FBI gets Ruble

PANAMA. A Fort Bend County Sheriff’s detective and an FBI agent tracked down a Rosharon man in Panama and arrested him on charges related to the theft of more than $320,000 from his relatives.

Russell Lynn Ruble, 54, has been transported from Panama back to Houston, by the FBI agent and sheriff’s Det. R. Williams. Upon landing in Houston he was arrested on charges of misapplication of fiduciary property and is being held in Fort Bend County Jail in Richmond in lieu of $5 million bond.

The Panamanian National Police at the request of the United States FBI arrested the American on March 28, after receiving a tip.

After the arrest Ruble was transferred to the Immigration Department to await the arrival of the FBI agent.

Ruble has also been charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit theft. No bail has been granted on either of those charges, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Williams, who has been working the case since February 2008, believes Ruble used his power of attorney to transfer more than $320,000 from accounts belonging to his elderly uncle and aunts.

A statement from the sheriff’s office said Williams got a recent tip that Ruble was hiding in Panama. After confirming details, Ruble and an FBI agent - who went along “to provide assistance and coordination with the Panamanian law enforcement officials” - traveled to Panama on Thursday.

They learned Ruble had been living in Panama for 18 months to avoid prosecution in the United States, the sheriff’s statement said.

“After a two-day stay in Panama, the Panamanian officials learned Ruble had made false statements on his Visa application and, with pending criminal charges in the United States, resulted in Ruble being expelled from Panama,” the sheriff’s statement said.

A grand jury has already indicted Ruble, and his case is expected to go to trial in 268th District Court.

Panama has become a favorite hideout place for international criminals fleeing from justice, who see the country as a place to blend in with other foreigners who come to retire here.