World · North America · 22 hrs ago
Indiana woman charged with 42 felonies in alleged law firm fraud scheme
Indiana State Police say Heather Ann Textor faces 42 felony charges over an alleged fraud scheme involving people seeking legal help.
Textor, who is from Lowell, Indiana, worked at the front desk of a Merrillville law firm and was often the first contact for potential clients.
Police say she took money from people seeking to have criminal records cleared and gave them forged documents that falsely showed expungements had happened.
The firm was unaware of the alleged scheme and is not under investigation, police said.
At least 40 people have been identified as victims, and some were arrested or jailed after believing their records or driving privileges had been cleared.
The investigation began after suspicious documents were submitted to the state police expungement unit, though accounts differ on when investigators first learned of the case.
Police suspect there may be more victims and ask anyone affected to contact Sgt.
Joe White.
Heather Ann Textor faces 42 felony charges and three misdemeanors over an alleged fraud scheme involving clients of a Merrillville, Indiana, law firm.
Indiana State Police say she provided fake court documents to people who believed their criminal records had been expunged or driving privileges restored.
Some people who relied on the documents were arrested or jailed, and police say at least 40 victims have been identified.
Authorities say the three-year investigation uncovered forged signatures, unauthorized use of client funds and payments diverted to personal accounts.
The articles differ on Textor’s age: two report she is 41, while CBS News reports 37.
- Who
- Heather Ann Textor, a former employee of a Merrillville law firm. CBS News spells her middle name Anne and reports her age as 37; other articles give Ann and 41.
- What
- She faces 42 felony charges and three misdemeanors over an alleged fraud, forgery and theft scheme.
- When
- The alleged scheme is reported to have run from November 2019 to October 2025. The investigation lasted three years.
- Where
- Merrillville and Lowell, Indiana.
- Why
- Police allege she took money from people seeking legal services and gave them forged documents that falsely appeared to show their records had been expunged or driving privileges restored.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Police said Textor began working at the Merrillville law firm.
Charging documents, as reported by Audacy, place the alleged scheme within this period.
Police said they became aware of the scheme after a man questioned documents he had received when a background check found a conviction.
Textor was taken into custody by the Lowell Police Department and jailed at Lake County Jail, according to the state police release cited by Audacy.
- Charges
- 42 felonies and three misdemeanors
- Law firm
- Weiss, Schmidgall and Hires, P.C., in Merrillville, Indiana
- Victims
- At least 40 identified so far, according to police
- Investigation
- Three years
- Alleged scheme period
- November 2019 to October 2025, according to charging documents reported by Audacy
3 sources
What people are saying
This individual had documentation that an expungement had actually taken place when it actually had not
Two individuals thought that their driving records had been cleared up because of this expungement
This was not a good person
It's a very fine law firm, very ethical law firm, and they certainly had no knowledge until it was brought to their attention