Houston law enforcement officer charged with forgery at luxury mall
A longtime officer of the Harris County Sheriff's Office has been charged with multiple felonies related to an alleged embezzlement scheme at an upscale Houston shopping center, according to court records.
Sergeant William A. Vides, 44, faces three forgery charges and one count of felony theft following an investigation into his tenure as head of security operations at Highland Village Shopping Center, according to authorities. The theft charge alone involves more than $300,000, according to Harris County court documents.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed to ABC News that Vides has been on administrative leave since December 2024 pending an internal affairs investigation.
"The findings of that investigation will be presented to the sheriff’s administrative discipline committee to determine whether any policies were violated and whether to recommend any disciplinary action, up to and including possible termination," Harris County Sheriff's Office, Senior Deputy Thomas M Gilliland told ABC News.
Court records show Vides is accused of executing a "scheme and continuing course of conduct" to misappropriate funds from Highland Village between January and August 2023. The shopping center's owner, Haidar Barbouti, is listed as the complainant.
Vides is currently being held in the Harris County Jail on bonds totaling $145,000, with his next court appearance scheduled for Sept. 30, 2025.
Court documents from a civil lawsuit filed by Highland Village Management LLC allege Vides embezzled more than $4.38 million through a scheme involving another former employee.
According to the lawsuit, Highland Village wants to recover the stolen funds and impose a constructive trust on multiple properties allegedly purchased with the embezzled money, including homes in Rosenberg and Richmond, Texas.
Highland Village claims Vides used his position to issue fraudulent payments to himself and worked with several business entities, including Will Vides Properties LLC and WV Systems LLC, to conceal the funds.
In response to the lawsuit, Vides and his businesses deny doing anything wrong. His lawyers claim that Highland Village knew about all the payments made to Vides and that he earned the money fairly through his work. They also argue that Highland Village's own poor management practices led to any financial problems, not Vides' actions.
The lawsuit also claims he falsified overtime hours and forged checks for personal gain.
The criminal charges against Vides include theft of $300,000 or more, one count of forgery to obtain property/services between $2,500 and $30,000, and two counts of forgery to obtain property/services between $750 and $2,500.
The Houston Police Department, which made the arrest, is handling the criminal investigation.
ABC News has reached out to Vides' legal representation for comment. Vides has pleaded not guilty to his four charges.
