TEXAS COMPANY INDICTED

Ray Ferguson and his Rosenberg, Texas-based company Ray Ferguson Interests Inc. were indicted for allegedly defrauding the Texas Mutual Insurance Co., formerly the Texas Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund, of some $1.4 million in workers’ compensation insurance premiums. According to Texas Mutual investigators, Ferguson was indicted on Nov. 15 of “securing execution of document by deception,” a first-degree felony offense. A joint investigation by the Travis County District Attorney and Texas Mutual preceded the indictment. The investigation was prompted by a referral from a Texas Mutual benefit proceedings specialist. Texas Mutual pursued criminal charges after learning the true size of Ferguson’s business. Specifically, Ferguson is charged with allegedly devising a scheme to misrepresent his company as a stand-alone operation, although he also owned another “shadow” company, RFI Brazos Paving Company Inc. Ferguson is reported to have operated both companies as a single enterprise, but they are legally separate entities.