Two former Harris County Tax Office employees and two local business owners have been charged with allegedly defrauding taxpayers out of tens of thousands of dollars by illegally processing vehicle registrations and title transfers.
Adriana De La Rosa, 43, owner of Bella’s Multiservices based in South Houston, is among the three suspects taken into custody.
Oswaldo “Oz” Perez, 51, who is also affiliated with Bella’s Multiservices, remains wanted as of this writing.
Social media posts from De La Rosa’s accounts on Facebook and TikTok previously showed stacks of Texas vehicle registration stickers and license plates, advertising services that promised quick processing without meeting standard requirements.
Her posts included claims to save customers from “unnecessary fees” with “no inspection[s] needed.”
Former Harris County Tax Office employees Sarah Ambria Anderson, 31, and Renisha Touche Wilkins, 35, were also charged in the operation. Both were fired from the tax office in April 2024.
Anderson and Wilkins are accused of performing nearly 200 fraudulent transactions at the Scarsdale branch of the Harris County Tax Office.
Investigators say the employees accepted bribes in the form of money and gifts to override system requirements, bypassing insurance verification, emissions inspections, and residency checks. In some cases, vehicles were allegedly marked as tax-exempt, allowing owners to avoid paying required fees.
Records say Anderson typically charged about $300 per transaction and concealed incriminating paperwork in a personal binder when coming and going from the government office.
Investigators allege meetings between the employees and business owners often occurred in public locations near the tax office, including a grocery store parking lot on Scarsdale Boulevard, where fraudulent documents were transferred during lunch breaks.
Authorities also discovered deleted text messages between the employees and owners to hide their activities.
University of Houston Law Center Associate Professor David Kwok said it’s common to see suspects covering their tracks in cases of notary fraud.
“These types of corruption tend to be very hidden,” Kwok said. “They tend to be secretive. They thrive in secrecy.”
The scheme was first flagged when employees of another Texas county noticed Bella’s Multiservices advertising registration stickers for sale on TikTok and Facebook. They alerted authorities, prompting an internal audit and the subsequent investigation.
Detectives with Harris County Constable Precinct One’s Tax Special Investigations Unit documented payments made via Zelle, Apple Pay, and Cash App, as well as communications between the tax employees and the business owners discussing the alleged fraud.
Harris County Constable Precinct One Alan Rosen condemned the alleged fraud, saying the tax office employees “abused their positions to line their own pockets.”
“This scheme was brazen and the schemers will now face justice,” Constable Rosen said in a statement.
Former Harris County prosecutor Nathan Beedle — who now works with Houston-based Thiessen Law Firm — said these schemes don’t just defraud taxpayers, but also put drivers at risk.
“The potential of somebody hitting you, your family, and injuring them to where you’d be financially responsible is huge every day,” Beedle said. “We don’t need to encourage that by not requiring people to provide basic documentation that their insurance is, in fact, intact.”
All four defendants are facing two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity, first-degree felonies punishable by up to 99 years or life in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
Authorities continue to seek Oswaldo Perez, urging anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact Constable Precinct One at 713-755-5200.
The Harris County Tax Office released the following statement:
“The Harris County Tax Office’s rigorous internal controls ensure that all transactions strictly follow state law; these very systems played a critical role in bringing these allegations to light. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), and the Constable Precinct One detectives assigned to the unit, are tasked with preventing, detecting, and investigating fraudulent motor vehicle activity. The SIU worked closely with Constable Precinct One and the Harris County District Attorney’s office on these charges. We will continue this partnership to ensure those who abuse the taxpayers’ trust are held accountable. We remain vigilant in upholding the highest standards of integrity for the people of Harris County.”