U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Aaron Reitz announced a federal indictment against Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector Carmen Turner on Oct. 22, 2026.

Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector Carmen Turner was arrested on Thursday after she was indicted on federal charges of misusing public funds. Prosecutors said she employed two tax clerks who were tasked with caring for her 81-year-old mother.

Turner, a Democrat who was first elected to the office in 2020, faces federal charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.

Representatives for Turner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sign up for the Hello, Houston! daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.

Federal prosecutors accused Turner of employing two individuals as tax clerks, tasking them "to care for [her] then 81-year-old mother ... who is wheelchair bound and living in an apartment in Houston, Texas," according to the federal indictment.

One of those caregivers, Shemerrylyn Fields, was also indicted for her alleged role in the scheme. As of Thursday afternoon, Fields did not have an attorney listed in her case records and could not be reached for comment. The other caregiver, who was not identified in the indictment, is cooperating with federal authorities, according to U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz.

Carmen Turner, an elected Democrat in Fort Bend County, was indicted on allegations of misusing public funds on Oct. 22, 2026.

Turner is also accused of employing Victor Ewing, the father of her adult son, as a "department coordinator," tasked with, among other things, managing special projects and providing educational information and training.

At the same time Ewing was paid as a full-time employee of the county, prosecutors said he was working in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport as a materials specialist. Ewing, who also did not have an attorney listed in his case record, could not be reached for comment.

Prosecutors allege that the three defendants falsified timesheets as part of the scheme. The unnamed individual working with prosecutors said they were instructed to tell anyone who asked that they worked "on the 2nd floor at the Missouri City tax office location," according to the indictment. Though Reitz did not give an official figure, he said his office believes the scheme involved "tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars."

"Public office is a public trust," Reitz said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. "Government employees and elected officials are entrusted with resources that belong to the people they serve, and I’m committed to enforcing federal laws designed to protect those resources and the integrity of government institutions. And second, taxpayers have a right to know that their tax dollars are being used for their lawful intended purpose."

RELATED: Who is Aaron Reitz? The new federal ‘MAGA Attorney’ who would oversee prosecution of the Houston ICE shooting

Turner and Fields were each arrested in the Houston area, and Fields was arrested in Chicago, according to Reitz. Each is expected to appear before U.S. magistrates in the coming days.

Turner, who will not be up for reelection until 2028, oversees $1.2 million in payroll and salaries, according to the approved budget for the 2027 fiscal year. Reitz added that the upcoming November election "plays no factor whatsoever in the decisions [of] either my office, FBI, DPS, or anybody."

Interim Fort Bend County Judge Daniel Wong, who is running for election as a Republican, called Turner's arrest "a stunning reminder of the cloud of corruption that has hung over Fort Bend County for too long."

"We must allow the federal authority and the judicial process to do their work," Wong said. "At the same time, we have [an] obligation to ensure that public funds are protected, that appropriate safeguards are in place and that essential services of county government continue without interruption."

Turner's office and her position as county tax assessor-collector remain unchanged, according to Bobby Eberle, the communication director for Wong's office.

Last year, county-level investigators began looking into allegations that Turner had hired two women as caretakers using county funds, according to search warrants obtained by Houston Public Media. The Harris County District Attorney's office oversaw the investigation, but a spokesperson with their office declined to disclose the status of the investigation.

Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton recused himself from the case as he had previously represented Turner as a client when working in private practice.

"When we first received the complaint, we did a thorough investigation before we had to recuse the office," Wesley Wittig, a representative with the Fort Bend District Attorney's Office, said. "The search warrants that started the collection of evidence were requested by our investigators."

Turner was reelected in 2024 with less than a percentage difference — just 2,000 votes — over her Republican opponent, Jaison Joseph. In 2017, Turner was convicted of contempt of court for filing multiple bankruptcy cases within 180 days, defying a court order. She was sentenced to a year's probation as part of a plea deal, in which prosecutors dismissed other charges of bankruptcy fraud.

According to Fort Bend County court records, Turner faced nearly $700 in unpaid Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority fees in 2022. The case was dismissed in 2023 after she paid the fees. Turner also sued for $10,000 in 2024 on allegations of harassment and discrimination in a small claims case. The case was dismissed by a Fort Bend County judge in 2025.

Fort Bend County has faced an array of political and legal turmoil this year following the conviction of former county judge KP George on money laundering charges in June. Daniel Wong, the Republican nominee for county judge, is facing Democratic Commissioner Dexter McCoy in November while also fighting a separate lawsuit challenging his legal authority to remain in office.

Natalie Weber contributed to this report.