A fraudulent driver's license submitted with a rental application for a home on Ashford Ridge Lane in Katy helped investigators uncover what prosecutors describe as an organized fraud scheme that netted roughly $247,000 across the Houston area.
Four people now face organized criminal activity charges in connection with the alleged scheme: Michael Okokhere, Ravon Darelle Woodard, Robert Earl Franklin and Rosemary Tucker, according to KHOU-11, which first reported the charges.
How it started
The investigation began in March 2025 when a rental application was submitted for the Ashford Ridge Lane property using the name "Billie Wilson." The real estate group reviewing the application flagged the attached driver's license as fraudulent, according to court records.
Prosecutors allege the group used stolen identities and fake identification to obtain residential leases, then profited from move-in costs and rent payments. The scheme allegedly spanned from Tomball to Pearland, with investigators saying the defendants fraudulently obtained lease agreements for multiple homes throughout 2025.
In one documented case, a woman living in a home leased under the "Billie Wilson" name paid Tucker $9,000 in move-in costs and an additional $3,000 in rent for a property with a monthly lease payment of about $2,800, according to court documents.
The defendants
Tucker, founder of the nonprofit BlessTies and Hoodies for Healing, was initially arrested in early December 2025 on charges of securing execution of a document by deception and fraudulently using personal identifying information. She posted an $85,000 bond.
The charges escalated from there. According to Click2Houston's December 2025 reporting, Houston Police investigators discovered a bank account associated with Tucker that received average monthly deposits exceeding $112,000, with many transactions appearing to be rental payments ranging from $1,600 to $3,000. Investigators say she leased at least seven properties across Harris and Fort Bend counties using a stolen identity before re-leasing them and collecting payments from tenants. Her Texas real estate license had been suspended since 2018.
Tucker told KHOU she was unaware of the organized criminal activity charges. Her attorney said she maintains her innocence.
Okokhere's attorney told KHOU that the 75-year-old has led "an exemplary life" and that the defense believes he was a victim, not a perpetrator, in the scheme. Records from the Texas Real Estate Commission show Okokhere's real estate salesperson license was revoked following disciplinary action related to submitting fraudulent lease applications and misrepresenting occupancy information.
Local context
Rental application fraud is not uncommon in the Houston area. The metro ranked fifth nationally for rental application fraud in 2024, with a 10.9% fraud rate, according to fraud-detection firm Snappt's analysis of nearly 5 million documents. Texas ranked fourth among states at 7.8%.
Troy Cothran, a board member of the Houston Association of Realtors, told KPRC in December 2025, when Tucker was first arrested in the same case, that fake-ID fraud on rental applications is common because "it's very easy." He advised landlords to review at least two years of tenant history before approving an applicant.
What's next
The Houston Police Department's Major Offenders Division conducted the investigation, which HPD said remains ongoing. No court dates for the organized criminal activity charges have been announced.
Fort Bend County offers a free Property Fraud Alert service that notifies residents when documents containing their name are recorded in the county's Official Public Records.
