Who is Ragan Sierra Moreno? Dallas public defender accused of having relationship with inmate and sharing sensitive information
DALLAS, TEXAS: Ragan Sierra Moreno, 28, a Dallas public defender is facing charges after striking a relationship with a former client and sharing sensitive information with him.
Moreno is accused of providing Todd Whitfield an inmate in Dallas County Jail with information that he used to threaten one of his brother’s alleged victims.
What charges is Ragan Sierra Moreno facing?
Moreno was booked into the county jail on September 14 on charges of abuse of official capacity as per the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, WFAA reports.
She has now been released on bond. After collecting sensitive information about the inmates' brother’s criminal cases from Moreno, Whitfield used to threaten the victim.
He would text the victim from his jail tablet, as per the court documents cited by the publication.
How was Ragan Sierra Moreno caught?
The authorities first noticed Moreno spending an inordinate amount of time with inmate Whitefield who wasn't her client last time, Fox News reports.
"After investigating the matters, DSO determined that Moreno had a personal relationship with the inmate," the Dallas County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
"She apparently used her Dallas County ID to gain access to the inmate and criminal records of another inmate," the statement reads.
The arrest affidavit obtained by Fox 4, states that investigators looked at the call logs of inmate Whitefield and found several calls to Moreno.
"The content of their phone conversation is suspiciously personal," it noted.
How did Todd Whitefield and Ragan Sierra catch up in the cell?
On September 5, investigators found that inmate Todd Whitfield called Moreno and told her to look at him "waving from his jail cell."
The records further show that Moreno then attempted to flash him from a parking garage, but a Dallas County Marshal-marked vehicle made her abort her plan.
On September 12, the inmate called Moreno again asking her to look up the criminal record for his brother, Zion Whitfield.
Moreno then used her laptop to look for court records and provided information about Zion's charges, affidavits and alleged assault victim information.
Todd then allegedly sent a threat to one of the victims. The text in part read, "I swear before Christ you haven't met me, but you will and how you meet me depends all on you."
Whitfield also told Moreno, "We are throwing a party when I get home."