The Harris County District Attorney’s Office seized nearly $30,000 in commissary funds from inmate Joshua Sinclair Owens after uncovering a money laundering scheme that involved smuggling drugs into the Harris County Jail.
Terms to know
Money laundering, according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, involves disguising financial assets so they can be used without detection of the illegal activity that produced them.
Commissary, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, is money that prisoners can use to purchase items, such as hygiene products, snacks or paper, from the prison store using funds from their personal account.
The details
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said since his arrest last year, Owens has managed to amass close to $28,000 in funds through drug smuggling.
“What stands out about this case, is that this defendant ... has run this operation from within the Harris County Jail,” Ogg said. “These are the kinds of things we see in other countries and this is the kind of criminal activity we will not tolerate.”
According to the Houston Police Department, Owens was arrested in June 2023 for the murder of Marsha Mitchell, a crime that was committed in 2008. He is also facing five other felony charges.
Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Smith said the drugs were smuggled into the jail through the use of paper laced with either synthetic marijuana or Fentanyl.
- Owens’ commissary funds were seized and he is in custody.
- His accomplices, a cousin and step sister, have both been arrested.
- All three defendants may face a life sentence.
Smith said the investigation was triggered after two inmates died from Fentanyl in early 2023. While the deaths have not been proven to be linked to Owens, Smith said the investigation is ongoing.
A quick note
The charges were announced as a broader investigation is ongoing at the jail over drug-related deaths.
Ronald Lewis, an attorney, and Robert Robertson, a detention officer, were also charged in late 2023 with acts of having a prohibited substance in a correctional facility. However, the District Attorney’s Office said the arrests were not related to Owens’ case but rather the broader investigation.
What happens next?
At this time, Smith said the attorney’s office has not been able to establish a direct link to who is smuggling the drugs into the jail.
“This investigation is far from being complete,” she said. “It is far from being done. We hope to have more charges in the future.”
The investigation is ongoing.
