CORPUS CHRISTI — “When I saw this on the news last night and he had a different name, I was like that’s not his name, and this guy is doing it all over again,” Juan, who didn't want to reveal his full identity said. “He’s taking money from all these people.”
Juan’s story was similar to the one KRIS 6 received from several viewers emailing or calling into the newsroom about Edward Turnbull.
Of the aliases given for Turnbull, Edward Turnbul, Edward Turnball, Danny Trujillo, Daniel Saenz, and Daniel Esparza who KRIS 6’s sister station, Action 10 News has reported on before.
“He scams people out of money,” he said.
In April 2018, the Troubleshooters reported Esparza was accused of writing a series of hot checks at a local convenience store.
In January 2019, a former employee alleged Esparza owed her between $1,300 and $1,500 in wages.
That same month, Troubleshooters reported on several people's claims that Esparza charged them to rent out an event space attached to a church on Up River road, a space that wasn’t even his to rent out.
Juan added that he gave Esparza money after he claimed the water would be shut off at the hall if he didn’t pay the $500 water bill.
“He said, ‘Hey you know, they’re going to shut my water off I need a loan. I need $500’. So I wrote him a check, a company check for $500,” Juan said.
He said Esparza gave him a receipt stating the money was a loan.
“It turns out, you know, after the fact that he wasn’t going to pay me back,” Juan said.
Juan shared that Esparza tells people, if they want their stuff back, just sue him. And most people can’t do that.
“They can’t afford just to go sue him," Juan added.
Juan initially filed suit against Esparza with two other people who also allegedly gave Esparza $500 each.
A nationally syndicated court show picked up the case and the judge ruled in the plaintiff's favor.
Fast forward to 2022, Esparza allegedly started operating '361 Grants' under the name Edward Turnbull and started charging people a $150 fee to receive a home renovation grant that pays out more than $10,000
When a KRIS 6 news crew went looking for Turnbullat a location listed for the business on the 800 block of Elesa Street to see if people were actually receiving their grant money, the crew was threatened.
Viewers sent KRIS 6 copies of award letters stating the recipient's grant money going to be issued but they had different letterheads, different names listed under executive directors, and no signatures.
“All of these neighborhoods and all of these poor people they can’t afford this,” Juan said. “I mean to lose $150.”
