Staff Report
Just over a year ago, four individuals traveling to Houston were apprehended near Boerne, approximately 30 miles north of San Antonio along Interstate 10.
The group — one man and three women — was linked to a Houston-based gang and has now been found guilty of money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity.
According to the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office, led by District Attorney Nicole Bishop, the suspects — Tahj “Chad” Luchin, Montoi Weatherspoon, Jada Dancer, and Jamyra Smith — were stopped by law enforcement on February 3, 2024. A search of their vehicle uncovered $80,000 in cash hidden inside a backpack.
Further investigation revealed that the money was stolen by Luchin, a documented member of the 5th Ward Circle gang in Houston.
Two days before his arrest, Luchin ambushed an ATM technician who was servicing a Wells Fargo ATM in Huntington Beach, California, along with an unidentified accomplice. They escaped with approximately $240,000.
By the time Luchin reunited with the three women, he had only a third of the stolen money. The women, including Smith — a Texas corrections officer at the time — picked him up from a Greyhound bus station in El Paso after he traveled from California.
The group was en route to Houston when Texas Trooper Mieure stopped them in Kendall County. All four were charged and later convicted of money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity.
Besides, Luchin faced charges of theft of property valued between $30,000 and $150,000, as well as possession of marijuana. Smith was also convicted for unlawfully carrying a weapon.
Luchin received a 16-year prison sentence, while Dancer and Weatherspoon were each sentenced to two years. Smith received the lightest sentence — five years of deferred adjudication — meaning she could avoid prison time if she complies with the conditions of her probation.
District Attorney Bishop praised the collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies in securing these convictions.
“The successful prosecution of these suspects was made possible through the diligent work of Special Agent David Villanueva with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Detective Zach Pricer with the Huntington Beach Police Department, Lieutenant Christian Dorton with the Houston Police Department Gang Intelligence Unit, and the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office,” she stated.
Bishop also confirmed that the recovered $80,000 had been returned to Wells Fargo Bank in California, ensuring restitution for the victim of this crime.
