Two former Harris County Tax Office employees and two local business owners are facing first-degree felony charges in connection with what authorities say was a coordinated vehicle registration fraud operation.
Court filings allege the group worked together to process registrations and title transfers that bypassed required state safeguards, collecting bribes in exchange for pushing transactions through the system.
Adriana De La Rosa, 43, owner of Bella’s Multiservices in South Houston, has been arrested. Oswaldo “Oz” Perez, 51, who is affiliated with the same business, remains wanted.
Former tax office employees Sarah Ambria Anderson, 31, and Renisha Touche Wilkins, 35, were also charged. Both were dismissed from their positions in April 2024.
Investigators allege the activity centered on the Scarsdale branch of the Harris County Tax Office, where nearly 200 questionable transactions were processed. According to reporting from KPRC 2, the employees allegedly accepted cash and gifts in exchange for overriding verification requirements tied to insurance coverage, emissions inspections, and residency. Some vehicles were allegedly coded as tax-exempt, allowing customers to avoid paying required fees.
Authorities further allege that Anderson charged approximately $300 per transaction and transported paperwork in a personal binder to avoid detection.
The case reportedly began after employees in another Texas county noticed Bella’s Multiservices promoting vehicle registration stickers on TikTok and Facebook. Social media posts advertised expedited service and claimed inspections were not necessary. That tip prompted an internal review, which eventually led to a criminal investigation.
Detectives with Harris County Constable Precinct One’s Tax Special Investigations Unit later documented electronic payments sent through Zelle, Apple Pay, and Cash App. Investigators also recovered communications between the parties and alleged that documents were exchanged during meetings in public locations near the Scarsdale office, including a grocery store parking lot.
All four defendants are charged with two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity. The charges are first-degree felonies, carrying potential sentences of up to 99 years or life in prison and fines up to $10,000.
Constable Alan Rosen of Precinct One stated, “This involves public corruption by those who violated the people’s trust in government and abused their positions to line their own pockets. This scheme was brazen and the schemers will now face justice.”
The Harris County Tax Office stated that its internal controls helped identify irregularities and that its Special Investigations Unit worked alongside Constable Precinct 1 and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
While Anderson and Wilkins were fired in April 2024, it has not been clarified whether that action directly stemmed from this alleged conduct or how long the criminal investigation was underway before charges were filed.
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