Government Employee Indicted for Obstruction and False Statements

A Plano man has been charged with obstruction and making a false statement, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

Fredrick Antonio Waters, 47, was indicted last week on one count each of obstruction of official proceeding and false statement. He was arrested Thursday and made his initial appearance Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver.

According to the indictment, on February 8, 2022, Mr. Waters disclosed to an individual that she was the target of a criminal investigation. When a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations asked Mr. Waters about disclosing the information he responded by saying, “No I was looking up an humanitarian case and typed in the wrong Anumber.”  That statement was false because Mr. Waters knew he deliberately typed an Alien number issued to a specific individual to find out if she appeared as a subject in any Department of Homeland Security investigative system.

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Mr. Waters is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in federal prison.

The Homeland Security Investigations – Office of Professional Responsibility – El Paso office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters is prosecuting the case.