HARRIS COUNTY – For years, violent criminals have been released from jail on bond with the help of falsified documents and not having the required 10% of the bond amount. Gerald Wayne Williams is one of those violent criminals.
Gerald Williams backstory
The backstory:
After an Astros game in July 2021, now-38-year-old Williams shot and killed 17-year-old David Castro in a road rage incident.
In 2023, Williams was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
New guilty plea
What we know:
On Friday afternoon, Williams appeared in federal court to plead guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. That charge stems from his $350,000 bond he posted while awaiting trial for David’s murder.
“He conspired with a number of people, AAble Bonds, and Sheba Muharib to put together falsified records and those falsified records were submitted and sent across state lines in order to get him bailed out,” said David’s father, Paul Castro.
Soon, corrupt bail bonding practices here in Harris County would come to light.
Bail bond scheme
Big picture view:
In August 2022, the FBI raided AAble Bonds, leading to several arrests, including company owner Sheba Muharib.
Our ongoing series, “Breaking Bond,” exposed defendants who were free on multiple bonds for aggravated robbery. Turns out, some of them were robbing people to make payments on their multiple bonds.
It was no secret defendants were not posting 10% of the bond amount.
“So separately, on top of (records) being falsified, they also weren’t putting up the 10% people assumed. And what we found out as a community was that it was more of an understanding and not a policy, and we started making a push that was something that had to change,” Castro said.
That push led to a new state law mandating 10% of the bond amount for violent offenses and a decrease in violent crime here.
What’s next:
Gerald Wayne Williams will be sentenced in the federal conviction next month.
Muharib is expected to stand trial later this year.
The Source: Interview with Paul Castro, father of victim David Castro and founder of Parents for Public Safety. This report also includes previous FOX 26 reporting.
Crime and Public SafetyHarris CountyHouston