The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Lufkin Resident Agency in Lufkin, Texas, is seeking to identify potential victims of Matthew “Matt” Jess Thrash the agency said in a press release Tuesday night.

Thrash was recently indicted in the Eastern District of Texas on federal wire fraud and money laundering violations.

The FBI believes he primarily targeted individuals between 2012 and 2024 through several fraudulent investment schemes. These schemes included establishing a fake sports management company, a fake sports memorabilia store, and fraudulent stock sales in cannabis dispensaries. It is believed that Thrash targeted individuals in Las Vegas, NV; Shreveport, LA; Lake Charles, LA; Tampa, FL, and throughout Texas.

If someone is a victim of Thrash or has information relevant to this investigation and has not spoken with law enforcement in Lufkin, Texas, they can complete and submit this short form at https://www.fbi.gov.

“Mr. Thrash used and employed various fraudulent schemes to obtain money from others. A critical component of his schemes was presenting himself as a successful businessman with lucrative investment opportunities. Individuals should not be embarrassed if they invested in one of his schemes. We encourage you to come forward so that you can receive assistance and help us hold him accountable in a court of law,” said FBI Dallas Acting Special Agent in Charge P. J. O’Brien.

If you know of someone who Thrash has victimized, please encourage them to complete and submit the form on the webpage.

The FBI is legally mandated to identify victims of federal crimes it investigates. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law. Criminal charges are merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

BATON ROUGE – Ahead of the holiday shopping season, new technology is being used at shopping centers across Baton Rouge to track and combat crime.

License plate readers have been popping up all around the city, along the interstate, and now at the Mall of Louisiana due to the Page-Rice public safety initiative. So far, more than 100 cameras and license plate readers have been installed.

Clay Young is with the Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Foundation (LECJF), a group partnering with law enforcement to put up the license plate readers. He says the cameras can be pricey, ranging from $2,800 to $5,000 depending on the type of tech, and it’s up to law enforcement to decide where the cameras are most effective and monitor them.

“Hopefully, nothing happens. But if something does, we want to expedite justice as fast as possible,” Young said.

Earlier this year, law enforcement used license plate readers to track down the stolen car of a man who was murdered and dumped alongside a Tangipahoa Parish highway. TikTok personality Mr. Prada, whose legal name is Terryon Thomas, was identified as the person driving the car and he was arrested in the murder.

The cameras are also being used on the interstate to track shootings, where one has happened as recently as Sunday on Interstate 110.

“This time of the year, a lot of people are shopping, and kids are moving around,” Young said. “We just wanted to lend some assistance to law enforcement to make certain that they can keep eyes on everything.”