1 00:00:00,110 --> 00:00:02,390 In this episode of American Greed. 2 00:00:03,470 --> 00:00:08,470 I can remember thinking I'm going to die in front of my own son. 3 00:00:08,710 --> 00:00:13,710 A Texas judge shot four times in her driveway in front of her family. 4 00:00:14,110 --> 00:00:18,650 And the investigation leads to an unlikely suspect. 5 00:00:19,270 --> 00:00:23,830 When we think of white collar crime, we don't think in bullets entering people's 6 00:00:23,830 --> 00:00:24,830 bodies. 7 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:30,240 For years, aspiring rapper Timoné Onyeri has dabbled in high -tech financial 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,180 crimes of all sorts. 9 00:00:32,619 --> 00:00:37,380 He was very good at figuring out how the system worked and then figuring out how 10 00:00:37,380 --> 00:00:40,420 he could manipulate that system to make money. 11 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:47,700 In his impoverished Houston neighborhood, Onyeri goes on a hiring 12 00:00:47,700 --> 00:00:53,060 spree, bringing numerous workers into his tax, debit, and credit card schemes. 13 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,020 He painted himself as Robin Hood, but I think the evidence showed he was just a 14 00:00:57,020 --> 00:01:01,780 hood. But his chance run -ins with police put Arneri on a collision course 15 00:01:01,780 --> 00:01:04,319 a judge who threatens his freedom. 16 00:01:04,860 --> 00:01:07,380 And he keeps a promise he makes in a song. 17 00:01:34,700 --> 00:01:40,660 On a seemingly normal autumn night, a family in Austin, Texas, prepares to 18 00:01:40,660 --> 00:01:42,280 a cherished tradition. 19 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,980 It was a Friday. I had family, and we were going to go to the football game, 20 00:01:46,980 --> 00:01:48,820 know, Texas football, on Friday night. 21 00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:54,580 Will and I and my sister drove. 22 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:56,960 It was just like any other night. 23 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:02,800 Before the game is through, Julie Koscielik leaves in her SUV with her 24 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,040 Will. a high school sophomore. 25 00:02:05,420 --> 00:02:09,560 It was rainy, so after halftime, we decided to head home. 26 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,260 Will had his learner's permit, so he drove. 27 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,660 As they make their way back, Koscielik's in the passenger seat. 28 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:25,320 And when they arrive at their gated driveway, they notice something out of 29 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:29,320 ordinary. There's a bag of leaves blocking their entrance. 30 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:31,540 And we thought it was strange. 31 00:02:32,380 --> 00:02:33,560 I thought it was a prank. 32 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,140 And so Will got out of the car. 33 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,960 Though it seems like a joke, the situation is actually deadly serious. 34 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:49,100 Over the past two days, a man has been secretly stalking Koscielik, as 35 00:02:49,100 --> 00:02:51,080 by photos later found on his phone. 36 00:02:52,220 --> 00:02:54,660 He was following her around while she was driving. 37 00:02:54,900 --> 00:02:59,160 He went to the football game that she went to. He was documenting her 38 00:03:00,270 --> 00:03:07,210 There are pictures of her son's school, the pictures of the license plate on 39 00:03:07,210 --> 00:03:11,470 her car. It was very clear that he had been in a vehicle that was just behind 40 00:03:11,470 --> 00:03:12,349 her car. 41 00:03:12,350 --> 00:03:14,210 It was chilling. 42 00:03:15,570 --> 00:03:21,370 Unaware she's being stalked, Koscielik remains inside the family car as her son 43 00:03:21,370 --> 00:03:23,570 exits to move the bag of leaves. 44 00:03:25,890 --> 00:03:27,930 As he reaches the curb... 45 00:03:29,100 --> 00:03:31,540 He spots the predator who's been tailing them. 46 00:03:32,140 --> 00:03:38,620 An individual comes out from the dark shadows across the street, and he's 47 00:03:38,620 --> 00:03:42,260 to process who is this person and what are they doing here. 48 00:03:42,540 --> 00:03:47,440 And as the person approached him, he noticed the person was all in black, and 49 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:48,440 then he saw a gun. 50 00:03:49,980 --> 00:03:53,600 Will began screaming and banging his hands on the car. 51 00:03:54,220 --> 00:03:58,480 while Koscielik sits inside, confused at what's causing his behavior. 52 00:03:59,460 --> 00:04:03,520 By the time she figures it out, it's almost too late. 53 00:04:04,460 --> 00:04:10,900 I scooted down as far as I could in the seat, and I protected my head with my 54 00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:11,900 arm and my hand. 55 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:17,260 I can remember thinking, I'm going to die in front of my own son. 56 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:22,500 Travis County 911. 57 00:04:22,820 --> 00:04:23,820 Hey! Hello, hello! 58 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:25,220 Earl, we just got shot at. 59 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,000 Okay, is anybody injured? 60 00:04:27,580 --> 00:04:31,700 My mom is, please help. Okay, just a minute. I need to get the ambulance on 61 00:04:31,700 --> 00:04:32,700 line. Don't hang up. 62 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:34,140 Please, Audrey, please. 63 00:04:36,060 --> 00:04:41,820 After receiving this frantic 911 call from Kasurik's son, local police are on 64 00:04:41,820 --> 00:04:42,820 their way. 65 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:45,400 It's shut. 66 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:46,480 Where'd he go? 67 00:04:46,540 --> 00:04:48,760 He went down that way. He's dressed all black. 68 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:51,240 Where is she? She's right there on the porch. 69 00:04:52,580 --> 00:04:57,540 Miraculously, Kasurik is still conscious despite having been shot point blank 70 00:04:57,540 --> 00:04:58,620 four times. 71 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:04,160 And as the first officer on scene begins to talk to her, a clue emerges that 72 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:05,480 will rock the community. 73 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:12,760 A former 74 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:19,340 prosecutor, Julie Kasurik, was appointed to the bench in Austin in 75 00:05:19,340 --> 00:05:20,340 1999. 76 00:05:21,050 --> 00:05:23,570 by then Texas Governor George W. Bush. 77 00:05:24,650 --> 00:05:29,670 Travis County Prosecutor Dana Blasey appeared in her courtroom many times. 78 00:05:30,770 --> 00:05:35,250 Judge Kucerec enjoys a reputation of great fairness. 79 00:05:35,510 --> 00:05:37,810 She's a straight shooter. She's smart. 80 00:05:38,050 --> 00:05:44,830 She's fair. She has a very even temperament and is the type of judge 81 00:05:44,830 --> 00:05:45,950 you would want on the bench. 82 00:05:46,270 --> 00:05:49,430 For years, Kucerec has handled felony cases. 83 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:55,380 Along the way, she, like any judge, has made her fair share of enemies. 84 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,920 This morning, investigators and court officials are pouring over hundreds of 85 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:04,500 cases, hoping that it'll provide some clue as to whomever tried to take her 86 00:06:04,500 --> 00:06:09,880 life. When Judge Kosciurek is shot, one of the first people on scene is Austin 87 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:14,520 Police Department homicide investigator Derek Israel, now retired. 88 00:06:14,940 --> 00:06:16,940 I got a call that evening. 89 00:06:17,750 --> 00:06:23,990 from the homicide supervisor who told me there had been a shooting and that the 90 00:06:23,990 --> 00:06:26,950 victim was expected to die. 91 00:06:27,170 --> 00:06:30,830 And, oh, by the way, the victim's a district court judge, Julie Kosurik. 92 00:06:31,250 --> 00:06:36,590 When Israel arrives at Kosurik's home, his team begins collecting clues. 93 00:06:37,670 --> 00:06:42,530 The driver's side window was shot out. There was blood all over inside the car. 94 00:06:42,970 --> 00:06:46,730 There was a blood trail leading from the car up to the porch of the house. 95 00:06:47,290 --> 00:06:51,870 And also, something that stood out was there was a leaf bag sitting near the 96 00:06:51,870 --> 00:06:53,950 edge of the road that was kind of knocked over. 97 00:06:54,730 --> 00:06:59,890 A picture of what may have happened begins to come into focus, and 98 00:06:59,890 --> 00:07:05,650 try to piece together the mystery of who would want Judge Kasiri dead and why. 99 00:07:06,330 --> 00:07:11,930 We started looking at her docket. Is there somebody that is mad at her 100 00:07:11,930 --> 00:07:17,510 of a sentence that she's handed down, because of a trial that she's presided 101 00:07:17,510 --> 00:07:21,450 over? So immediately, that was where everybody went first. 102 00:07:22,470 --> 00:07:25,230 Sometimes you get a case, there are just no suspects. 103 00:07:25,490 --> 00:07:29,030 Well, this case, it was just an avalanche of suspects. And had we just 104 00:07:29,190 --> 00:07:33,230 okay, we're going to take the most serious suspects and work our way down, 105 00:07:33,230 --> 00:07:35,450 probably still be going through it right now because... 106 00:07:36,170 --> 00:07:41,130 No one would have suspected that if this was done by a person who was a 107 00:07:41,130 --> 00:07:46,890 defendant in Kosurik's court, that it would be someone who was on probation 108 00:07:46,890 --> 00:07:48,310 credit card abuse. 109 00:07:49,370 --> 00:07:51,050 Next on American Greed. 110 00:07:51,610 --> 00:07:56,890 The path to Judge Kosurik's shooting begins with an unexpected discovery more 111 00:07:56,890 --> 00:07:58,670 than three years earlier. 112 00:07:59,210 --> 00:08:03,210 There was a body fence, I guess you could say, with the hairs in the back of 113 00:08:03,210 --> 00:08:04,210 your neck stand up. 114 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:24,520 Now a deputy constable in Hayes County, Texas, back in 2012, Joel Martin 115 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:29,380 was on patrol in Rollingwood, a suburb of the state's capital, Austin. 116 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:36,240 Sitting in his car, Martin clocks a white Jeep doing 50 in a 40 -mile -an 117 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:37,240 zone. 118 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:39,140 I was looking for speeders. 119 00:08:39,659 --> 00:08:42,679 However, you're always looking for the next thing. You're always looking for 120 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:49,160 somebody wanted in the car or their trafficking, which is a big business in 121 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:54,820 Texas. Trafficking, it could be of humans, it could be money, narcotics, 122 00:08:54,820 --> 00:08:55,840 types of different things. 123 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:01,180 After pulling the car over in a grocery store parking lot, Martin sees two men 124 00:09:01,180 --> 00:09:02,180 inside. 125 00:09:02,340 --> 00:09:05,360 The car they're driving has a fake temporary tag. 126 00:09:05,950 --> 00:09:09,410 and was rented in the name of a third man who isn't with them. 127 00:09:10,090 --> 00:09:14,270 I knew that there was something more going on here. There was a spidey scent, 128 00:09:14,270 --> 00:09:16,890 guess you could say, where the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. 129 00:09:17,190 --> 00:09:19,370 You felt uncomfortable. They felt uncomfortable. 130 00:09:19,810 --> 00:09:20,910 There's something more here. 131 00:09:21,350 --> 00:09:25,430 When Martin searches the car, he finds the something more. 132 00:09:25,810 --> 00:09:29,150 I was more accustomed in my area of finding narcotics. 133 00:09:29,390 --> 00:09:34,560 As I was starting to go through the vehicle, I uncovered what... Everybody 134 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:38,860 nervous about. And so I started to find gift cards. 135 00:09:39,340 --> 00:09:43,180 I didn't really expect to find gift cards. 136 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,260 No, I didn't at all. 137 00:09:46,020 --> 00:09:48,720 There are 77 cards in all. 138 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:53,440 And eventually, the card's driver is detained along with the man in the 139 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:54,440 passenger seat. 140 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,700 His name, Temene Onyeri. 141 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,140 Onyeri is a Houston guy. 142 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:07,420 The son of an immigrant, an African immigrant to Houston. 143 00:10:07,660 --> 00:10:09,920 The family is from Nigeria originally. 144 00:10:10,300 --> 00:10:11,980 Very streetwise guy. 145 00:10:12,300 --> 00:10:18,960 An aspiring rapper who goes by the nicknames Chimno and Kimu, Onyeri says 146 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:22,280 first name, Chimene, means thank God. 147 00:10:22,580 --> 00:10:27,800 And as he implies in this song, he has plenty to be thankful for. 148 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:38,780 Throughout the video, Onyere shows off fistfuls of cash and wears a shirt 149 00:10:38,780 --> 00:10:40,740 reading, time is money. 150 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:45,180 He also makes clear what he'll do to anyone who gets in his way. 151 00:10:54,300 --> 00:10:57,880 Onyere grew up on Houston's Southwest side. 152 00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:03,020 So Southwest Houston's a pretty rough part of a rough city. 153 00:11:03,220 --> 00:11:07,280 There's a lot of every type of crime that a big city has in that area. I 154 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:08,800 you have robberies and murders. 155 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:14,520 Onyeri has himself been accused but acquitted of violent crimes. 156 00:11:15,020 --> 00:11:16,680 You know, this guy's been in jail for murder? 157 00:11:17,180 --> 00:11:18,180 Beat it. 158 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:20,240 He's been in for aggravated robbery? 159 00:11:20,540 --> 00:11:27,000 Beat it. In fact, one person we talked to described Onyeri by saying that he 160 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:28,000 a hood legend. 161 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:32,960 According to law enforcement officials, the nature of crime is shifting in O 162 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,440 'Neary's hood, and others like it. 163 00:11:35,660 --> 00:11:41,640 We learned that there is a lot of fraud that occurs just on the street level in 164 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:42,640 southwest Houston. 165 00:11:42,700 --> 00:11:46,860 I refer to it regularly as blue -collar, white -collar crimes. You get caught 166 00:11:46,860 --> 00:11:48,820 with a kilo of coke in your car. 167 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,480 Cops are going to catch you. You're going to prison for a long time. You get 168 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,420 caught with 50, 60 credit cards or gift cards that have been encoded with 169 00:11:56,420 --> 00:11:57,420 people's information. 170 00:11:57,680 --> 00:11:59,900 It takes a lot longer to sort out. 171 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,400 And because of the nature of the crime and the penalties connected with those 172 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,160 crimes, you're much less likely to do a long time in prison. 173 00:12:06,820 --> 00:12:12,700 Among those who turn to this less risky, more lucrative type of crime is Onyeri, 174 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:17,720 a gambler and chess player who calls himself an exceptional salesman. 175 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,860 He had an ability to talk people into things. 176 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:28,200 And I think he had a lot of self -confidence that he could talk people 177 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:33,380 committing the fraud schemes that he was working on. 178 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:39,100 Onyeri's first taste of financial crime involves credit card skimming, stealing 179 00:12:39,100 --> 00:12:43,520 people's credit card info and using it to make purchases without their 180 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:48,150 knowledge. In the beginning, he had people that worked in retail 181 00:12:48,150 --> 00:12:53,490 and fast food restaurants that had little bitty skimmers, which were like 182 00:12:53,490 --> 00:12:54,490 think of a square. 183 00:12:54,510 --> 00:12:58,330 It just reads the magnetic information on a credit card. 184 00:12:59,170 --> 00:13:00,330 We all know the drill. 185 00:13:00,870 --> 00:13:04,670 You pay for your food, you hand your credit card to the server, the server 186 00:13:04,670 --> 00:13:09,450 back and runs it, and then at some point when they're not observed, that server 187 00:13:09,450 --> 00:13:13,010 just swipes that card, and now they have your credit card number. 188 00:13:13,310 --> 00:13:18,090 According to one associate, once these credit card numbers are stolen, the 189 00:13:18,090 --> 00:13:21,030 device containing them is returned to one Gary. 190 00:13:21,630 --> 00:13:24,110 Then the hard work begins. 191 00:13:24,610 --> 00:13:29,130 Credit card fraud is very easy up front, but it's hard on the back end. Stealing 192 00:13:29,130 --> 00:13:35,050 it is the easy part. Where the problem is on getting the money out is that you 193 00:13:35,050 --> 00:13:36,050 have to buy something. 194 00:13:36,380 --> 00:13:41,960 To do so, Onyari has to first write the stolen credit card information onto the 195 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,100 magnetic strip of a gift card. 196 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:46,680 It's made to look like a real credit card. 197 00:13:46,940 --> 00:13:52,320 These re -encoded gift cards are then taken to stores and used to purchase 198 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,350 items. that can be resold for cash. 199 00:13:55,770 --> 00:13:58,070 He was buying all kinds of high -end electronics. 200 00:13:58,450 --> 00:14:00,490 iPads seemed to be their choice. 201 00:14:00,790 --> 00:14:04,230 And then they would sell those iPads in the streets of Houston. They were 202 00:14:04,230 --> 00:14:07,430 putting them on Craigslist. They were identifying them through social media, 203 00:14:07,430 --> 00:14:09,130 there was some word -of -mouth selling as well. 204 00:14:10,790 --> 00:14:15,110 According to prosecutors, it's this type of scheme that brought on Yerry to 205 00:14:15,110 --> 00:14:16,710 Rollingwood, Texas, near Austin. 206 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:23,240 When Joel Martin arrested him and found those 77 gift cards in the car he's in. 207 00:14:24,140 --> 00:14:31,000 He gets arrested in 2012 for possessing a large amount of gift cards 208 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:32,960 re -encoded with credit card information. 209 00:14:33,900 --> 00:14:38,940 More than a year after the original incident, Onyeri pleads guilty in an 210 00:14:38,940 --> 00:14:43,980 courtroom to a felony count of fraudulent use or possession of 211 00:14:43,980 --> 00:14:44,980 information. 212 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:51,260 He agrees to abide by conditions set forth in a deal called a deferred 213 00:14:51,260 --> 00:14:52,260 adjudication. 214 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:56,560 It says a lot of things, but the one that matters the most is don't get in 215 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,860 more trouble. If you get in any more trouble, you violate your deferred 216 00:14:59,860 --> 00:15:04,760 adjudication, and the judge can then impose a penalty as if you had pleaded 217 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:09,480 guilty. If that happens, O 'Leary could face between two and 20 years in prison. 218 00:15:09,980 --> 00:15:14,260 Edward finds himself back in front of the judge presiding over his case. Her 219 00:15:14,260 --> 00:15:16,860 name? Judge Julie Koscielik. 220 00:15:18,540 --> 00:15:20,040 Next on American Greed. 221 00:15:20,620 --> 00:15:25,280 Despite the trouble he finds himself in, O 'Neary can't stop scheming. 222 00:15:25,940 --> 00:15:30,180 Now, big bro, I promise you I have more than a meal coming at you. 223 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:31,880 I promise you that. 224 00:15:44,300 --> 00:15:51,160 A felony arrest might slow down the average criminal, but Jimenae Onyeri is 225 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:52,160 from average. 226 00:15:52,740 --> 00:15:58,020 After Onyeri was arrested in Rollingwood, one would think that would 227 00:15:58,020 --> 00:16:01,300 slow him down from his activities. No. 228 00:16:02,220 --> 00:16:07,360 During the months he's locked up awaiting a deal, jail phone calls reveal 229 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,420 Onyeri is still up to something. 230 00:16:14,570 --> 00:16:19,250 He was spending pretty much all his waking hours thinking about ways that he 231 00:16:19,250 --> 00:16:23,750 could make money, which is good, you know, if you're doing it legally. But 232 00:16:23,750 --> 00:16:27,350 Onyeri wasn't a legal entrepreneur, but he was an entrepreneur. 233 00:16:28,130 --> 00:16:34,010 From credit card skimming, Onyeri's criminal enterprise will soon branch out 234 00:16:34,010 --> 00:16:37,710 into something he says will be extremely lucrative. 235 00:16:44,490 --> 00:16:48,910 Hope, I promise you I'll have more than a meal coming next year. I promise you 236 00:16:48,910 --> 00:16:49,769 that. 237 00:16:49,770 --> 00:16:55,270 When he's behind bars, and when he gets out, Onyeri is working on an income tax 238 00:16:55,270 --> 00:16:57,110 fraud called SURF. 239 00:16:58,510 --> 00:17:03,690 SURF is stolen identity refund fraud or tax -related identity theft. And that 240 00:17:03,690 --> 00:17:08,290 occurs when someone steals your personal identifying information and uses it to 241 00:17:08,290 --> 00:17:12,849 file a fraudulent tax return to the IRS before you can file your own return. 242 00:17:13,050 --> 00:17:17,069 So they're attempting to get a large refund from the IRS without your 243 00:17:17,069 --> 00:17:17,949 or consent. 244 00:17:17,950 --> 00:17:22,569 This multi -step scam begins with the theft of information needed to file a 245 00:17:22,569 --> 00:17:26,329 return. Victim's names and social security numbers. 246 00:17:26,710 --> 00:17:30,830 We found in this investigation that he had people that worked at institutions. 247 00:17:31,050 --> 00:17:36,130 One of them in particular was a government institution that had juvenile 248 00:17:36,130 --> 00:17:41,390 probationers. And he had an associate that worked there at one time. We 249 00:17:41,390 --> 00:17:46,670 that individual basically wrote a list of names, social security numbers, birth 250 00:17:46,670 --> 00:17:47,670 dates. 251 00:17:47,970 --> 00:17:50,430 Juan Tonieri has this information. 252 00:17:51,350 --> 00:17:56,390 It's time to start filing income tax returns in his victims' names without 253 00:17:56,390 --> 00:18:02,170 knowledge. O 'Neary will later testify that he brings in a tax preparer who can 254 00:18:02,170 --> 00:18:04,830 get you more money than Asian R Block. 255 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:10,100 The numbers have to be manipulated to make sure the refund is big enough that 256 00:18:10,100 --> 00:18:13,480 you get money, but not big enough to attract the attention of the IRS. 257 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:15,480 Sort of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. 258 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,700 But O 'Neary needs more than completed returns. 259 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:22,140 He also needs addresses, lots of them. 260 00:18:22,380 --> 00:18:25,920 He wants to get a refund check, and it has to be mailed to an address. 261 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,400 And he doesn't want that coming to his home address, because that would 262 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:31,840 obviously raise some red flags. 263 00:18:32,590 --> 00:18:34,550 10 refund checks for being mailed to one address. 264 00:18:34,850 --> 00:18:39,790 He uses apartment mailboxes to spread out the different refund checks. 265 00:18:40,090 --> 00:18:45,390 To get these apartment mailboxes, Ogierri and his associates recruit 266 00:18:45,390 --> 00:18:50,130 mailmen in Houston, asking them to provide addresses on their routes where 267 00:18:50,130 --> 00:18:53,850 refund checks can be sent and intercept them when they arrive. 268 00:18:54,670 --> 00:18:59,810 He would just approach letter carriers on their route midday and ask them if 269 00:18:59,810 --> 00:19:03,690 they wanted to make some more money and give him, you know, his phone number. 270 00:19:03,850 --> 00:19:08,770 They were sold by him, and they were willing to put their job on the line to 271 00:19:08,770 --> 00:19:09,770 make a few extra bucks. 272 00:19:11,770 --> 00:19:17,190 In one instance, after giving out his phone number, Onyeri sets up a meeting 273 00:19:17,190 --> 00:19:20,590 with a postal service worker at this Houston parking lot. 274 00:19:24,570 --> 00:19:27,810 Like I said in that mail, I got other momma's work for me too. 275 00:19:28,050 --> 00:19:31,490 Nuri is not shy about laying out the scheme to everyone. 276 00:19:31,730 --> 00:19:36,310 He lets them know what he's planning to do and how it's going to be successful. 277 00:19:36,690 --> 00:19:41,170 What is it though? I mean, it ain't no joke, dog. It's, you know, like say 278 00:19:41,170 --> 00:19:44,050 things as I do a terrible text in his name. 279 00:19:44,950 --> 00:19:47,130 Okay. He pretty much laid out. 280 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,860 All parts of the scheme, what he needed from that individual, which was the 281 00:19:50,860 --> 00:19:54,960 dresses. So what you need from me, I mean. I need addresses, and when the 282 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,560 come, you call, and I'll pick up, and I'll pay you. 283 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,240 This is a guy Onyari had just met. 284 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:04,900 Yeah, Onyari lays out his entire scheme, all the stuff that he's been up to. 285 00:20:05,140 --> 00:20:10,960 Onyari felt that there would be no consequences, that he would not be 286 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:14,120 or that he would never be charged with these criminal offenses. 287 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:15,520 He's very cavalier. 288 00:20:16,980 --> 00:20:20,680 Onyari is actually speaking with an undercover postal inspector. 289 00:20:21,100 --> 00:20:27,200 But despite their incriminating conversations, no charges are brought 290 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:33,360 I can't speak for why the prosecutor's office did not file charges in that 291 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:36,920 but the thresholds usually for federal prosecution are very high. 292 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:41,400 And when you stay underneath those thresholds, a lot of times you can fly 293 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:42,400 the radar screen. 294 00:20:42,460 --> 00:20:45,240 Onyari does just that for a while. 295 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:52,700 Next on American Greed, Onyere cooks up an ingenious disguise to keep his 296 00:20:52,700 --> 00:20:54,480 workers' identities hidden. 297 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,360 It was a great plan. They were able to wear a mask without really drawing too 298 00:20:58,360 --> 00:20:59,360 much attention. 299 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:15,520 Already working a tax fraud scheme and a credit card skimming operation. 300 00:21:16,190 --> 00:21:21,210 Chimney Onyeri says he sees a news story like this that gets him thinking. 301 00:21:21,530 --> 00:21:24,930 Police say this is where the truck smashed through the storefront this 302 00:21:25,090 --> 00:21:28,990 Four men jumped out and grabbed the ATM machine and within seconds were gone. 303 00:21:29,090 --> 00:21:31,190 And the whole thing was caught on camera. 304 00:21:31,770 --> 00:21:36,770 Onyeri says he decides there's got to be a better way to pull off an ATM heist. 305 00:21:38,550 --> 00:21:43,750 Eventually, he settles on debit card skimming, a crime that prosecutors say 306 00:21:43,750 --> 00:21:45,250 advantages over his earlier. 307 00:21:45,690 --> 00:21:46,910 Credit card operation. 308 00:21:48,070 --> 00:21:50,430 The credit cards have limitations, right? 309 00:21:50,770 --> 00:21:54,790 If you buy a bunch of property, you can't return it with a credit card. They 310 00:21:54,790 --> 00:21:57,330 want to see the credit card again. Chances are you're going to get in 311 00:21:57,330 --> 00:21:58,129 that way. 312 00:21:58,130 --> 00:22:01,690 Turns out that some retail chains, if you buy a whole bunch of property with a 313 00:22:01,690 --> 00:22:04,370 debit card and you return it to them, they'll give you cash. 314 00:22:04,770 --> 00:22:07,690 So you don't have to move it on the street. You can go right back to where 315 00:22:07,690 --> 00:22:09,090 bought it from and turn it into cash. 316 00:22:09,550 --> 00:22:13,450 Also, if you do it right, you can go literally take the card and go to an ATM 317 00:22:13,450 --> 00:22:15,010 machine and just take out cash itself. 318 00:22:15,860 --> 00:22:20,240 So there's a lot more money available in a quicker period of time, and it's less 319 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:21,240 likely to get you caught. 320 00:22:21,540 --> 00:22:26,540 While there may be advantages, debit card skimming presents new challenges as 321 00:22:26,540 --> 00:22:27,540 well. 322 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:31,580 With a credit card, once you get the credit card number, that's all you need. 323 00:22:32,020 --> 00:22:36,040 But with a debit card, you also need the PIN number. And this took Onyeri a 324 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:37,040 little while to figure out. 325 00:22:37,980 --> 00:22:43,660 To help him, in November 2013, Onyeri turns to an outside consultant. 326 00:22:44,490 --> 00:22:48,910 He found a guy actually living overseas to come and flew him, this person, to 327 00:22:48,910 --> 00:22:53,450 the United States of America, who taught him how to do it. Skimming debit cards 328 00:22:53,450 --> 00:22:59,370 starts with inserting a card -reading device called a bezel over a regular 329 00:22:59,370 --> 00:23:00,089 card slot. 330 00:23:00,090 --> 00:23:03,370 This one was found in the apartment of an O 'Neary associate. 331 00:23:04,170 --> 00:23:09,770 A bezel fits over the front of an ATM machine, and it has a slot in it where 332 00:23:09,770 --> 00:23:14,890 stick your card. And there's a magnetic strip reader inside that piece of 333 00:23:14,890 --> 00:23:19,390 equipment that reads the code that's encrypted on the back of the debit card. 334 00:23:19,790 --> 00:23:24,530 While the bezel takes info from the card's magnetic strip, O 'Neary also 335 00:23:24,530 --> 00:23:26,850 device to record a victim's PIN. 336 00:23:27,450 --> 00:23:33,430 They took an iPod with a camera on it and built a fake panel that perfectly 337 00:23:33,430 --> 00:23:38,670 matched the ATM machine from this bank that they were targeting, placed the 338 00:23:38,670 --> 00:23:43,350 in there facing the keypad, and they were able to capture the things. 339 00:23:43,730 --> 00:23:49,190 When the skims work, a victim's card passes through the bezel to the real 340 00:23:49,550 --> 00:23:53,130 and the victim gets their money as though nothing is wrong. 341 00:23:53,820 --> 00:23:58,740 They remain unaware their card's information has been copied and that 342 00:23:58,740 --> 00:23:59,740 has been recorded. 343 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:07,320 Now it's time to encode the victim's debit card information on new cards and 344 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:11,780 start making withdrawals and purchases using the money in their accounts. 345 00:24:12,460 --> 00:24:17,720 Donieri is hoping that they don't know what happens for a period of time. What 346 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:20,480 is happening is money is being withdrawn from their bank account. 347 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:25,180 The process is fraught with opportunities to be caught on camera, 348 00:24:25,180 --> 00:24:27,580 devises ways to avoid detection. 349 00:24:28,020 --> 00:24:31,320 The investigation revealed that he used a number of different ways to disguise 350 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:35,540 his appearance. One was just to take a sleeve from a shirt, cut off the end of 351 00:24:35,540 --> 00:24:38,400 it, a short -sleeved shirt, and just pull it down over his face. 352 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:43,860 An associate identifies Onyeri as the man with the sleeve over his face in 353 00:24:43,860 --> 00:24:46,880 bank security footage, later used at trial. 354 00:24:47,860 --> 00:24:50,120 But this isn't his only hack. 355 00:24:50,670 --> 00:24:55,770 Onyeri also disguises the workers he uses to make purchases with victims' 356 00:24:55,770 --> 00:24:56,770 debit card information. 357 00:24:57,590 --> 00:25:03,110 The women, largely, that were collecting the goods that were being purchased 358 00:25:03,110 --> 00:25:07,090 with these debit cards, stolen debit card numbers, he had them wear burqas, 359 00:25:07,090 --> 00:25:08,250 Middle Eastern garb. 360 00:25:08,710 --> 00:25:14,010 And, of course, since it's, you know, religiously sensitive to be wearing a 361 00:25:14,010 --> 00:25:17,090 burqa, you're not going to ask someone who's coming through a line. 362 00:25:17,690 --> 00:25:21,490 of a store to remove her burka. So it was a great plan. 363 00:25:21,730 --> 00:25:25,790 They were able to wear a mask without really drawing too much attention. 364 00:25:26,450 --> 00:25:32,530 Onyeri's many schemes depend upon a multitude of helpers. He had drivers. He 365 00:25:32,530 --> 00:25:35,550 lookouts. He had people who were working in banks. 366 00:25:35,830 --> 00:25:39,290 He had mailmen to get access to mail facilities. 367 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,660 Folks who would assist him in making the cards. 368 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:48,340 He had a whole series of workers who filled out various different roles that 369 00:25:48,340 --> 00:25:49,500 were necessary for the enterprise. 370 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:55,940 On Yerry's pitch to these prospective employees, unimaginable wealth can be 371 00:25:55,940 --> 00:26:00,020 theirs. He was promising them they'd get rich and they'd make millions of 372 00:26:00,020 --> 00:26:04,200 dollars. So at the end of the day, they were greedy and they were looking for a 373 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,740 cut of the money. A lot of times it didn't turn out to be much at all. 374 00:26:08,460 --> 00:26:13,320 But they got bought in by his charisma. To authorities, it's clear who's in 375 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:16,120 charge. He was the head of the organization. 376 00:26:16,420 --> 00:26:17,600 He was the ringleader. 377 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:23,240 He was the one that was coming up with the ideas, putting together the 378 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:24,159 fraud schemes. 379 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:26,740 It's pretty clear all roads led back to him. 380 00:26:28,980 --> 00:26:32,900 In the view of the government, O 'Neary is running a criminal enterprise. 381 00:26:33,820 --> 00:26:37,500 Was it a good criminal enterprise? Was it producing millions of dollars of 382 00:26:37,500 --> 00:26:40,960 income every year? No. Was it making more money than he was going to make 383 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:41,960 working? 384 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:45,280 Probably. As far as we can tell, he never had a real job. 385 00:26:46,460 --> 00:26:51,980 Agneri tries to say his scheme is a way to get back at greedy banks, but 386 00:26:51,980 --> 00:26:53,560 prosecutors don't buy it. 387 00:26:54,420 --> 00:26:57,740 He painted himself as Robin Hood. I think the evidence showed he was just a 388 00:26:57,740 --> 00:27:00,860 hood. He didn't care about the banks. He didn't care about the people working 389 00:27:00,860 --> 00:27:03,040 for him. He cared about him and how much money he could make. 390 00:27:04,950 --> 00:27:09,310 On at least one occasion, Onyeri makes it rain money at a club. 391 00:27:09,890 --> 00:27:13,190 He brags he could make $40 ,000 in a night. 392 00:27:13,390 --> 00:27:17,070 And he says his scams have brought in $700 ,000. 393 00:27:17,910 --> 00:27:24,650 In this cell phone video, prosecutors say Onyeri brazenly shows off his money 394 00:27:24,650 --> 00:27:26,490 attract workers into his scheme. 395 00:27:27,110 --> 00:27:30,110 It's a recording that will come back to haunt him at trial. 396 00:27:31,030 --> 00:27:32,790 I'm waiting on some money right now. 397 00:27:41,410 --> 00:27:47,690 Next on American Greed, an unwise parking spot sets O 'Neary on a 398 00:27:47,690 --> 00:27:50,270 course with Judge Julie Koscielik. 399 00:27:52,810 --> 00:27:58,450 Why he did that, I'll never know, but that was a mistake. 400 00:28:06,570 --> 00:28:11,850 Three years after Tim and A. Onyeri's arrest in Rollingwood, Texas, security 401 00:28:11,850 --> 00:28:17,150 cameras rolled as a woman wearing a pink burqa enters a Walmart in Louisiana. 402 00:28:17,930 --> 00:28:24,750 There, and at two other nearby stores, she purchases more than $13 ,000 worth 403 00:28:24,750 --> 00:28:27,570 electronics using stolen debit card information. 404 00:28:28,510 --> 00:28:34,090 Two months later, it happens again, and investigators will later scour the 405 00:28:34,090 --> 00:28:35,210 footage for clues. 406 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:40,480 One of the thefts took place at about two o 'clock in the morning at a Walmart 407 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:43,380 in Sulphur, Louisiana, right across the river from Lake Charles. 408 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:47,240 The strange shopping trip raises many questions. 409 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,380 I would assume that some of the people at Walmart might have thought it was 410 00:28:51,380 --> 00:28:57,240 interesting that someone wearing a burka from out of town would come in and 411 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:01,500 purchase three or four thousand dollars worth of electronics at two o 'clock in 412 00:29:01,500 --> 00:29:02,269 the morning. 413 00:29:02,270 --> 00:29:07,610 Having noticed a pattern, store management calls in suspicious 414 00:29:07,610 --> 00:29:12,410 local cops respond to the scene, where security cameras capture their arrival. 415 00:29:13,210 --> 00:29:18,830 There, they speak to a man driving the burka -clad shopper. Due to his choice 416 00:29:18,830 --> 00:29:21,650 parking spots, they determine his identity. 417 00:29:22,210 --> 00:29:23,550 On the air, he was there himself. 418 00:29:23,870 --> 00:29:24,990 Made the... 419 00:29:25,500 --> 00:29:31,660 Stupid mistake of parking in a handicapped zone in a parking lot that 420 00:29:31,660 --> 00:29:33,580 vacancies at 2 o 'clock in the morning. 421 00:29:36,140 --> 00:29:41,940 Why he did that, I'll never know, but that was a mistake. 422 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:48,420 Security officer wrote him a ticket, got his ID, got the ID of the female 423 00:29:48,420 --> 00:29:51,240 individual who was with him wearing a burka. 424 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:55,100 And that put him on our radar because we now had his ID. 425 00:29:56,080 --> 00:30:00,760 Despite the suspicious circumstances, the cops let Onyeri go. 426 00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:07,160 But a few weeks later, in June 2015, he returns to Lake Charles. 427 00:30:07,700 --> 00:30:12,240 After checking into one of the city's casinos, security cameras capture the 428 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:17,000 moment when he's arrested at the blackjack table on charges of 429 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,380 of an access card. 430 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,340 I think they thought maybe coming to a smaller jurisdiction might be 431 00:30:22,340 --> 00:30:26,940 advantageous to them over the long run. The long run didn't last very long. Due 432 00:30:26,940 --> 00:30:32,280 to his earlier deferred adjudication agreement in Travis County, Texas, 433 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:34,540 new arrest spells trouble. 434 00:30:35,180 --> 00:30:39,380 For O 'Neary, getting arrested in Louisiana ordinarily wouldn't have been 435 00:30:39,380 --> 00:30:44,620 deal. But since he was on deferred adjudication here in Austin, that meant 436 00:30:44,620 --> 00:30:47,020 he violated the terms of his probation. 437 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:51,040 And so that's what put him in front of Judge Kosurik. 438 00:30:51,580 --> 00:30:57,880 In October 2015, O 'Neary appears in the courtroom of Julie Kosurik, who makes 439 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:02,500 it clear his probation may be revoked and he could be facing jail time. 440 00:31:03,020 --> 00:31:07,320 The judge had indicated that she might violate him as a result of his arrest in 441 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:11,320 Louisiana. Whether or not that was really going to happen, he didn't know, 442 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:12,320 that was his perception. 443 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,100 Sensing trouble, Onyeri's thoughts turned dark. 444 00:31:16,940 --> 00:31:21,820 He immediately made the decision to kill Judge Kosarek. In fact, when he got 445 00:31:21,820 --> 00:31:25,940 into the car to return to Houston, he told the person in the car with him that 446 00:31:25,940 --> 00:31:26,940 he was going to kill her. 447 00:31:27,050 --> 00:31:31,510 The evidence shows as soon as he left her courtroom on that day, within 448 00:31:31,510 --> 00:31:37,210 literally minutes, he began researching her on the Internet using his cell 449 00:31:37,210 --> 00:31:43,130 phone. For a guy as impulsive as he is, he actually puts a lot of thought into 450 00:31:43,130 --> 00:31:44,450 the things he does. 451 00:31:44,770 --> 00:31:50,190 We saw that with his credit cards, debit card schemes, his tax scheme. And we 452 00:31:50,190 --> 00:31:52,190 saw the same thing in the shooting. 453 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:57,060 By his own testimony, he came to Austin four or five times to pattern her, to 454 00:31:57,060 --> 00:32:00,980 find out where she lived, to see how she moved, to see when the best time would 455 00:32:00,980 --> 00:32:07,000 be to get at her. So just like his other schemes, he researched, he planned, and 456 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:08,180 he was meticulous about it. 457 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:10,600 Despite his planning... 458 00:32:11,050 --> 00:32:15,250 Little about Onyari's decision to take out Kasurik makes sense. 459 00:32:15,650 --> 00:32:19,390 Well, I mean, that's the thing. If he had successfully killed the judge, there 460 00:32:19,390 --> 00:32:23,490 would have probably been another judge right behind her. It wasn't about him 461 00:32:23,490 --> 00:32:24,490 getting out of anything. 462 00:32:24,990 --> 00:32:29,490 It was about him hurting somebody who had damaged him. 463 00:32:30,170 --> 00:32:34,550 In many ways, it harkens back to a song that features Onyeri. 464 00:32:37,970 --> 00:32:44,830 To get at Judge Katsuri, Onyeri recruits 465 00:32:44,830 --> 00:32:49,850 two men in Houston, and in early November, they head toward the state 466 00:32:51,030 --> 00:32:56,030 There, they begin following the judge, and Onyeri snaps pictures along the way. 467 00:32:57,900 --> 00:33:02,660 Then on Friday, November 6th, after following Koscielik and her family to a 468 00:33:02,660 --> 00:33:06,560 football game, Onyeri and his associates return to her home. 469 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:12,800 There, he places a leaf bag in her driveway and prepares for the deed that 470 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:17,060 follows. It was misting and raining that evening. It was relatively cold. It 471 00:33:17,060 --> 00:33:18,260 wasn't a hot night in Texas. 472 00:33:18,500 --> 00:33:23,540 He was able to hide in a particularly dark area and lay in wait to ambush her 473 00:33:23,540 --> 00:33:24,540 she came home. 474 00:33:30,540 --> 00:33:33,100 It was the most terrifying moment of my life. 475 00:33:33,420 --> 00:33:36,380 I did not know when the gunfire was going to stop. 476 00:33:37,220 --> 00:33:38,840 I thought I was going to die. 477 00:33:39,540 --> 00:33:41,720 Onyeri's associates are waiting in the car. 478 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:48,360 And one later testifies that when Onyeri returned, he says, I got that bitch. 479 00:33:49,940 --> 00:33:54,620 But despite his well -laid plans, Onyeri's attempt fails. 480 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,020 As illustrated by these FBI videos, 481 00:33:59,870 --> 00:34:05,350 The explosive bullets O 'Neary chooses for their deadly impact actually end up 482 00:34:05,350 --> 00:34:06,410 saving the judge. 483 00:34:07,470 --> 00:34:10,870 It was a frangible round, a round that breaks into a lot of pieces. 484 00:34:11,170 --> 00:34:14,590 It broke on the way into the vehicle, so it was almost like she was being shot 485 00:34:14,590 --> 00:34:15,529 by a shotgun. 486 00:34:15,530 --> 00:34:19,469 The rounds broke into dozens, if not hundreds of pieces. 487 00:34:20,350 --> 00:34:23,530 That probably saved her life, because among other places, she was shot in the 488 00:34:23,530 --> 00:34:24,530 neck. 489 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:28,920 However, each one of those little holes ultimately became infected and she 490 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:30,120 almost died from an infection. 491 00:34:32,460 --> 00:34:37,679 Following the shooting, Kosirik spends days in a medically induced coma and 492 00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:40,219 undergo approximately 20 surgeries. 493 00:34:40,860 --> 00:34:41,860 But she lives. 494 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:44,340 It wasn't my time for some reason. 495 00:34:44,620 --> 00:34:49,179 I don't know why, but I'm just thankful. Sometimes you can't ask why, you just 496 00:34:49,179 --> 00:34:53,679 accept it. And that's what I've done and be thankful and be blessed. 497 00:34:54,759 --> 00:35:01,260 Next on American Greed, as Kasirik struggles to survive, news emerges about 498 00:35:01,260 --> 00:35:04,020 missed opportunity to prevent her shooting. 499 00:35:04,540 --> 00:35:10,400 I feel like all of this could possibly have been avoided. I think it would have 500 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:11,520 been avoided had I known. 501 00:35:24,940 --> 00:35:30,160 The most unusual aspect of Judge Julie Koscielik's shooting is that it might 502 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:31,160 never have happened. 503 00:35:31,660 --> 00:35:37,400 I feel like all of this could possibly have been avoided. I think it would have 504 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:38,560 been avoided had I not. 505 00:35:39,340 --> 00:35:44,500 Before the violent attack, one of Chimene Onyeri's associates called in a 506 00:35:44,500 --> 00:35:48,240 that Onyeri was planning to shoot an unnamed judge. 507 00:35:48,700 --> 00:35:52,620 But Koscielik doesn't hear about it until it's too late. 508 00:35:53,420 --> 00:35:58,200 I know that there was an investigation that was done by one of the 509 00:35:58,200 --> 00:35:59,920 in the district attorney's office. 510 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:05,680 And I think the investigator made a conclusion that the information was not 511 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:06,680 credible. 512 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:11,200 Now that the tip has proven credible, another one comes in. 513 00:36:12,260 --> 00:36:17,280 Same tipster. And she says, well, you know, I told you that this guy 514 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:21,640 he's going to kill a judge. Now he's bragging that he did kill a judge. 515 00:36:22,060 --> 00:36:26,140 I always like to say we would have solved this even without the tip. I 516 00:36:26,140 --> 00:36:29,840 know if we would have solved it without the tip, because without somebody coming 517 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:35,140 to us and saying, this guy in Houston came here to shoot the judge, you know, 518 00:36:35,140 --> 00:36:38,780 don't know how long it would have taken us to get to Onyeri after sorting 519 00:36:38,780 --> 00:36:39,840 through all the other people. 520 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:46,480 With information pointing to Onyeri, on Monday, November 9th, he's arrested in 521 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:50,780 Houston on his outstanding warrant from the Walmart incident in Louisiana. 522 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:59,260 A person of interest is in custody. That person is identified as, to me, Owen 523 00:36:59,260 --> 00:37:00,260 E. Airy. 524 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:05,260 He is currently in custody in the city of Houston in Harris County. 525 00:37:05,860 --> 00:37:09,840 Still, he's a long way from being held accountable for the judge's shooting. 526 00:37:10,420 --> 00:37:13,600 We had a tip on him, and it was a good tip. You know, we felt that this 527 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:18,740 definitely could be our guy, but it was actually a month later before he was 528 00:37:18,740 --> 00:37:20,340 actually charged with the shooting of the judge. 529 00:37:22,030 --> 00:37:26,950 Investigators use Onyeri's cell phone records to place him at a Motel 6 in 530 00:37:26,950 --> 00:37:28,930 Austin the night before the shooting. 531 00:37:30,170 --> 00:37:34,130 Security camera footage shows Onyeri there with his two associates. 532 00:37:34,470 --> 00:37:40,170 And investigators see one of them paying for their room using, what else? A gift 533 00:37:40,170 --> 00:37:45,490 card. This gift card leads to even more incriminating evidence. 534 00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:49,960 We were then able to look at all the other transactions they did while they 535 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:55,140 in Austin. So we were able to track him to a store where he bought gloves and 536 00:37:55,140 --> 00:37:56,140 tried them on. 537 00:37:56,260 --> 00:38:00,760 When police go to the store, they retrieve security camera footage that 538 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:02,800 later be used at O 'Neary's trial. 539 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,960 It wasn't that cold out. He didn't need mechanics gloves. 540 00:38:07,260 --> 00:38:10,380 It was obvious he was wearing gloves for a reason. That was to keep his 541 00:38:10,380 --> 00:38:13,600 fingerprints off anything that was involved in the shooting. He was 542 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:14,600 murder. 543 00:38:15,350 --> 00:38:20,470 Eventually, police began rolling up witnesses and piecing together Onyari's 544 00:38:20,470 --> 00:38:24,710 in both the shooting and the financial crimes he's been committing for years. 545 00:38:25,750 --> 00:38:30,930 People like Onyari kind of get by because every time they're caught, it's 546 00:38:30,930 --> 00:38:35,390 looked at in that one particular incident. So it just looks like, okay, 547 00:38:35,390 --> 00:38:36,390 a small -time guy. 548 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:39,920 Once you start scratching the surface, you realize he's not a small -time guy. 549 00:38:39,980 --> 00:38:41,920 He's a big -time guy. He's doing a lot of stuff. 550 00:38:42,140 --> 00:38:45,820 And he's running a criminal enterprise that's been going on for years. 551 00:38:46,460 --> 00:38:50,540 But no one was going to spend the time doing that, unfortunately, until the 552 00:38:50,540 --> 00:38:51,540 judge got shot. 553 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:57,660 Some of the most incriminating evidence is found in the car Onyari was riding in 554 00:38:57,660 --> 00:38:58,840 when he was arrested. 555 00:38:59,940 --> 00:39:02,420 So this is Onyari's cell phone. 556 00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:05,620 When he was getting stopped by the marshals in Houston, 557 00:39:07,240 --> 00:39:10,720 He literally ripped his cell phone in half. 558 00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:17,060 He really didn't want us having this. O 'Neary knew that the contents of this 559 00:39:17,060 --> 00:39:19,620 phone were going to be his undoing, nothing else. 560 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:21,920 Despite his best efforts, 561 00:39:22,660 --> 00:39:27,500 the card -skipping bandit leaves behind one card that will be his undoing. 562 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:32,780 We were very lucky that where he ripped it in half, the card that contained the 563 00:39:32,780 --> 00:39:37,720 data was still... Completely intact. And one of our technicians was able to 564 00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:44,300 remove it. And it took over a year before the FBI was able to find the 565 00:39:44,300 --> 00:39:45,780 technology to read the chip. 566 00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:51,080 When they read it, they find it contains a treasure trove of data linking on 567 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:53,860 Yeri to both the shooting and the financial crimes. 568 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:59,740 On it, they see pictures taken of the judge's car and of her son's school. 569 00:40:01,500 --> 00:40:02,620 I was speechless. 570 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:10,040 I was speechless because it showed his true predatory nature of how he had 571 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:12,740 stalked her. And it was chilling. 572 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:18,160 In September 2016, 573 00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:24,880 Onyeri is indicted on a variety of fraud charges, as well as conspiracy to run a 574 00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:25,880 racketeering enterprise. 575 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:31,900 Prosecutors allege that he shot Judge Koscielik when she threatened that 576 00:40:31,900 --> 00:40:32,900 enterprise. 577 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:39,480 At trial, he admits to shooting at the Koscielik family car, but says he didn't 578 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:43,800 know the judge was in it and claims he only intended to scare her. 579 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:45,960 The jury doesn't buy it. 580 00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:52,540 After just four hours, they find Onyeri guilty on all 17 counts. 581 00:40:53,670 --> 00:40:58,930 O 'Neary, who is currently appealing his case, did not accept American Greed's 582 00:40:58,930 --> 00:41:00,010 request for comment. 583 00:41:02,330 --> 00:41:06,570 Approximately five months after his conviction, he is sentenced to spend the 584 00:41:06,570 --> 00:41:08,950 rest of his life in a federal prison. 585 00:41:09,750 --> 00:41:16,530 When you decide that you're going to kill a judge whose only job 586 00:41:16,530 --> 00:41:23,300 is to faithfully uphold the law because that person's an impediment, to you, 587 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:30,060 that deserving of the maximum sentence. Had he been successful, he would be 588 00:41:30,060 --> 00:41:31,060 facing the death penalty. 589 00:41:31,780 --> 00:41:33,460 But he was not successful. 590 00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:37,840 This was bigger than me. It was about our rule of law. 591 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:44,000 Following her shooting, Judge Koscielik works to see a new law passed in Texas 592 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:47,160 that bolsters efforts to keep judges safe. 593 00:41:52,110 --> 00:41:56,270 Not long after the attempt on her life, she returns to the bench. 594 00:41:56,650 --> 00:41:59,690 I felt like this was an assault on our justice system. 595 00:42:00,150 --> 00:42:05,530 And I want people to know that I'm back and that judges, if you don't like a 596 00:42:05,530 --> 00:42:11,570 judge's decision, we won't be intimidated or we won't leave out of 597 00:42:12,070 --> 00:42:13,630 And you can't eliminate us.