Texas Jury Convicts Former NFL Player Anthony Hutchison in $6 Million Fraud Scheme
A federal jury in Houston, Texas, has found Anthony Hutchison, a former running back for the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, guilty of orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that defrauded the Houston Independent School District (HISD) out of $6 million. Hutchison, 64, who ended his football career in 1985, conspired with Brian Busby, the former chief operating officer of HISD, to systematically overbill the district for landscaping services, including activities like lawn mowing and mulch application from 2013 to 2019.
The jury concurred with prosecutors that Hutchison engaged in bribery, paying Busby and other HISD officials in exchange for securing contracts for his landscaping company, Southwest Wholesale. Evidence showed that Busby accepted kickbacks totaling $530,000 from Hutchison.
Prosecutors argued that Hutchison used the fraudulent profits to settle debts stemming from a significant gambling problem. According to the indictment, Hutchison charged HISD more than double the actual cost of supplies and added another 20% markup.
The jury convicted Hutchison on multiple counts, including one of conspiracy, eleven of wire fraud, six of bribery tied to federal funds, two regarding willfully filing false tax returns, and one count of witness tampering. Similarly, Busby was also found guilty, facing one count of conspiracy, six counts of bribery involving federal programs, five counts of willfully filing false tax returns, and one count of witness tampering.
Initially, Southwest Wholesale was awarded a contract to provide landscaping services for about two dozen HISD campuses. However, this contract expanded over the years to encompass several hundred properties, ultimately making Southwest Wholesale the exclusive landscaping contractor for the district.
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Throughout the 19-day trial, jurors were presented with testimonies from a wide range of witnesses, including HISD officials, current and former employees from Hutchison’s companies, as well as FBI and IRS agents. Expert testimony also highlighted Hutchison’s practice of billing for mowing school lawns four times a month, a frequency deemed unnecessary by the experts.
In an interesting turn, professional poker player Ayaz Mahmood, a World Series of Poker bracelet holder, testified about his experiences playing alongside Hutchison. Mahmood described Hutchison as a poor player who frequently lost, claiming he lacked the “control and maturity” necessary for success and estimated that Hutchison lost “99% of the time.” He recounted an instance where Hutchison lost over $300,000 in a single day.
The witness tampering charges relate to Hutchison and Busby’s efforts to persuade a former manager from HISD’s Facilities, Maintenance, and Operations Department to provide false information to the FBI. Both Hutchison and Busby are expected to face significant prison sentences at their upcoming sentencing hearings. Anthony Hutchison
