Indictments for Donald Joseph Dean, 44, of Tyler; Michael Day Lamont, 30 ,of Allen; and Carl Tinsley Ratner, 52,

Indictments for Donald Joseph Dean, 44, of Tyler; Michael Day Lamont, 30 ,of Allen; and Carl Tinsley Ratner, 52, address unknown.
Hunt County District Attorney Noble D. Walker Jr. said his office did not handle the investigations and that the grand jury was presented with the cases by a special prosecutor associated with the Securities Commission of Texas.All three individuals received indictments for engaging in organized criminal activity, acting as an unregistered dealer and selling unregistered securities. Dean and Ratner was also indicted for securities fraud.The engaging in organized criminal activity indictments allege that the three defendants, three more people named in the indictments, “and others”, between March 21, 2006 and Nov. 14, 2007, were involved in theft of property offenses in which the aggregate amount of the value of the stolen property totaled $200,000 or more; were involved in securing execution of document by deception offenses of which the aggregate affected the pecuniary interest of others in the amount of $200,000 or more; and also were involved in money laundering offenses in which the aggregate criminal proceeds totaled $200,000 or more.The unregistered dealer or agent indictments allege the three offered to make or made sales of securities to three individuals on three occasions during 2006, “without being duly registered as a securities dealer or agent by and with the Securities Commission of Texas.”The final indictment against all three defendants allege the securities they offered for sale were also not registered with the Commission.

Under the securities fraud indictments, Dean and Ratner were alleged to have on Aug. 24, 2006 offered for sale interests in the Mack Diamond Energy LLC, Honey Grove Single Well Joint Venture, an oil or gas mining lease or title, while not disclosing the funds raised were not used for those purposes.

Mack Diamond Energy is a company based in Wolfe City, which was the basis of two recent lawsuits.

Cypress Consulting of Houston sued Mack Diamond Energy Group in August 2006, claiming the seismic data it provided, for which it charged Mack Diamond $183,436.45, was paid for by a check which bounced. The company was initially suing for more than $265,000 in damages and interest, then later adjusted the suit to credit Mack Diamond for $184,000 in payments. The two parties were reported to have reached an agreement in May 2007 and the suit was dropped.
Joe R. Owen of Dallas, one of the persons named as a victim in the grand jury indictments issued Friday, filed suit against Mack Diamond in Dallas County, with the venue later transferred to Hunt County.Owen said he was offered investments over the Internet and telephone and invested $137,500. Owens wanted the investment rescinded, alleging Mack Diamond provided misrepresentations concerning purchases of oil and gas securities.The company issued a general denial of Owens’ claims.
The suit indicated C. Mack Hays, the founder of Mack Diamond Energy, died on March 5, 2008 and the complaint was dismissed in January of this year.