Con Man Gets Two-Year Sentence

LONGVIEW — Danny Lynn Busher accepted a maximum two-year state jail sentence Friday morning for theft. Busher, 58, of Longview, has been arrested and convicted by multiple agencies during the past two decades. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, Smith County authorities took him into custody Wednesday on theft charges there. He was later transported to the Gregg County Jail.

Prosecutors said Busher conned at least six Gregg County residents out of more than $23,500 in cash for which he must pay restitution as part of his plea agreement Friday. In exchange, the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office charged him with theft between $1,500 and $20,000 – a state jail felony punishable by up to two years – rather than third-degree felony theft that carries up to 10 years in prison. Still, Assistant District Attorney Stacee Brownlee said Busher tried to negotiate a lesser sentence because of his health issues.

Busher’s plea resolves all of his Gregg County theft cases, though Brownlee said other victims have come forward since media have published Busher’s Tyler arrest. District Judge David Brabham said Busher’s plea does not exonerate him from charges in other counties, including Smith and Upshur.