, among other duties, while on the county clock and instructing them to lie about it on their timesheets. FBI Houston's Public Corruption team, the Texas Rangers, and the Harris County DA's Office investigated. - FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) October 22, 2026

Turner, a Democrat, has served as Fort Bend County' tax assessor-collector since 2020. She was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2024.

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Allegations about Turner first surfaced in 2025, amid reports that Fort Bend County investigators had obtained search warrants for the employees' phones. The investigators were acting on a complaint made to the auditor's office by a former tax-office employee, according to reports.

The auditor reviewed payroll and time records, and then referred the case to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's in January 2025, according to the Fort Bend Independent, a community news site in Fort Bend County. The investigators who seized phones were seeking communications about the care of Turner's mother, Cornelia Smith, who was living in Houston.

The search warrant affidavits alleged Fields provided care to Smith from March 2024 until June 2024. She was on the county payroll during those times. Investigators noted that Fields' payroll and time sheet records didn't consistently match her badge swipes at a tax-office location until June 2024, four months after she was hired.

 Fields was not under any misimpression,  Reitz said.  She knew well that she was getting a paycheck to not do a job for the county in order to compensate her for something that had nothing to do with her official duties. 

The search warrants indicated that another tax office employee had a similar arrangement with Turner, however that person is not named in the federal indictment. The indictment does include an un-named co-conspirator who Reitz said was cooperating with the federal investigation.

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Officials provided fewer details about Turner's relationship and alleged conspiracy with Ewing. Reitz said there was evidence that Ewing sent a kickback to Turner at least once

 Turner is accused of intentionally using money allotted for county payroll for her own personal gain,  said Jason Hudson, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Houston office.  Public corruption not only diverts these public funds and resources for unlawful uses; it erodes the confidence we place in these individuals and, most importantly, it's illegal. 

In their earlier search warrants, Fort Bend County investigators estimated Fields and a woman received about $27,000 in pay while they were caring for Smith. The federal indictment doesn't give an estimate for how much money was allegedly embezzled.

 If you factor everything in, we're looking at tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars,  Reitz said. The precise amount would be developed during litigation, he added.

According to earlier reports, Fort Bend District Attorney Brian Middleton recused himself from the investigation because he had represented Turner in private practice. By the end of 2025, the prosecution of a state case had been taken over by the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

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Reitz on Thursday said he had no information about the state-level investigation. While a Texas Department of Public Safety lieutenant stood with Reitz at the podium, he was not joined by anyone from Fort Bend or Harris counties. It's unclear when federal authorities joined the investigation into Turner.

Turner and Fields both appeared before a federal magistrate judge just after 2 p.m. Thursday.

Fields was appointed a public defender, while Turner said she had hired her own counsel. Neither was immediately released because they had not completed interviews with the federal probation office.

Turner's lawyer couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

 She maintains her innocence and looks forward to making her case in court,  said Paul Morgan, Fields' court-appointed defense attorney.

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It's not the first time Turner has faced federal charges. In 2016, she was accused of violating court orders and misusing the federal court system to try to stave off a foreclosure.

In that case, prosecutors alleged Turner repeatedly filed for bankruptcy between 2009 and 2013 in order to delay creditors from seizing her property. A judge in November 2012 ordered her to stop submitting new filings, but she violated the order by again filing for bankruptcy in April 2013, according to an indictment.

Turner pleaded guilty to contempt of court in December 2016 and was sentenced to a year of probation and fined $1,000. As a result of the plea deal, prosecutors dismissed charges of bankruptcy fraud and making false declarations.

Turner is the second elected official in Fort Bend county to be indicted in the last two years.

In 2025, former county judge KP George was indicted on charges of money laundering over accusations he used campaign funds for personal spending. He was convicted earlier this year and sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Another charge George faced _ related to making a fake Facebook account to allegedly make comments about political candidates and to attempt to influence elections _ was dropped after his conviction on money laundering.