Fraud alleged in bail records in Houston man’s murder case

Accusations of fraud have surfaced in bail records linked to a man accused of killing his wife and the owner of a Houston bonding company whose office was searched earlier this year by local and federal law enforcement. Bail bondsman Sheba Muharib has alleged that two unidentified co-signers who defendant Curtis Holliday used in November 2021 to secure his release from the Harris County Jail were paid, according to recent court records. Holliday had been ordered held on a combined bail of $400,000 on two felony charges: murder and assault with continuous family violence. He paid 10 percent premium to Muharib’s Aable Bail Bonds to get out of jail, according to an affidavit of surety to surrender principal document.

“We believe the defendant has provided fraudulent information in order to receive a bond,” Muharib wrote. “It has come to the attention of our insurance company that 2 of the defendant’s cosigners were paid in order to aid the bonding process. We were unaware of these circumstances.” The purpose of the affidavit is for the bondsman to cut ties with a defendant’s bond — typically after a new arrest. In filing the form, bail agents ask that the defendant be taken into custody and to stop being responsible for the person in the eyes of the court. The document, however, does not say what fraudulent information Holliday provided or who paid the cosigners in what amount. The defendant’s surety bond at question is linked to Financial Casualty & Surety, Inc. One of Holliday’s attorneys, Dick DeGuerin, said Holliday had difficulty making bond initially and that someone in the jail referred him to an employee within Aable Bail Bonds. The accusation of fraud, however, is false, the attorneys said, adding that they would continue preparing for his murder trial in September.