FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – Newly unsealed search warrants reveal that Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector Carmen Turner is under investigation for allegedly misusing taxpayer money to pay county employees to care for her elderly mother.
The investigation began after a tip from a former employee and uncovered that two women, employed by the county, were clocking in as county workers but were actually providing in-home care for Turner’s mother between October 2023 and June 2024.
Auditors found that these employees clocked in and out using their personal cell phones rather than county offices, and their badge access logs did not match the hours they claimed to have worked.
Court records include text messages between the employees and Turner’s family, showing coordination of caregiving duties. Investigators seized electronic devices, including an iPhone belonging to Turner’s sister, believed to contain further evidence.
The total alleged misuse of funds exceeds $27,000.
The warrants also detail the extensive digital evidence sought by investigators, including call logs, text messages, emails, GPS data, and social media communications, to establish involvement in the abuse of official capacity.
Turner has not been charged with a crime, but the investigation remains active. The alleged offense, abuse of official capacity, is a felony in Texas.
KPRC 2 News reached out to Turner’s office for comment but was told she was attending a conference.
The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s office said it has recused itself from the case because the DA once represented Turner when in private practice years ago. The Harris County District Attorney’s office is handling the case, according to a spokesperson. HCDAO said it cannot comment on the ongoing investigation