a gun to a meeting with C.T., under the guise of providing her “protective services.” Through the course of the scheme, Stone and DeLeon also persuaded C.T. to distance herself from her family because, the two claimed, they wanted to take away her inheri- tance. This led C.T. to transfer all of her inher- ited assets from a trust fund into an account under her name, the government alleges. All the trips to Austin to discuss C.T.’s pro- bation weren’t free. C.T. would have to reim- burse him for those, Stone said. He also told C.T. she needed to cough up some money for restitution fees to be paid to a wronged com- pany as the result of her drug crimes. Stone secretly deposited the money into his own bank account, the feds claim. Later, he’d per- suade her to hand over large sums of money, which he used to buy cars and a house. Allegedly, Stone then asked C.T. to marry him, saying he would then try to get her dis- charged from her probation. Throughout the course of the alleged scheme, C.T. would give the two men over $700,000. Stone got over $700,000, while DeLeon got over $50,000, authorities say. Cloey C. Pierce, special agent in charge of the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General Dallas Field Office, said in a press release: “Stone allegedly conned, threatened and stole from his victim, exploiting her trust in law enforcement for his own financial gain. The [Office of Inspector General] is commit- ted to holding accountable those who com- mit this type of conduct.” Stone could get stuck with a 178-year sen- tence in federal prison if he’s convicted. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Gregg Gallian, Stone’s lawyer, told the Ob- server, “We will continue to proceed to trial and will expose the truth.” DeLeon faces up to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is expected to make his first appearance in federal court this Wednesday, Dec. 29. The Texas Rangers and DOJ conducted the investigation with help from the Fort Worth Police Department. ▼ CENSORSHIP THE PUSH TO BAN CERTAIN BOOKS HAS MOVED TO TEXAS PUBLIC LIBRARIES. BY SIMONE CARTER NOT JUST SCHOOLS It was Oct. 14, and the mom of seven, who has a doctorate in biblical studies, appeared before the city council to complain, in part, about an LGBTQIA+ book that some par- ents wanted removed from shelves. It seemed to Malloy that the library’s S book review process was stacked against parents. She warned that if it continued down the same path, the library would de- generate into an “irrelevant institution.” Soon, she said, parents would take their kids elsewhere. “It’s already happening,” Malloy told the room. “Luckily, not every li- brary in the area is quite so ideologically driven as Irving’s own has become.” Last month, The Texas Tribune reported that public libraries in cities like Irving, Tyler and Victoria are experiencing a wave of book challenges from upset residents. Commis- tanding before the podium with a young child on her hip, Irving’s Flory Malloy took aim at the public library. sioners in Llano County, roughly 80 miles northwest of Austin, recently tasked local li- brarians with combing through every chil- dren’s book to ensure it’s “age appropriate.” In recent months, Texas Republican law- makers have moved to ban certain books from public school library shelves. Now, some say the furor has begun to envelop city libraries as well. In October, Fort Worth state Rep. Matt Krause flagged 850 books that he feared could make Texas students “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.” The fol- lowing month, Gov. Greg Abbott directed Texas education officials to weed out porno- graphic materials from public schools. (Librar- ians adamantly deny they supply smut.) “Texas children being exposed to porno- graphic material in our public schools is ap- palling,” Abbott said in a Nov. 10 tweet. “We will ensure no Texas student is exposed to pornography.” In recent months, some Texas parents have petitioned librarians to adopt a more stringent selection process. Now, some li- brarians are sounding the alarm about what they see as a potential surge in state-sanc- tioned censorship. Shirley Robinson, executive director of the Texas Library Association, said book challenges are happening in both Texas public schools and libraries. In some cases, certain books are removed outright, without due process. In addition to books, public libraries pro- vide community services, such as internet access, social hubs and healthcare needs, Robinson said. A disruption in those ser- vices means that some people will “fall through the cracks.” “We are seeing overreach beyond the nor- mal operations of public and school libraries by entities who seem to be pursuing a narra- tive designed to question the professional ex- pertise of librarians and administrators and create mistrust to promote an agenda,” Rob- inson said. “This is an affront to democracy.” Librarians are experts at choosing mate- rials to meet the needs of all community members, Robinson said. It’s important to remember that what is deemed appropriate for one community may not be for others. Still, Dallas Public Library didn’t have any book challenges in 2021 and only saw one in 2020, said Director Jo Giudice. Even though the library has a procedure in place for such a review, it happens infrequently. Regardless, any type of censorship con- cerns Giudice. All library patrons have the right to read, view, borrow and listen to li- brary materials, she said. Parents and care- givers, meanwhile, are the ones responsible for keeping track of what their kids read. The trend to ban certain children’s books from library shelves is already happening in smaller public library systems, she added. The freedom to read and access information serves as librarians’ guiding principle. “Libraries have diverse collections with resources from many points of view, and a li- brary’s mission is to provide access to infor- mation for all users,” Giudice said. “I believe our robust collection development policy is our best defense when these challenges arise as well as living in a city that values diversity and equity.” Start the year in style. The hair of your dreams is just an appointment away. Avalon makes it so easy to shop vegan, cruelty-free & sustainable self-care. West Village 214-750-5667 • www.avalon-salon.com ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS DALLASOBSERVER.COM/FREE/ERICNAM 99 dallasobserver.com dallasobserver.com | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 JANUARY 6–12, 2022
