Federal authorities have charged Arlington’s Richard R. Garcia with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and the FBI is asking people who may have been affected to submit information through an English- or Spanish-language questionnaire.
Garcia is accused, not convicted. The cited sources do not establish that he is guilty, and the allegations should be understood in that context.
The FBI says it believes Garcia primarily targeted church congregants and their relatives and friends from at least 2020 to the present. For people who think that description may include them, the bureau’s request provides a direct way to identify themselves to investigators without having to decide on their own whether their experience proves a crime.
Who the FBI wants to hear from
The FBI’s outreach is directed to potential victims and people who have relevant information about the Garcia investigation. Its description of the group it believes was primarily targeted includes church congregants as well as congregants’ relatives and friends.
That wording is broader than church membership alone. A person does not have to be identified in the approved material as a congregant to fit the FBI’s stated target group; a relative or friend may also have information relevant to the inquiry.
The bureau places the activity it is investigating from at least 2020 through the present. People assessing whether the request applies to them can use that time period and the stated connection to congregants, relatives or friends as the concrete screening details supplied by investigators.
The FBI does not say on the cited page that a respondent must first prove a loss or reach a legal conclusion. The questionnaire is the channel for providing information to the agency conducting the investigation. Submitting information is not the same as independently determining that a charge has been proved.
Direct questionnaire links in English and Spanish
Potential victims and others with relevant information can use the FBI’s English victim-information page and questionnaire. The bureau also provides a Spanish-language page and questionnaire.
Those are the two approved reporting paths in the FBI material. Using the language-specific page lets a respondent review the bureau’s notice and provide information through the corresponding questionnaire.
The FBI says responding is voluntary. That means the agency is requesting information rather than describing the questionnaire as mandatory. The bureau also says respondents’ identities will be kept confidential.
For someone deciding whether to come forward, those terms answer two immediate practical questions: participation is voluntary, and the FBI says it will protect the respondent’s identity as confidential. The approved material does not promise a particular investigative result after a submission.
What may follow for a potential victim
The FBI says potential victims may be eligible for services, restitution and legal rights. “May be eligible” is an important qualification: the notice identifies possible support and rights, but it does not guarantee that every person who completes a questionnaire will receive restitution or a particular service.
The value of responding is therefore not limited to giving investigators a lead. A submission may also help the FBI identify someone as a potential victim who could qualify for the services, restitution or rights the bureau describes.
The approved sources do not specify an individual respondent’s eligibility or the amount of any possible restitution. Those questions cannot be resolved from the public notice alone. The questionnaire gives the FBI the information needed to consider the person’s connection to the investigation.
What is alleged, and what remains unproven
The FBI identifies three filed charge categories: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Those charges are accusations. They do not replace the requirement that guilt be established through the legal process.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported allegations involving more than 50 victims in the United States and abroad and losses exceeding $3 million. Those figures are attributed allegations from the newspaper’s report, not findings of guilt in the sources cited here.
The reported scale helps explain why the FBI is seeking information from the public and offering the questionnaires in two languages. But a large alleged victim count or loss total does not establish Garcia’s guilt, and it does not establish that every person who interacted with him was a victim.
A practical checklist before responding
- Consider whether you have information connected to Garcia and the group the FBI says it believes was primarily targeted: church congregants, their relatives or their friends.
- Use the period supplied by the FBI — at least 2020 to the present — when reviewing your experience or information.
- Choose the FBI’s English or Spanish victim-information page and complete the corresponding questionnaire if you decide to respond.
- Remember that the FBI says participation is voluntary and identities will be kept confidential.
- Do not assume that submitting guarantees restitution or services; the bureau says potential victims may be eligible.
The FBI’s request remains an information-gathering step in an active case. It gives people in Arlington and beyond a specific route to contact investigators while preserving the central legal distinction: Garcia faces charges, but the cited material has not established him as guilty.
