Ryan Grayson PI

03/21/2026

Interesting story.

A newly released search warrant reveals an alleged organized crime operation run from inside a Texas prison, involving hacked tablets, contraband smuggling, and attempted drone drops, according to reporting by KTRK.

Investigators with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Office of Inspector General say inmate William Patrick Alexander, 55, is accused of being part of a network that continued operating despite efforts to stop it. Alexander is serving a life sentence for the 1992 murder of his 17-year-old girlfriend. 

According to the warrant, Alexander and others allegedly hacked prison-issued tablets, allowing inmates to access technology beyond what is permitted and carry out illegal activity from inside the facility. 

Authorities believe the operation extended outside prison walls. Investigators say Alexander worked with at least two people on the outside, including Rueneen Smith, 57, who has been arrested, and a former UTMB employee accused of smuggling high-tech contraband and to***co into the prison. 

The warrant states that Smith allegedly purchased and delivered items including tablet components, SIM cards, and prepaid cell phones, while also communicating with Alexander. The former UTMB employee is accused of bringing those items into the prison and was allegedly paid $1,000 through Cash App. 

On February 20, investigators executed search warrants at Smith’s tax office in southeast Houston and her nearby home, where they seized 35 Securus tablets, three cell phones, multiple thumb drives, and five computers. The tablets were reportedly in various stages of modification, or “jailbroken.” 

According to the warrant, Alexander was also able to remotely access a computer and phone at Smith’s office, allowing him to communicate with inmates in other states, including Florida and Georgia, in an effort to learn new hacking techniques. 

Investigators say Alexander also attempted to learn how to hack systems to alter inmate release dates, and may have been connected to drone drops into TDCJ facilities and attempts to bribe staff. 

An IT expert who reviewed the documents told KTRK that modified tablets can become powerful tools, capable of functioning as communication hubs with expanded capabilities. 

The investigation began after authorities accessed data from SIM cards and SD cards linked to Alexander’s tablet, according to the warrant. He has since been transferred to another prison unit. 

TDCJ confirmed the case remains an active investigation.

02/23/2026

Here is what started the fiasco in Mexico yesterday; there lies the body of El Mencho.

02/23/2026

Members of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) have issued serious threats to force their way into homes and hotels at 5:00 p.m. if their demands are not met, raising significant concerns about public safety in the affected areas. People in the area are urged to stay alert and indoors if possible and follow local authority updates. Praying for the safety of families, residents, and anyone in the region.

02/19/2026

South American theft ring linked to string of break-ins across Houston area, police say

02/09/2026

🕯️ More than 40,000 Texans were reported missing last year — these Houston-area cases remain unsolved: bit.ly/4aC4MOF

02/08/2026

Food for thought

The Mexican Constitution places a specific restriction on foreigners participating in the country’s political affairs, and this has historically included political demonstrations or protests.

Constitutional Basis

The key provision is Article 33 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States (Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos).

Article 33 basically says:
• Foreigners may not “interfere in the political affairs” of Mexico.
• The federal executive branch (the President) has the authority to expel a foreign national from the country if they are considered to be interfering in politics.

What counts as “political affairs”?

The Constitution itself does not give a precise list, so interpretation matters. In practice, this has often included:
• Participating in political protests or rallies
• Public political advocacy
• Activities that could be seen as influencing elections or government decisions

However, enforcement varies and is not automatic. Many foreigners attend public demonstrations in Mexico without consequence, but legally the government retains the authority to act if it considers the activity political interference.

Reforms and Due Process

Historically, Article 33 allowed immediate expulsion without a hearing.
Reforms in 2011 strengthened human-rights protections, meaning:
• Foreigners now generally have due-process rights before expulsion.
• The government cannot act as arbitrarily as it once could.

Practical Reality
• There is no blanket criminal ban that says “a foreigner commits a crime just by attending a protest.”
• But the Constitution does give the government discretionary power to remove a foreigner if their protest participation is deemed political interference.
• Social, cultural, or human-rights marches are sometimes treated differently from overtly partisan or election-related protests, but this depends on authorities’ interpretation.

Bottom line:
Under Article 33, foreigners in Mexico are expected not to involve themselves in political affairs, and protest participation can fall into that category. It is not automatically illegal, but the Constitution gives the federal government the power to expel a foreign national if it decides their actions amount to political interference.

02/08/2026

Last night turned into a true cat-and-mouse surveillance operation. It was a busy evening, but the objective was successfully achieved and the client was very satisfied.

02/05/2026

I’m attending a class today that appears to be very interesting.

AI and Child Exploitation - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, & The Future

02/05/2026

MEMORY CONTAMINATION AND CRIMINAL DEFENSE INVESTIGATIONS

Memory is a powerful thing, but it is not perfect. One of the biggest misunderstandings I see in criminal defense investigations is the belief that memory works like a video camera. It does not. Memory is more like a puzzle that our brain keeps rearranging over time. This is where memory contamination becomes a serious issue.

Memory contamination happens when outside influences change or distort what a person believes they remember. This does not automatically mean someone is lying. In many cases, the person truly believes what they are saying. The problem is that their memory may have been influenced by repeated questioning, conversations with others, media exposure, or even the way a question was asked.

In criminal defense investigations, this matters more than people realize. A witness might hear details from a friend, read something online, or be asked the same leading question multiple times. Over time, those outside details can blend into their original memory. What started as a small recollection can grow into something much larger and more detailed, even if those added details were never actually experienced.

I have learned that confidence does not always equal accuracy. Someone can be very confident in a memory that has been unintentionally altered. This is why careful interviewing is critical. The way questions are phrased, the number of interviews conducted, and who is doing the questioning all play a role in preserving or contaminating memory.

For a criminal defense investigator, recognizing the signs of memory contamination can make a real difference. Repeated identical wording from a witness, sudden new details after multiple interviews, or language that does not match a person’s age or background can all be indicators. Documentation, recordings, and neutral questioning help protect the integrity of what is being said.

At the end of the day, memory is human. It is not a hard drive. In criminal defense work, understanding that simple truth can be the difference between clarity and confusion, and sometimes even the difference between guilt and innocence.

02/03/2026

Justice without bias: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions aimed at reducing jury bias in R**e and sexual assault trials