HOUSTON – A 59-year-old man accused of stealing thousands from families in the Houston area is now being held without bond
Robert Gibson is accused of stealing nearly $800, 000 from 11 people.
“It’s been really hard,” Keitha Berthia-Wilkins said.
Berthia-Wilkins said starting in 2021, she and her husband gave Gibson $39,900 to help them buy a tax delinquent investment property.
“I went and met with him, gave him the check, and then we waited and waited,” she said.
Berthia-Wilkins said she never received her full investment back.
“He talked 11 people into giving him money for the purchase of properties,” Sheila Hansel, Assistant District Attorney of the consumer fraud division, said.
Hansel said since 2019, Gibson has scammed $787,000 from 11 people.
Gibson turned himself in and faced a judge on the charge of first-degree aggregate theft on Wednesday. He was already out on bond for a similar charge. The $250,000 bond was doubled in that case and now he’s being held without bond on the latest case.
Court records show he’s been convicted of theft of over 100,000 before, and in 1995 he was convicted of falsely representing himself as an attorney.
Berthia- Wilkins said the worst part is the money was for her son who has autism.
“He wants to be a veterinarian,” she said. “So, I was just putting his money back and trying to build him up a portfolio so when he goes to college it wouldn’t be as hard for him. Now, it’s gone, so I have to figure something else out.”