Wrongful convictions don’t just happen. They’re built — one lie, one omission, one conflict at a time.
In my case, it wasn’t just a bad defense or an overzealous prosecutor. It was an entire network of failure that included a perjuring witness, a silent defense team, and a government so determined to win that they buried the truth.
Here’s how the system collapsed — and who helped push it down.
Government witness Wes Keeling testified under oath that he never taught Universal K9’s TVC-approved program — a statement proven false by metadata, department emails, and the Midlothian Police Chief’s own sworn affidavit.
At the time he testified, Keeling had already been Brady-listed for dishonesty and falsifying evidence. The prosecution knew. The defense had the documents. And no one said a word.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Surovics had the same documents. He had the Midlothian TVC approval letter. He knew Keeling’s testimony was false. Yet he stood by silently — and used that testimony to convict.
He’s now named in a civil rights lawsuit. Because he didn’t just allow perjury — he relied on it.
Lead defense counsel Thomas McHugh was directly warned by the DOJ about a conflict of interest on his own team — Fred Olivares, a former FBI supervisor connected to the case. Instead of disclosing the conflict, McHugh submitted a false affidavit denying he ever knew about it.
Fred Olivares later submitted his own false affidavit, claiming he gave me a key subpoena to have served — even though I was on house arrest and couldn’t have done so. The subpoena was never served.
Co-counsel William Brooks filed the subpoena, but like the others, he said nothing when it disappeared.
This wasn’t an accident. It was coordination through silence.
The result? A trial where the witness perjured himself, the prosecution let it happen, and the defense never objected. A subpoena that could have changed everything was buried. And a man was convicted while everyone in power looked the other way.
This wasn’t a flaw in the system. It was the system doing exactly what its worst actors wanted.
Fred Olivares – The Subpoena He Lied About
Thomas McHugh – What He Knew and What He Chose Not to Say
William Brooks – The Attorney Who Stayed Silent
Gregory Surovics – The Prosecutor Who Knew Too Much
Read the central report: Brad Croft San Antonio — The Truth the DOJ Doesn’t Want You to Know