Five current and former Refugio, Texas, city officials were arrested on Wednesday for fraud after they allegedly mishandled hundreds of thousands of dollars that spanned 19 transactions.
Refugio Mayor Wanda Dukes was charged with misapplication of fiduciary property, a first-degree felony, for misusing funds from the Refugio Economic Development Corporation between October 2023 and October 2025.
City Secretary Callie Shreckengost was also charged with misapplication of fiduciary property.
Current City Council Ixtlazihuatl Vasquez, former City Council Frank Hosey, and former City Council Michael Rocha were all hit with third-degree felony charges of abuse of official capacity.
According to the indictment, the state claimed that more than $1 million was misapplied to payments, audit services, garbage collection, and festivals.
KRIS TV reported:
Five current and former Refugio town officials face felony charges after a Refugio County grand jury returned indictments this week following a Texas Rangers investigation.
Mayor Wanda Huff Dukes and Town Secretary Callie Gray Shreckengost turned themselves in at the Refugio County Jail on Wednesday and were later released. Both are charged with misapplication of fiduciary property, a first-degree felony. Bond for each was set at $25,000.
The indictments accuse both officials of misusing funds from the Refugio Economic Development Corporation between Oct. 3, 2023, and Oct. 29, 2025. According to the charging documents, Dukes exercised control over EDC funds as mayor, while Shreckengost had authority to authorize and sign disbursements as town secretary.
The indictments list 19 transactions totaling more than $1 million that the state says were misapplied, including payments for windstorm insurance, garbage collection, water main maintenance, audit services, a police department holiday event and Fourth of July festivals.
FIVE City officials were just ARRESTED for fraud in Refugio, Texas
– mayor
– city secretary
– city councilor
– 2 former city councilors
They allegedly mishandled HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of public dollars.
THE FRAUD NEVER ENDS pic.twitter.com/P7miaH9BfS
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 13, 2026
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