Lloyd Kelley update

I meant to blog about this Rick Casey column in which he provided an update to the Lloyd Kelley/Ibarra brothers saga but didn’t get to it last week.

Two weeks ago I reported that Kelley had withheld another $200,000 or so from the county’s check to Erik and Sean Ibarra, claiming expenses not covered in the $1.4 million.

Kelley gave them an itemized list that included $20,000 for community activist Quanell X and $95,000 for attorney Tammy Tran for jury consultation and other work.

The brothers hired attorney Randy Sorrels and sued Kelley after growing suspicious about the charges. Sorrels then demanded documentation.

Kelley told me he was certain he could provide invoices and canceled checks proving the payment to Quanell X and at least invoices from Tran, though he wasn’t sure Tran had been paid the full amount.

Quanell X told me he did work on the case and was paid, but not that much. And Tran said she wasn’t paid anything and couldn’t remember if she had submitted any bills.

Later, the two gave even stronger statements to Sorrels, he said.

“I spoke with Quanell X, and he said he didn’t receive the money and would tell the truth if he was called on to do so,'” Sorrels said. “He said Kelley is a friend of his, but he would tell the truth.”

In addition, Sorrels said, a representative of Tran told him “they never received a dime or asked for a dime. She said the work was pro bono (free), and she never intended to bill for it.”

Kelley’s response? Wednesday, Sorrels got checks from him for the full $115,000.

Sorrels said the matter is not over. He said he has asked for full documentation on all the expenses claimed by Kelley, including those submitted to the judge.

Meanwhile, he said, the Ibarras have filed a complaint with the State Bar of Texas.

I think the ultimate lesson here is “Don’t mess with the Ibarra brothers.” Everyone who has done that has come to regret it.

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