad boy of the academically and financially challenged South Side district. I caught him on hidden camera in 2006 hanging out on the beach in Florida, after he told the district he had to stay an extra day at a school board conference at taxpayer expense. He paid back expenses for the extra hotel night and car rental after being confronted with the video.

In 2009, I obtained receipts and emails from Jasmine Engineering, which oversees bond construction for Harlandale, that showed how lobbyists for the company catered to Cerna. The documents included a receipt for a $500-dollar steak dinner for Cerna and his wife at Ruth Chris Steak House. In an email, one of Jasmine's lobbyists wrote, "Josh wants to go see George Lopez at his next show. Can we get him some tickets?" Cerna told me at the time that he never asked for or got tickets to any concerts or sporting events, and had not done anything illegal or unethical.

But he now must be resigned to the fact he’s lost control of the board majority.

Insiders at the district claim Cerna had been calling the shots in Harlandale for more than a decade. Like any good politician, they say, he’d struck deals and schmoozed enough of his fellow board members to insure he controlled a majority of votes on any issue. Not much got on the agenda without Cerna giving it the green light. According to several board members, Cerna brokered deals with his allies on the board to direct who sat in the president’s chair while he wielded the power behind the scenes. The former Harlandale science teacher has served as board president twice since being elected in 2000. (Esequiel "Zeke" Mendoza is the current president.)

There also have been long-standing accusations that Cerna controlled who got lucrative contracts with the Harlandale. If you didn’t wine and dine Josh Cerna, you didn’t stand a chance of landing a major contract with the district.

Current District 7 board member Jesse Alaniz is one of Cerna's accusers. He has been a thorn in Cerna’s side for years and is part of the new board majority.

“It was very uncomfortable the way contracts were being done. I was unhappy the way Josh was playing golf and having drinks and dinners with vendors," Alaniz says. "And I was getting calls from community members saying they were uncomfortable the way Josh was behaving himself with these folks.”

Alaniz points to the recent controversy involving the delayed construction of new field houses and band halls at McCollum and Harlandale high schools. Several insiders at the district claim Cerna pushed to have the work given to Vitetta, an architecture firm he favored, and that construction soon fell behind schedule. Others on the board didn’t understand the selection, complaining the company was in charge of an earlier bond construction project involving work on the air conditioning system at Adams Elementary that ran into trouble.

Several sources on the board, who asked to remain anonymous, claim Cerna worked with Vitetta’s lobbyist, former State Representative Art Reyna, to make it happen. In return they say Reyna supported Cerna’s successful bid to become president of the Mexican American School Board Association.

“I have a close relationship with Art Reyna that still exists today. But Art Reyna doesn’t define Vitetta," Cerna says. “Vitetta has done some good work for us, other than the HVAC issue.” He blames a subcontractor for the air conditioning problems on the earlier bond project. Cerna adds, “I made it clear that I wanted to do business with people who had done a good job for us in the past.”

Reyna, who's known Cerna for about a decade, says he no longer does consulting work for Vitetta.

"Regarding [Cerna's] election as president of MASBA," he adds, "Joshua was chosen by his school board member peers as a result of his own efforts, including his hard work for the organization."

Not all board members believe Cerna has been the wizard behind the curtain at Harlandale.

“He’s never influenced my vote, but I think there have been other board members who came in with no experience and turned to him for advice,” says Anthony Alcoser, who represents District 6 on the board.

But those who do believe Cerna exerted influence over the board say his days of calling the shots at Harlandale ended last May. That’s when former school teacher Velma Ybarra was elected to the board, touching off a noticeable shift in power. The brash and outspoken new trustee in District 5 quickly sided with the minority of board members opposing Cerna.

The first concrete sign that his reign was over came last November 17 during a raucous board meeting in which Cerna stormed out after the new majority gave the boot to Escamilla, Poneck & Cruz, Harlandale's longtime legal representative.

The legal services contract with Harlandale ranged anywhere from $375,000 to $265,000 a year, according to a current board member. District insiders insist Cerna did the bidding of the powerful law firm in return for political backing. Cerna lead the charge defending the firm during several attempts in the past year to fire the firm, trying to counter accusations from some board members that it was over-billing the district. Attorney Doug Poneck is a frequent contributor to Cerna's campaigns. While it should be noted that Poneck, whose firm has contracts with many school districts and other public entities, gives to many officeholders, you could see the close relationship between him and Cerna just before the vote to fire the firm. Cerna looked at Poneck in the front row, and said out of frustration, “It’s a done deal, a done deal.” An angry Cerna sunk his head into his hands as a new law firm was appointed.

During that same board meeting, Cerna waxed philosophical. “It is about politics,” he said. “And Mr. Alanis is right about one thing, we are a politically elected board. But we’re a government entity, also. We have to represent, not just our constituents, but the entire district.”

During a phone interview with Cerna this week, he denied being a puppet master.

“I never had any board majority, nor did I ever influence or dictate what the board had to do or whatever contract had to come forth," he said. "Every contract and every decision that was done came with a staff recommendation.”

Cerna attributes actions taken by the board during his tenure to teamwork, saying: “We all had a working and open relationship with each other and were able to come together for the betterment of the district.”

As for his opposition to the board's decision to fire Escamilla. Poneck & Cruz, he says, “I just believe in the firm. I still believe in the firm.”

So what does the future hold for Joshua Cerna?

There have been whispers in recent years that Cerna would seek higher office. There was even a rumor he’d possibly take on former Harlandale board member and District 118 State Representative Joe Farias.

But as one politico close to Farias told me, “This guy would have trouble winning his own district. He’d get smoked, especially if he went outside of Harlandale with all of his baggage.”

Cerna denies any interest in challenging Farias, saying, “Right now, I’m just trying to focus on the board.

"I don’t have any other political aspirations other than serving on the board.”

- This blog was originally posted on the political news website plazadearmastx.com

Mayor calls for CPS Energy to stop spending on expensive meals

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:54:00 -0600

Mayor Julian Castro says he agrees with ratepayers who've been outraged at excessive spending on meals and parties by CPS Energy top brass and wants the public utility to pull the plug on the expensive events.

Castro, who did not attend any of the meals or parties I’ve been reporting on in recent days, says he’s told CPS CEO Doyle Beneby and Board Chairman Derrick Howard that changes are need in the wake of my investigation.

“Doyle and I have touched on this issue briefly and I'm sure we're going to have a much larger conversation. And I've talked to Derrick as well,” Castro said. “And I think everyone is in agreement, we need to look at the policy, figure out what makes sense for the utility. And understand this is a public utility, that it is not a private company.”

And because CPS is a public utility fueled by ratepayer's money, Castro thinks the utility should adopt policies similar to those in place at the city.

“Here at the city of San Antonio we have a policy of not allowing reimbursement of alcohol. And also the price of a meal is clearly an issue,” said Castro. “So those are the types of things we can look at revising. There was some stuff in there that of course, any reasonable person would look at and say, hey, we need to take a look at this policy.”

The mayor made it clear he believe Beneby is doing a great job overall running the massive utility and he's not slamming his leadership.

Castro just thinks Beneby, and the rest of the utility’s leadership, needs to be better stewards of ratepayer’s money.

Watch interview with CPS Energy defending lavish meals

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:01:00 -0600

Watch the full interview with CPS Energy's lawyer as she explains why the public utility thinks expensive meals and parties I uncovered are justified.

Over the past few days I've reported on lavish meals, retirement parties and employee events that have been billed to ratepayers. The Chairman of the Board at CPS Energy is promising to fix the problem in the wake of my investigation.

While interviewing the public utility's General Counsel, the public relations staff pointed a camera at me and recorded the interview for "training purposes." But today CPS informed me they are putting the whole interview on their website. Apparently they feel their side of the story has been lost in the flood of anger coming from ratepayers who don't want their money spent this way.

So, here it is, the entire interview for you to enjoy....

"We will fix this" promises CPS Board Chairman

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:46:00 -0600

“We will fix this.”

That's the promise today from Derrick Howard, Chairman of the CPS Energy Board of Trustees.

It comes in response to my series of investigations revealing the inside story on how the publicly funded utility uses some of your money on expensive meals. Over the past two days I've reported on expensive meals, retirement parties and employee parties at CPS Energy that you paid for. Since then ratepayers have been emailing, calling and posting on our website, wanting to know how to stop CPS from misspending their money.

Throughout my investigation, the utility and CEO Doyle Beneby has justified the expenses. So it's unclear if the utility's top executive was just giving me lip service when he said, “There could be some areas where what you might have uncovered causes us to go back and look at our policy and and we'd be more than happy to do so.”

To make sure ratepayers get some kind of action, I went to Beneby's boss - Chairman Howard - who also has attended some of the events.

I asked him, “What do you say to those ratepayers who don't like the way this money is being spent?”

“At the end of the day, in my opinion, a lot of expenses can be challenged. I think there is always an opportunity to go back and review, retool and rethink what's appropriate and what's not -- and we'll do that," said Howard. "But I think the ratepayers can be assured that we continue to be and operate as one of the best utilities in the country.”

During a follow up phone call today, Howard told me CPS plans to review the expenses and its policies and in his words – “we will fix this.”

The latest embarrassing receipts I uncovered have to do with the former leader of the utility. When former CEO Milton Lee retired in 2010, it was a long goodbye that included not one - but four going away parties. Including meals at Bohanan’s restaurant for $3,174 with his senior management team. A trip to Fleming's steak house with board members for $2,120. And another dinner at Bohanan’s -- this time with his chiefs of staff for $1,106.

CPS says it cannot find the receipts from these meals, so we don't know exactly what you paid for.

Lee's farewell also included a lunch at La Villita for rank and file employees to say their goodbyes. The bill shows the event cost $6,182 and included $675 for balloon arches. Total tab to ratepayers for the long goodbye - $12,583.

These expenses and others I uncovered showing expensive wining and dining have ticked off a lot of ratepayers.

George Rodriguez is a self proclaimed taxpayer watchdog with the San Antonio Tea Party.

“Oh my gosh! A seven thousand dollar going away party?” asked Rodriguez.

“They may be talking about clean energy. The only thing getting cleaned here is our pocket books,” said Rodriguez, who is demanding CPS pull the plug on these pricey events. “We've got to remind them that people scrimp and save pennies to pay their bills, their electrical and gas bills. And for them to be squandering them in this manner just cannot be justified. I'm sorry, you just cannot tell us that this is okay.”

I'll be following up on this story to keep the heat on CPS Energy to make sure it spends your money more wisely.

Identity of SAPD officer involved in accident uncovered

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:40:00 -0600

SAN ANTONIO - News 4 WOAI has new details on an alleged cover-up by six SAPD officers to protect one of their own. We've learned the name of the officer that's being accused of driving drunk when he crashed his unmarked police unit on Highway 281 and Josephine Street.

News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Mireya Villarreal was able to confirm through several sources the sergeant involved in the accident last Thursday is Sergeant Joe Myers. At this time, he has not been charged or arrested, but he is on administrative leave.

Internal Investigations (IA) is currently looking into the accident involving Sergeant Myers. We know Myers is a 20-year veteran of the force and works out of the narcotics division with the HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) task force.

Police Chief Bill McManus says the sergeant involved in the accident on Thursday morning is believed to have been driving under the influence. The police unit he was driving had minor damages and no one was seriously hurt. A urine sample was taken from Myers and his blood was drawn. But that didn't happen until hours after the crash.

But Myers isn't the only San Antonio police officer in trouble. Six other officers are currently being investigated for trying to cover-up what happened the morning Sergeant Myers crashed his vehicle.

Chief McManus told us one of the officers that responded to the scene tried to take Myers home and another tried to remove evidence from his unit. All of the officers involved are off the streets and on administrative duty.

"My concern is for the integrity and reputation of the police department. And our officers are held and will be held at the highest standards. And this is not acceptable behavior,” Chief McManus said.

At this time criminal charges and administrative charges are pending.

Late Tuesday afternoon, News 4 WOAI’s Mireya Villarreal got a hold of the police report for this incident. Every single name on that report is blacked out. But it does give us new insight on what happened that night. The report says off-duty officer involved in the incident was intoxicated and disoriented. He was seen knocking on the doors and windows of trucks in a parking area near Mulberry and St. Mary’s, thinking they were his truck.

We’ve also asked for access to the 911 call made the morning of the accident and Sergeant Myers’ civil service file. We’ll let you know when we get a hold of them.

$43,000 Party! More lavish spending by CPS Energy on your tab

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:43:00 -0600

SAN ANTONIO -- CPS Energy got approval last year to begin raising your rates after complaining it was strapped for cash. What the city-owned utility failed to mention at the time is that it uses some of your hard earned money to pay for lavish meals and parties.

Lionel Johnson says he recently had problems with his electricity meter that he says caused his bills to skyrocket. The disabled war veteran is on a fixed income.

“Being on a fixed income, if it escalates, I’m in big trouble. So if it goes up $20, that means I have to take away from my food to pay the bill,” Johnson told us.

What Lionel didn't realize until I showed him the receipt is that some of his money is going to pay for things like a $7,000 going away party for a CPS Energy board member.

“I can't see a one-time expense for $7,000 for a party. When you know sometimes I’m eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at night,” complained Johnson.

They certainly weren't eating peanut butter at the going away party for board member Steve Hennigan last February. The bill at Bohanan's included $991 for snapper and $743 for ribeye steaks. And the alcohol was flowing - Gray Goose, Crown, Freemark and champagne - the bar tab was more than $2,000. Also, more than $1,100 was charged to CPS Energy for people who didn't show up after the utility told the restaurant how many they expected to attend, and valet parking was $160. The grand total to the ratepayers came out to $7,074.

But it's not only board members who get a pricey send off. Last February, a vice president retired and his last supper included five other top execs and their wives at Bistro Vatel in Olmos Park. You paid for everything, from steak to duck, and $540 for four bottles of fine wine. Total tab wound up being $1,659.

The stack of receipts I obtained show CPS Energy exec's having retirement and holiday parties and business meetings at swanky eateries all over town. You're not invited, but you're picking up the tab every time.

I asked to sit down with CEO Doyle Beneby to discuss the meals, but was told he was too busy. Instead, the utility set me up to interview their lawyer while a cameraman employed by the public relations department pointed a camera at me.

“Our business meal practices are designed to insure that we promote our business and bring value to our customers. And if they are reasonable expenses, we approve them,” insisted CPS Energy attorney Carolyn Shellman.

I asked the lawyer to defend the expenses to ratepayers who don't think they're reasonable.

“I say that the things that we are doing every day, that I do and my colleagues do, are 100% of the time are making sure we're devoted to doing a job for our neighbors and our community,” explained Shellman.

But what does that have to do with an expensive dinner, I interrupted.

"Well, we're very conscience of how we spend money and do not waste money," replied Shellman.

CPS Energy also doesn't think its employee celebrations are a waste. Including an annual affair for employees who've been at the utility for 25 years, where they get free food, beer and wine. The event this past June 17th cost $43,593.

The total tab for the event over the past four years - $162,000.

The utility also rented out the San Francisco Steak House last October. We were tipped off to the event, but couldn't get in. I was later told that 143 employees and their guests were celebrating the completion of a project. The cost to you was $8,868, and the bill included a $100 charge for a piano player along with $120 for swing girls, who literally swing from the ceiling during the party.

“You're talking about some events that, all told, are fractions of what, pennies of what we spend," said Shellman.

I asked, "But don't ratepayers expect you to watch every one of their pennies?"

"Well, I feel that we're doing that," argued Shellman.

Lionel Johnson has a different opinion.

“I want to use the right words, but sometimes the right words don't come out. I think they're idiots,” said Johnson.

Those are strong words. But many ratepayers are angry over what we uncovered, and they want their money spent more wisely.

“I come back from a war, and I think that I’m helping my country. And then people like CPS take my money, spit in my face, and tell me it's okay. Well, it's not okay,” said Johnson.

CPS Energy tells me they've cut the meal budget by 35% over the past five years. But that certainly didn't stop these events from being paid for.

Now on Tuesday night, I’ll sit down with the Chairman of the CPS Energy Board to see what, if anything, he's going to do about it.

CPS Energy CEO dines on your dime

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:40:00 -0600

SAN ANTONIO -- Imagine having expensive steak dinners and fine wine at the fanciest restaurants in San Antonio. Now imagine paying for those dinners for someone else every time you pay your electric bill.

We all know big private companies can spend lavishly on meals for their top executives. But CPS Energy is not a company, it's a city-owned utility fueled by your money. So I’ve been digging through thousands of expense records from the past two years to find out just how CPS Energy and its CEO Doyle Beneby use some of your money to wine and dine themselves.

Beneby's salary as CEO of CPS Energy this year is $410,000. Last August, the public utility's board gave him a $180,000 bonus. You'd think with all that dough, he wouldn't make you pick up the tab for his dinners. But receipts I uncovered show you pay when Beneby wines and dines at some of the priciest restaurants in town. That includes last June, when Beneby and two consultants hired by the utility ate at Fleming’s steak house in The Quarry. The bill came out to $421.32. We don't know what they ate, because Beneby only turned in the credit card receipt.

Another dinner at Fleming's, this time with local public relations guru Jim Dublin last March, added up to $327.87. Again, no detailed receipt was provided.

But we do know what was on the menu during one meal Beneby enjoyed at your expense last July with more consultants. They dined on seared ahi tuna, tenderloin, New York strips and a filet. To wash it all down, six glasses of wine for $96, followed by a bottle of the vino at $64. The final tab was $719.54. Remember – you’re paying for all this.

I tried to sit down with Beneby to talk about why ratepayers, many of whom struggle to pay their electric bill, should pick up the tab for his pricey meals. But I was told by his public relations person he was too busy. So last Monday, I approached him after a board meeting to see if he could make time to talk.

“If it's a discussion of meals, our chief compliance officer is a much better source for that. But if it's a comprehensive discussion of what value CPS is adding to the community, I’d be more than happy to schedule some time with you,” Beneby told me.

I did want to ask Beneby about what value CPS Energy is adding to the community with these meals. I especially wanted to learn about one last April at Bohanan's steak house Downtown. On this receipt, Beneby wrote "dinner meeting" - "Michael & Debra Hill" - "Lincoln University." I did some digging and found out it is the school in Pennsylvania where Beneby worked before being hired here. In fact, Beneby is a trustee at the university. His dinner partner that night, Michael Hill, is listed on the school's website as a vice president who "works closely with the president and board of trustees on all aspects of fund raising and marketing." The total cost of the meal for Beneby and the couple was $591.02. Again, no receipt showing what exactly you paid for was submitted.

Beneby later called me and explained the dinner meeting was to discuss educational issues.

“I think our community especially would benefit quite a bit from what they're doing, their programs, and how they attract minority students to technology programs. We have very low rate of minority participation in technical programs in San Antonio. So I think it's very relevant,” said Beneby.

After our phone call, I was given an email showing Hill requested the meeting with Beneby "to discuss possible partnership opportunities regarding clean energy initiatives."

So why did you pay for it? And why go to such pricey restaurants?

“There are just some places that are more conducive to conducting business. And, quite frankly, we view these kinds of discussions and benefits commensurate with the kinds of places we're having dinner,” said Beneby.

If the amount of those meals doesn't seem like that much to you, check this out. CPS Energy spent more than $800,000 on food and drinks in the past two years. That money was for things like feeding crews in the field during power outages and business meetings held at CPS Energy offices. But some of your money is also going to wine and dine board members and other top executives. I'll reveal those receipts Monday night on News 4 WOAI at 10:00 p.m.

So what do you think about how your money is being spent? Post your thoughts in the comments section below...

Crime-ridden club finally shuts its doors

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:34:00 -0600

San Antonio -- It was a night club with a long history of violence. But now a final measure ensures history will not repeat itself.

There will be no more crime reported from Club Antro because Club Antro is no more. The owners have bowed to legal pressure and closed down for good.

News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters Mireya Villarreal began investigating the medical center bar in July 2010 after neighbors asked for our help with the rowdy establishment. A month later (August 2010) the city filed a lawsuit but lost the fight last September.

Since 2001 police had responded to the bar more than 1500 times. They had 46 TABC violations on the books, ten code compliance citations and one lawsuit. In the end, it just took a lot of time and evidence to shut this place down.

Murders, shootings, fights and riots - Uou name it and it probably happened at Club Antro. Even though there was a pending lawsuit against the bar they were allowed to stay open.

The owners changed the bar's name to Silk Ultra Lounge in October 2010 and promised to clean up their act. But neighbors told us they had the same rowdy crowd coming in causing the same kinds of problems.

That's why the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) continued to investigate and build a case against the club.

"As time went on there were other allegations that we became aware of and investigated and pursued administrative action on them as well,” Lt. Craig Smith, TABC Spokesperson, told us.

Owners of the club were cited five times from February through November 2011. They were facing big fines and another temporary suspension. TABC had even set a hearing for January 26, last week, to try and get a judge to finally cancel their liquor license.

But before that could happen the club's owners waived the white flag.

"The permit has been canceled. It was an agreement between our legal division and them,” Smith noted.

So, after ten years of being in business, ten years of crime and drama, the club agreed to close its doors.

We did reach out to the club's owners and attorney, but no one returned our calls. Between legal fees and possible fines, you could probably say the city and TABC just wore them down.

15 minutes of fame in exchange for nude photos - Promise lands San Antonio man in jail

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:43:00 -0600

San Antonio -- An accused child pornographer is behind bars tonight. Investigators say the San Antonio man was promising young women their 15 minutes of fame in exchange for nude photos.

Gemase Lee Simmons was charged today with distributing child pornography.

The FBI believes he enticed these young girls by offering them the opportunity to be a model and spokesperson for his new company called G2News.

But before he could officially hire these underage girls, he would tell them they had to learn how to be a model. The FBI claims Gemase posed as at least two different people, harassing and coercing young girls to send him nude pictures of themselves via text message. And when they wanted to stop they were threatened. Court documents we got a hold of today say Simmons admitted to pressuring the girls.

But Gemase Simmons is no stranger to the spotlight. A quick Google search is all it took to find a 2008 NBC Dateline special with Simmons as the accused conman. He had promised a group of young, aspiring models the chance a lifetime. They would be on a reality-TV show, get a modeling contract and $50,000 if they won. But the show never aired and some of these contestants were duped out of thousands of dollars.

If convicted of the federal charge Simmons could face up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He’s currently being held without bond in a federal detention center because he was on probation for a state charge of auto-theft.

There were three victims referenced in the federal court document. But the FBI believes there could be more people out there who might have sent nude pictures of themselves to Simmons.

If you have any information, give the FBI a call at 210-225-6741.

Bexar County jail overstaffed - Says county leaders

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:40:00 -0600

San Antonio-- The results are in. State inspectors take a close look at the Bexar County jail and concerns that it's understaffed.

This all goes back to the county's budget and tax payer dollars. A few months ago the Sheriff's Department was forced to cut 100 positions. It was a budget cut that saved nearly $4 million. But Sheriff Ortiz still believed his jail was understaffed and asked the State Commission on Jail Standards to come in and check things out.

Jail inspectors did their overall annual inspection of the jail and the facility passed that test. But those inspectors also took a close look at staffing.

They found that if the jail was at capacity, 4,596 inmates, they would need 856 detention officers. Right now, the Bexar County Jail averages about 3,700 inmates and they currently employ 937 detention officers.

"This is primarily about tax payer dollars and the effective use of it,” Commissioner Kevin Wolff told us. “It's not about protecting the citizens. It's not about having enough jail guards to protect themselves. It's about mismanagement of the jail and that's the sheriff's job."

County leaders say they'll now be bringing in an outside agency to review staffing at the jail and suggest some restructuring ideas that could mean more cuts in the future.

We did try to get the sheriff or someone at the jail to talk about these results, but nobody returned our calls today.