DRUG COUNSELOR PLEADS GUILTY TO ALLOWING SUBSTITUTE URINE SPECIMEN

(HOUSTON, Texas) – Al Green, 42, of Houston, pleaded guilty today to falsely certifying a federal probationer’s drug test specimen, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today. Green allowed the individual, serving a term of supervised release, to submit another’s urine in exchange for a cash payment.

At the hearing before United States District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr., Green pleaded guilty to one count of making a false entry in a document with the intent to impede, influence or obstruct the administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States Probation Office, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1519. Under that statute, Green faces a term of up to 20 twenty years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. Werlein scheduled Green’s sentencing hearing for March 28, 2008. Green will remain free on bond pending his sentencing.

Green worked in Houston for a drug counseling company that has a contract with the United States Probation Office to provide drug counseling and testing services for defendants who are serving terms of probation or supervised release (federal defendants who are sentenced to prison terms are typically also sentenced to supervised release after their release from prison). After a defendant, serving a term of supervised release, reported to his probation officer that Green was allowing him to leave early from his mandatory one-hour counseling sessions in exchange for cash payments, the FBI began an investigation in which Green’s clients agreed to record conversations with Green. The FBI investigation revealed on April 4, 2007, Green allowed a client to stay for only six minutes of his required hour-long counseling session. Green also told the client the date of his next urinalysis test - information the client is not supposed to know that far in advance. On April 12, the client submitted a urine specimen to Green. Green advised the client the next test would be April 26. The client responded by saying his urine might be “dirty” that day and paid Green $25 to allow him to submit another person’s urine for that test. On April 26, the client provided a specimen to Green and told him it was someone else’s. Green nonetheless submitted the urine to the testing company and signed a Probation Office form certifying the specimen had been collected in accordance with proper procedures.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gregg Costa.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.