Dark SMU Story from the past resurfaces

[2ndandlong]

Not sure if you all remember this, but this story made national headlines about 10 years ago. This guy was (allegedly) selling fake ID's, drugs, and stolen goods out of his dorm room and slowly grew his trade until he was caught up with the Russian mob. Now he has the preeminent white collar attorney representing him, certainly in Dallas if not the country. Paul Coggins is a big deal.

Here's a refresher from a few years ago:
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2004-10-2 ... next-door/

As an update, he was finally extradited from England and is now approaching trial in Dallas:
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/he ... -years.ece

Former SMU student extradited from England after nine years
AText Size By SELWYN CRAWFORD
Staff Writer
[email protected]
Published 18 March 2011 10:54 PM
Related itemsDouglas Cade Havard, who is wanted by authorities in Dallas and Collin counties for a variety of felonies, is shown in a Carrollton Police Dept. booking photo taken Feb. 5, 2002. A former Southern Methodist University student who fled the country nine years ago to avoid prosecution on a host of felony charges appeared in a Dallas federal courtroom Friday after being extradited from England earlier this week.

Doug Havard, 28, is expected to be arraigned next week on federal passport fraud charges. Havard will remain in custody until then.

“The fact that he didn’t fight extradition and didn’t fight detention is a pretty good signal that we should be able to reach a resolution to get something worked out … and avoid a trial,” said his attorney, Paul Coggins.

Havard, who attended the private Winston School before entering SMU in 2001, has a colorful past. He spent the past seven years in an English jail after his 2004 arrest there for involvement with a global identity theft ring with ties to Russian organized crime.

And at the time he fled the United States, he had pending charges in Dallas and Collin counties that included drug dealing, organized crime, counterfeiting and aggravated robbery.

While at SMU, authorities say that Havard ran a sophisticated criminal enterprise from his dorm room that included producing fake IDs and selling the so-called date-rape drug, GHB.

Now, Coggins said, Havard just wants to rectify his past to have a chance at salvaging his future.

“He’s spent most of his 20s behind bars,” Coggins said. “Doug’s intent right now is just to come back here and take care of his problems in the United States and eventually get on with the rest of his life.”

[GiddyUp]

They need to lock this guy up for a long time. I reread the DO story yesterday. What a scumbag. I think I read he was in jail in England - I guess he just got out?

[2ndandlong]

It took that long just to extradite him

[skyscraper]

This guy was a bad dude from all accounts.
Interesting that Coggins wants to avoid a trial. That would be heavily covered by the local media for sure.

[GiddyUp]

His Past:
Stealing jewelry from parent's friend's houses, buying and selling guns, selling drugs, fake ID's, offshore accounts, possible rape/assault (GHB), Target store barcode schemes.

Seems like a pretty smart kid using his smarts in the wrong way....What a winner - very strange coming from a wealthy parents background.

[Peruna 2K5]

He was in my freshman class at SMU. I still remember hearing about the police raid on his dorm room in Perkins

[ponyboy]

Here's hoping he repays his debt to society and goes on to live a happy and productive life.

[HB Pony Dad]

Were the SMU police bumblers, or were they trying to prevent the school from getting a big black eye?

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairp ... _years.php

[Junior]

Were the SMU police bumblers, or were they trying to prevent the school from getting a big black eye?

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairp ... _years.php

They still are a bunch of bumblers!

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

Were the SMU police bumblers, or were they trying to prevent the school from getting a big black eye?

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairp ... _years.php

They still are a bunch of bumblers!

Speaking of bumblers, isn't the Tommy Jones that was in the earlier article also the same Tommy Jones that couldn't even handle a simple task of babysitting Pac Man Jones and ended up getting into that infamous fight in the bathroom?

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

Here's hoping he repays his debt to society and goes on to live a happy and productive life.

Good luck with all that, bub. From the sounds of it, this guy is a certifiable sociopath. I'm willing to bet that this guy ends up in solitary confinement.

[MustangIcon]

very strange coming from a wealthy parents background.

That comment is laughable at best. Apologies if you were being sarcastic and I just missed it.