[Press Conference: "FBI Investigation on Houston Park Ranger"]
[00:00:18]
MY NAME IS IS DOUGLAS WILLIAMS, AND I'M THE SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE FBI HERE IN HOUSTON.
I'M JOINED BY OUR PARTNER, CHIEF, NO DIAZ, OF THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS INVESTIGATORS FROM OUR RESPECTIVE AGENCIES.
UH, BEFORE I GET INTO WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY, UH, LET ME FIRST PUBLICLY EXPRESS MY CONDOLENCES IN THOSE OF THE ENTIRE FBI HOUSTON FAMILY TO PRECINCT FOUR, DEPUTY CONSTABLE MAHA SANI AND HIS FAMILY, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, AND THE ENTIRE, UH, PRECINCT FOUR CONSTABLE'S OFFICE FOR, FOR THEIR LOSS YESTERDAY.
WE'RE HERE TODAY AT CULLUM PARK IN WEST HARRIS COUNTY THIS MORNING TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE FBI HOUSTON IS LAUNCHING A FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION INTO FORMER HOUSTON PARK RANGER JOEY LAMAR ELLIS, AND WE ARE SEEKING TO IDENTIFY ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF HIS.
WE'RE ALSO HOPING TO HEAR FROM WITNESSES OR ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT MR. ELLIS'S ALLEGED CRIMES.
MR. ELLIS STARTED AS A CITY OF HOUSTON PARK RANGER IN 2019 AND WAS ARRESTED IN JUNE BY THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
HE HAS SINCE BEEN CHARGED BY THE HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WITH TWO COUNTS OF OFFICIAL OPPRESSION AND AN ENHANCED CHARGE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.
TODAY WE ARE ASKING ANYONE WHO BELIEVES THEY MAY HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF JOEY LAMAR ELLIS, OR ANYONE WHO HAS INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CRIMES HE COMMITTED AS A PARK RANGER TO PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE FBI VIA AN ELECTRONIC FORM THAT CAN BE ACCESSED AT FBI.GOV/ELLIS VICTIMS. AGAIN, THE THE WEBSITE IS FBI.GOV/ELLIS VICTIMS. WE BELIEVE MR. ELLIS HAS USED HIS OFFICIAL POSITION AS A PARK RANGER TO MAKE VICTIMS BELIEVE HE WAS ACTING IN A LAW ENFORCEMENT CAPACITY WHEN HE ALLEGEDLY FORCED THEM TO PAY HIM MONEY AND OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED THEM IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR ABILITY TO LEAVE THE PARK.
THE FBI ALSO BELIEVES MR. ELLIS MAY BE, MAY HAVE POTENTIALLY TARGETED MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQIA PLUS COMMUNITY, AND THERE MAY HAVE BEEN MORE VICTIMS WHO HAVE YET TO COME FORWARD DUE TO EMBARRASSMENT, FEAR OR SHAME UNDER THE FEDERAL STATUTE, COLOR OF LAW VIOLATIONS OCCUR WHEN ANY GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, ELECTED OFFICIALS OR CIVILIANS ASSERT THE POWER BESTOWED UPON THEM BY THEIR GOVERNMENT ENTITY THEY SERVE.
AND IN THIS CASE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO DEPRIVE ANY PERSON OR OF, OF ANY RIGHT PROTECTED BY THE CONSTITUTION OR THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, ELLIS BEGAN WORKING AS A PARK RANGER IN 2019 AND COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE VICTIMS SPANNING FROM 2019 TO PRESENT.
WE KNOW HE WORKED HERE IN CULLUM PARK.
HE ALSO WORKED IN MEMORIAL PARK AND CLEVELAND PARK.
SO IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW WAS EXTORTED OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY ELLIS OR HAVE INFORMATION WHICH MAY BE RELEVANT TO THIS INVESTIGATION, WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE GO TO FBI.GOV/ELLIS VICTIMS AND FILL OUT THE SHORT FORM THAT WILL COME TO US HERE AT FBI HOUSTON.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO HPD, CHIEF DS.
THANK YOU TO OUR MEDIA PARTNERS FOR COMING OUT TODAY AND REPORTING, UH, THIS, THIS, THIS ALARMING, UH, INVESTIGATION.
UH, THE SUSPECT HERE IN THIS CASE WAS TARGETING PEOPLE INSIDE THE PARK.
UH, HE WORE A UNIFORM, TO BE CLEAR, HE WAS NOT, UH, IT WAS NOT A POLICE UNIFORM.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY A SHIRT WITH PATCHES.
UH, DURING HIS TIME HERE, HE WOULD COME INTO HIS, INTO THE PARK WITH HIS VEHICLE, AND HE WOULD, UH, ESSENTIALLY LOCK PEOPLE IN WITH THEIR VEHICLES AND HE'D APPROACH THEM, UH, FROM THERE.
THEN HE WOULD START SOLICITING,
[00:05:01]
UH, ENGAGE WITH 'EM THAT THEY HAD BROKEN SOME SORT OF LAW.THERE WAS A VIOLATION OF LAW, WHICH THERE WASN'T.
UH, AND THEN HE WOULD SOLICIT MONEY FROM THEM SOMETIMES ASKING THE VICTIMS TO PAY VIA VENMO OR OTHER ELECTRONIC MEANS, UH, AND ESSENTIALLY ROBBING THEM, UH, OF, OF MONIES, UH, THREATENING THEM TO TOW THEIR VEHICLES OR ACTUALLY PUTTING 'EM IN JAIL.
SO THE, THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT DID A FANTASTIC JOB.
THE CALL CAME IN THROUGH OUR VICE INITIALLY, AND THEN IT WENT INTO MAJOR OFFENDERS.
AND, UM, UH, THIS YOUNG MAN BEHIND ME, MR. CHENEY, DID AN AMAZING JOB PUTTING THIS ALL TOGETHER.
HE DID ALL THE HEAVY LIFTING, SO I'M VERY PROUD OF HIM WORKING FOR THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UH, HE, UH, DID AN AMAZING JOB WITH THIS INVESTIGATION.
UH, IT'S AN ALARMING CASE, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, BECAUSE IT BREAKS THE PUBLIC TRUST.
SO I, MY MESSAGING TO THE COMMUNITY IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WHEN YOU ENGAGE WITH SOMEONE IN SOME SORT OF UNIFORM, THAT YOU ASK FOR AN IDENTIFICATION CARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE.
UH, CALL THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
IF YOU DON'T FEEL THAT THE PERSON THAT YOU'RE ENGAGING WITH, WITH IS ACTUALLY A POLICE OFFICER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE SAFE, YOUR FAMILY IS SAFE, UH, THAT THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.
UH, WE WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, I'M SORRY FOR THE VICTIMS, UH, THAT THEY, WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH.
THERE ARE, UH, SEVERAL VICTIMS AND TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCES TO HOPEFULLY ADDRESS ANY OTHERS THAT, UH, BECAUSE OF SHAME OR EMBARRASSMENT DON'T WANNA COME OUT.
THEY CAN DO IT ANONYMOUSLY, GO THROUGH THE FBI WEBPAGE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THEIR INFORMATION SO WE CAN DO THE VERY BEST JOB THAT WE CAN IN, UH, PROSECUTING OR PROVIDING THE INFORMATION FOR A GOOD PROSECUTION SO THAT THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN, AND THAT THE SUSPECT, UH, GETS THIS DAY IN COURT AND WE PROVIDE JUSTICE AND A LITTLE BIT OF CLOSURE FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE VICTIMS. THAT'S ALL I GOT.
ANY, ANY, ANY, I'LL TAKE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW MANY VICTIMS ARE YOU AWARE OF THAT? UM, THERE'S SEVERAL OVER FIVE.
SO, UH, I, I, THE NUMBERS WILL VARY, BUT, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.
DOES ANYTHING ABOUT A CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION ON THE FEDERAL SIDE CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROSECUTION ON THE DISTRICT COURT SIDE? ARE YOU GUYS TAKING IT OVER OR THOSE CHARGES?
NO, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT TAKING IT OVER AND IT WON'T CHANGE ANYTHING ON THE STATE SIDE.
THIS WILL BE, IN ADDITION TO, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT PENALTIES ON THE FEDERAL SIDE, UH, FOR CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SPECIFICALLY COLOR OF LAW VIOLATIONS.
UH, SO THAT'S OUR, THAT'S OUR ANGLE TO THIS HERE, THAT IF WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE THIS CASE THAT IT WILL HAVE SOME, UH, STRONG FEDERAL PENALTIES TO IT IN ADDITION, UH, TO THE STATE PENALTIES THAT, THAT, THAT MAY COME FROM, FROM THAT CASE.
SO DO WE HAVE ANY SENSE OF THE TIMELINE HERE? DO WE KNOW, UH, WHAT THREE YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT, HOW LONG HE WAS ABUSING HIS POSITION, AND HOW THESE, UH, ALLEGED TIMES DID COME TO LIFE SOON? UH, WE DON'T, RIGHT.
SO WE, WE RELY ON THE VICTIMS. SO HE'S, HE BEGAN HIS EMPLOYMENT IN 2019, AND HE WAS ARRESTED, UH, NOT LONG AGO.
SO FOR US, THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE BASIS OF THIS PRESS CONFERENCE.
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THAT, THAT DON'T WANT, THAT DIDN'T HAVE AN, UH, AN AVENUE TO REPORT IT, NOW THERE IS, THEY CAN GET ONTO THE FBI WEB WEBSITE AND MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, THAT THEY, THEY CAN COME OUT AND ADDRESS IT SO THAT WE CAN PRODUCE THE VERY BEST INVESTIGATION FOR PROSECUTION LATER AT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.YOU TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE POTENTIALLY BEING EMBARRASSED OR AFRAID TO COME FORWARD.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT THE PROCESS IS LIKE AFTER THAT EMAIL IS SENT? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? YEAH.
SO ONCE, UH, THE, THE PERSON SUBMITS THE INFORMATION, THERE'LL BE, UH, AN AGENT, THE CASE AGENT WHO'S HANDLING THE CASE.
WE'LL REACH OUT AND TALK TO THEM, AND, AND WE HAVE VICTIM SERVICES, UH, THAT WE OFFER TO HELP FOLKS, UH, VICTIMS OF THESE CRIMES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HELP GIVE TO THEM.
UH, AND THEN WE CAN, YOU KNOW, TAKE THEIR INFORMATION.
AS THE CHIEF SAID, THIS IS REALLY ABOUT, UH, BUILDING A STRONG CASE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, UH, IT'S, IT'S ABOUT HELPING THE VICTIMS. SO TO IDENTIFY THE VICTIMS AND GET THEM THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED, UH, TO, TO, TO HELP THEM THROUGH THIS, UH, THIS, THIS TRAGIC, TERRIBLE TIME IN THEIR LIFE.