Merrillville- The Indiana State Police has arrested a Lowell woman following an extensive, multi‑year investigation into an alleged pattern of fraud, forgery, and theft involving prospective clients of a Merrillville law firm. The investigation, led by Sgt. Joe White of the Indiana State Police Organized Crime and Corruption Unit, began after suspicious expungement documents were submitted to the Indiana State Police Expungement Unit.
During the investigation, detectives uncovered a large number of fraudulent criminal‑record expungement orders, forged judicial signatures, falsified specialized driving privilege documents, unauthorized use of client funds, and the diversion of electronic payments into personal accounts. Evidence indicates that the suspect repeatedly misrepresented her role within the law firm and created fraudulent court documents that caused clients to believe legal services had been completed when they had not.
Investigators also determined that several fraudulent court documents were used in attempts to obtain government‑issued licenses or benefits, prompting review by multiple agencies. The scheme caused significant financial loss to numerous individuals and required corrective action by several courts and partner organizations. In some cases, individuals were even arrested or incarcerated after relying on fraudulent documents that falsely led them to believe their criminal records had been expunged or their driving privileges restored.
The suspect, Heather Ann Textor, 41, of Lowell, Indiana, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon by the Lowell Police Department and incarcerated at the Lake County Jail where she faces 42 felony charges and 3 misdemeanor charges, including Fraud, Forgery, Theft, Counterfeiting, and Impersonation‑related offenses. Additional charges remain under review as investigators continue to analyze seized digital evidence and financial records.
The Indiana State Police extends its appreciation to the dozens of victims, cooperating courts, clerks’ offices, financial instituions, and the affected law firm, Weiss, Schmidgall, and Hires, for their assistance throughout this complex investigation.
Indiana State Police investigators believe that there could be additional victims that may not realize they have been taken advantage of until the release of this information. If you believe you may have been a victim of Heather Textor’s actions, please contact Sgt. Joe White at 219‑696‑6242, and he will follow up with you directly.
This investigation remains ongoing.
*All suspects are presumed to be innocent until/unless proven guilty in court.
Charges are as follows:
- FRAUD Against Financial Institution- Level 5 Felony- 5 Counts
- FORGERY- Level 6 Felony- 13 Counts
- COUNTERFEITING- Level 6 Felony- 2 Counts
- FRAUD (between $750-$50k)- Level 6 Felony- 5 Counts
- FRAUD (Enhancing Circumstances)- Level 6 Felony- 7 Counts
- THEFT (Value $750-$50K)- Level 6 Felony- 7 Counts
- FRAUD- Level 6 Felony- 3 Counts
