HOUSTON-Johnny Binder, known around Houston today as Minister Jeremiah, or even Reverend Johnny Jeremiah, is the same guy who served ten years on a federal drug-kingpin conviction for selling coke and running a dope house in Houston. He stated that at one time he had a house in Acres Homes from which his organization sold over $100,000 worth of illegal drugs each week. It is said their drug enterprise almost ruined Acres Homes. Binder and his co-conspirator Marie Preston’s heydey ended in 1987, when they were arrested and sentenced to 40 years in prison (although they only served one-fourth of their sentence).

So it`s a bit of irony, then, that a man accused of possessing crack has fingered Binder for supposedly soliciting legal business for a Houston attorney accused of stealing $18,000 from a client in a different case.

Yeah, you kinda need a program to keep track of all the players. Bottom line, it`s illegal to solicit legal business in Texas, except for paid ads. It`s call barratry.  Harris County prosecutors say they found text messages on a phone belonging to attorney Tiffany Mooney that suggest she and Binder would split legal fees fifty-fifty.

Binder`s attorney, Wilvin Carter, says the accused doper is just trying to cut a deal. ‘This is a motive behind what they consider to be the complainant witness, the whistle blower.  I think his motive, again, is to have some type of reduction in his sentence.  He hasn`t been indicted at this point in time, so you know, I would say the motive would be that the case goes away in his favor.’