Former Webb County employee charged with tampering with vehicle titles

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A 26-year-old woman was taken into custody and charged with tampering with a government record, according to the Laredo Police Department.

Anabell Rivera was arrested Sept. 1. Police said the case dates back to 2024, when the Texas Rangers opened an investigation and later transferred it to the Laredo Police Department.

Webb County Tax Assessor-Collector Patricia Barrera confirmed that Rivera began working at the office in 2021 and was later dismissed.

Barrera said she filed a report with authorities years ago after noticing something on surveillance video.

Jose Espinoza, with the Laredo Police Department, said the investigation found that Rivera was tampering with vehicle titles while employed at the Tax Assessor-Collector’s office.

“The information that we have gathered is that she was tampering with these vehicle titles while she was employed at the Tax Assessor-Collector’s office. She started using affidavits, where they were not paying for the vehicle titles,” Espinoza said. “This investigation began with the Texas Rangers and... later transferred over to the Auto Theft Task Force.”

Laredo police said they are now waiting for Rivera to be extradited from San Antonio. They added that the investigation is ongoing as detectives look into other possible suspects who may be connected to the case.

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