How a Texas Gay Couple's Fight Against Discrimination Led to Uncovering a Criminal Scheme

In the small Texas town of Aurora, northwest of Fort Worth, a tale of discrimination and deceit unfolded as gay couple Gary Garcia and Chad Pritchett faced hostility, which eventually led to the unraveling of an embezzlement scheme.

The trouble began when the couple launched an outdoor restaurant, Atomic Taco, in a strip center known as Area 114, the Dallas Morning Newsreports.

Area 114 harkens back to a local legend from 1897 when an alien spacecraft purportedly crashed near the site, predating the famed Roswell, New Mexico UFO crash by 50 years, according to Dallas NBC affiliate KXAS.

Atomic Taco soon encountered issues with a malfunctioning septic system. Upon filing a complaint with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the couple faced retaliation from the town’s then-administrator, Toni Lynn Wheeler.

According to court documents reported by the Dallas Morning News, Wheeler and other city employees allegedly used derogatory antigay terms about the fathers and sent a city health inspector to Atomic Taco to find deficiencies.

The situation worsened as Wheeler was accused of fabricating a buyer for Area 114 to terminate the restaurant’s lease prematurely. Court records indicate the supposed buyer, Luis Martinez, was an alias used by Wheeler.

"All we wanted to do was make tacos and make a business, and it turned out to be this crazy scam," Garcia told the online news outlet The Messenger. "It turned into more and more; it was just crazy, and unfortunately, we got retaliated against, and we got no help from anyone, which I think was sad."

The malice escalated when Wheeler allegedly filed an anonymous and false child abuse report against the couple, accusing them of using their 4-year-old son, Alex, for sex trafficking, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Following an investigation, Child Protective Services cleared the family of wrongdoing. However, the incident left a lasting emotional scar on the family. Garcia said, “For weeks, the boy acted out the questions and answers of his interview,” revealing the distress experienced by their son.

The conflict took a dramatic twist when Wheeler’s vindictive actions led to the exposure of her alleged embezzlement activities. She now faces charges of filing false child abuse reports, money laundering, and theft of at least $767,000 from the town’s financial accounts.

According to media reports, the evidentiary trail was partially lost in a suspicious 2021 fire that engulfed Aurora City Hall, marking a haunting similarity to a previous fire in 2007.

Following the fire, bank records unearthed hundreds of thousands of dollars in suspected fraudulent transactions linked to Wheeler. The unfolding drama led to Wheeler’s termination by the City Council and Mayor Terry Solomon apologizing to the couple for the derogatory remarks made by city employees.

"Toni Wheeler’s actions were deplorable, and we remain hopefully optimistic that Toni Wheeler will be prosecuted for her crimes to the fullest extent of the law," representatives from Aurora city government said in a statement to The Messenger. "We hope and expect the Wise County District Attorney’s Office will hold Toni Wheeler fully accountable for her heinous acts."

The representatives added: "The City of Aurora is making great strides and plans to continue undertaking improvements both in infrastructure and in promoting oversight within the City. Toni Wheeler may have taken a lot from us, but she can’t take our community’s spirit and persistence as we continue to move forward."

In the aftermath, Garcia and Pritchett sought legal recourse, filing a federal court lawsuit alleging discrimination based on their sexual orientation. The city settled with a payout of $300,000.

"I don't want to deal with the same bigotry or drama, but I'm not a person who gives up, and I don't like unfairness," Garcia told The Messenger. "I don't like people treated wrongly."

He said he wanted Wheeler held accountable. "That's one thing we teach our son — the decisions you make, you're accountable for, and you suffer the consequences. So make sure they're good decisions," Garcia said.

Wheeler’s criminal trial is set for January. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.