Houston, TX — Former Houston Police Department officer Gerald M. Goines, 62, has pleaded guilty to federal charges after admitting he made materially false statements to obtain the search warrant that led to the deadly 2019 Harding Street raid.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, Goines falsely stated in a warrant affidavit that a confidential informant had purchased heroin from a resident of the home and provided it to him. Goines admitted he knew that information was false.
Federal prosecutors said Goines also falsely claimed others had purchased drugs from residents of the home during the approximately three weeks before the warrant was obtained.
The resulting raid led to a shootout that killed two people and injured four HPD officers.
U.S. District Judge George Hanks accepted Goines’ guilty plea. Sentencing is scheduled for November 9, when he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
Goines remains in custody. He was previously convicted in Harris County on first-degree murder charges related to the case and is serving a 60-year prison sentence.
Two others, former HPD officer Steven O. Bryant, 53, and Patricia Ann Garcia, 60, previously pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and providing false information, respectively.
The FBI investigated the federal case.