Spring Mechanic Sentenced To 23 Years In Prison In Theft Scheme

HOUSTON, TX -A Spring area mechanic who stole thousands from at least 40 areas businesses and residents by passing checks from a bogus account was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Jason Edward Mott, 39, was sentenced to 23 years and restitution of $749,555 in a plea deal for a series of thefts that he committed while he was on parole.

Mott, who had previously been sentenced to 16 years in prison for running similar scams, began passing counterfeit checks off closed or fictitious accounts shortly after he was paroled in December 2015.

Within days of being released, he began using fake checks and a check-kiting scheme to set up a string of shops across Harris County, Montgomery County and even Splendora and Cleveland.

Those shops included Third Coast Performance, 1st Place Performance, Xtreme Performance, and Texas Autoworx. Using those storefronts, Mott collected money for services he never completed.

He was also able to use bad checks to rent and buy vehicles, tools and auto parts that he, apparently, just sold. Those pilfered items included tools, auto parts, six forklifts valued at over $300,000 and a 1967 Chevy Camaro worth $20,000.

All told, Mott ripped victims off for nearly $750,000 worth of property and services, little of which was able to be recovered.

He pleaded guilty to the first-degree felony of theft and, because of his earlier conviction, faced a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life.

"It’s gratifying to bring people to justice who prey on others and take advantage of them through lies, trickery and deceit," said Assistant District Attorney Jason Horn, who prosecuted the case. "People are more likely to be victimized by financial and property crimes than any other type of crime. They cause real and serious impact on more people’s lives and livelihoods, even if their scams don’t get as much attention as violent crimes."

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