An attorney is accused of impersonating a prosecutor from the District Attorney’s Office and demanding evidence in another investigation from one of Houston’s nicest hotels.
Venisha Arnold, 40, is charged with impersonating a public servant. Records show she’s a licensed attorney in Washington, D.C.
She appeared in Harris County criminal court Monday morning.
“This is a very concerning situation,” said Kimberly Smith, an assistant district attorney in the Harris County DA’s Office Public Corruption Unit.
It started after investigators interviewed Arnold for a different case.
“There was a separate ongoing investigation. Detectives bring her in, thinking she might be related to the investigation,” Smith said.
But after being questioned, Arnold allegedly walked into the Post Oak Hotel on March 21 and told management she was a prosecutor investigating a harassment offense.
“She then goes to the Post Oak Hotel and she requests surveillance video footage amongst other pieces of evidence, claiming herself to be an attorney with the District Attorney’s Office,” Smith said.
According to court documents, the harassment offense was one in which she was the alleged perpetrator.
“It not only is a scary thought to think that there are people out there trying to pose to be one of us, but they’re interfering with an investigation which could cause severe issues later down the road,” Smith said.
Arnold was arrested Thursday. Records show she is out on bond. No charges have been filed in the harassment case.
Impersonating a public servant is a third-degree felony.
She faces up to 10 years in prison, and if she pleads guilty, prosecutors said she could lose her law license.