Crime File: Prosecutor Bought Gaming Rig with Confiscated Funds
The tables have been turned on Rockwall County District Attorney Ray Sumrow, who, rather than prosecuting others, now himself stands accused of misappropriating funds to buy a souped-up gaming PC for his office. As reported by Kotaku:
Prosecutors say the computer, which was loaded with eBay sales, personal emails and a cheat sheet for a computer game, is equipped with two hard drives, seven fans, high-end video and audio cards, a wireless Internet connection and cables that glow under ultraviolet light.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Think they’ll sell it at a seized merchandise auction? It sounds like a pretty good rig. Also, it is not surprising that he is a prosecutor since public defenders love the ‘evil vidja games’ excuses.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:47 am
One of the funniest things I have heard in a long time. I agree with Tyler, anybody know when it will be surplussed and sold?
March 12th, 2008 at 7:47 am
I wish they listed the components to the PC. I’m curious now.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Glowing under ultraviolet light? >_> That sounds very icky… who knows what spilled on it >_>
March 12th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Didn’t you know, having lots of glowing ultraviolet things on your computer can nearly double the speed?
March 12th, 2008 at 7:59 am
yeah I wana know what he was playing!!!!
could be jokies!!!!
March 12th, 2008 at 7:59 am
@ JC
ewww….
however, I am curious about the components now. Running an old Alienware, and I’m strapped for cash to upgrade. Mayhaps some good can come from this evil…like me getting a new comp *c’mon lucky auction paddle, don’t fail me now*
March 12th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Ooh, can I buy this at a police auction?
March 12th, 2008 at 8:14 am
A cheat sheet for “A” game? Only one? He cannot have been doing too much gaming then. I am keen to know what game it was though.
Maybe he was trying to track criminals through online games like the government is doing in online RPGs now. He was just ahead of the curve, that’s all.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:15 am
@Masked
Knowing our luck it will become the DA’s new “crime computer” with which he shall battle the evils of corruption…in Azeroth.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Well…the new DA’s anyways.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:29 am
So was he playing Doom or WoW? I’m sure it was purely research.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Video games made him do it!
(well, you do need a good computer to play video games…)
March 12th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Hmmm… maybe his Team Fortress 2 tag shouldn’t have been
[DA]1337Sumrow
He should pay back the money he spent to buy it… then get re-elected. We could use more gaming DA’s. (they do get elected, right?)
March 12th, 2008 at 9:19 am
The article link was no good when I read this, but the claim quoted from the article doesn’t sound legitimate. A DA would need two hard drives for auto backups. He would also need high-end A/V to do his job. He would probably use wireless internet, and the flourescent-colored cables are probably a coincidence. Tons of Ebay sales are kept on your eBay account, not your PC. Browsed items would be kept on your PC. Personal email? There’s no question that people access their personal accounts from their work computers. And lastly, the only true gaming-related item is a single FAQ sheet for a single game.
The evidence presented in the excerpt is frivolous. DA Ray Sumrow is the target of a smear campaign attempt.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Any chance that this rig of his might end up on Ebay?
March 12th, 2008 at 9:41 am
So was he playing Doom or WoW? I’m sure it was purely research.
heh..
I wonder what was going through his mind?
“Those freakin’ Huntards keep pwning me, well now I’ll practice my gnome warrior for 20 hours a day - we’ll see then who’s the BG KING!”
March 12th, 2008 at 9:57 am
@Robert Gauss
sounds like a good explnation to me. i want to see a pic of the system.
March 12th, 2008 at 10:27 am
@ Robert Gauss
You could be right. Still, why does a DA need a “high end video and audio cards”? I’m not saying he doesn’t, just I can’t think of a reason.
I will agree that there is no evidence cited that he actually played video games on that computer at work. As far as the Faq sheet goes, who doesn’t view similar things at work? How many of the GP posters are reading and posting at work right now?
March 12th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
governments track criminals through online rpgs???
someone is pulling my chain????
March 12th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
What actual games were found installed on his hard drive? How much money was spent? I hope more details come out in this case.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
@Gameboy:
My reasoning for the A/V is prerecorded and archived depositions and testimony. There’s a good chance that if the DA is working with or on a case that it got passed to him via his employee. So he may be getting half-discovered information and such. He may also need the equipment for teleconferences/meetings. The article is still down, so I’m not totally sure of my position.
Another good reason to get cables that glow is low-light conditions. You can distinguish the colors easier. If he isn’t a gamer himself, the game FAQ probably got on his system during “bring your son/daughter/kid to work day.”
It’s just that the investigational motives are questionable themselves.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
What’s the betting that the game was ‘Left Behind’ (the game about the rapture)? It’s the one game that a Republican DA from Texas would play.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I have this mental picture of the guy with a headset instructing his secretery “I’m not taking calls for an hour, gotta pwn some n00bs.”
March 12th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
@Robert Gauss … your reasoning about the computer is sound. Unfortunately for Mr. Sumrow, the computer is only peripheral to the actual case, which involves check forgery and misuse of public funds and potentially, embezzlement. This is a local case for me (local as in, the county I live in) so I keep an eye on it.
March 12th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
@ JC
I don’t think it was spilled.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Penny Arcade has the best response to this. As far as crimes go, this one is pretty awesome. I’d like to see the specs for it.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
As per my first response on this, Penny Arcade agrees:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/03/12
(a little slower then Skyler, but I’m busy working).
March 12th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
The cards arent “high end” if it cant play Crysis on very high xD
But seriously, what WAS he playing? Why would a DA need a computer that powerful anyway?
March 12th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Wish I got to see the specs…..
March 12th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
@ mogbert
I think you just proved a previous point of mine.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
All I can stay about this is lol :p.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
@Ghost Coins
let’s hope he has “The Sword Of A Thousand Truths”
March 12th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
This sounds like an Antec 900 case. I’ve got one, and it has room for 7 fans and’s got a great blue glow. As far as I know, it’s the only gaming case on the market with room for that many fans. If anyone can confirm it’s an Antec 900, that is indeed one pimped out rig.
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15900
March 12th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I’ll hold off my judgment until the model of heatsink is revealed.
Intel stock = innocent
Tuniq Tower = guilty as hell
March 12th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
@int0xitive
I have one of them, so his guilt stinks to heaven…
He’s teh hardcore gamez0r
March 13th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Haha what does it say about us that the first thought when we heard corruption+gaming computer is “I wonder what the specs are”?
He’s probably one of those really annoying people who spends thousands on a maxed out gaming PC that most of us can only dream of and uses it to play nothing but solitaire & shitty online flash games.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
@verbinator
Thanks for the real reason behind the investigation. It puts it in context for me.
March 15th, 2008 at 2:04 am
I live in Rockwall County, so I’ve been following these stories. The only thing I don’t get is that he has a cheat sheet for a game, but no games on that rig. That is the real crime. jk