Fraud Unit chief prosecutor promoted in Army Reserve

As Brig. Gen. Kyson Johnson looked around the conference table at the Pentagon, he saw the judge advocate general of the United States Army and chair after chair of military generals. He pondered how he got there.

“And then here I am, a Baptist preacher’s kid from Oklahoma,” he said. “It was like imposter syndrome.”

Kyson was in Washington, D.C. to talk about his job duties after his October promotion from colonel to brigadier general in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps in the Army Reserve. There are only three brigadier general positions.

“The Army Reserve has 3,000 JAG Corps soldiers. And you're one of those 3,000. It's very humbling,” Kyson said.

As he’s done for 20 years, Kyson will continue to lead the TDI Fraud Unit’s prosecutor program and fulfill his military service. Kyson’s legal career began 10 years earlier.

Kyson worked at law firms while a student at Dallas Baptist University and then law school at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now the Texas A&M University School of Law).

After college, Kyson was a personal injury lawyer until one eye-opening day in court.

“I stood up to argue to the jury and I found myself questioning whether or not I believed my client,” he said. “I recall walking to the office and saying, ‘I'm done.’”

Kyson switched legal sides and became a prosecutor in Grayson County, Texas.

“I felt like I was a good guy. I was doing something with my law degree that made me feel good about myself,” he said.

In March 2001, Kyson made another life-altering decision and joined the JAG Corps in the Army Reserve. He could work full-time during the week and serve his country on weekends.

“Serving my country has always been a big thing to me,” he said. “There really was no conflict between the two jobs until 9/11 happened.”

One of Kyson’s first jobs after deploying to Iraq in 2004 was to help prosecute the first prisoner abuse case at Abu Ghraib prison. Shortly before the trial, he was promoted to captain.

“It was just a surreal experience frankly. I turned around in court, looked over my shoulder, and there were seat placards for Connie Chung and Dan Rather,” he said.

After getting home, he saw an ad for a prosecutor position in the Fraud Unit. TDI was starting a program to put lawyers in district attorney’s offices around the state to prosecute insurance fraud.

“Insurance fraud was appealing because it didn't carry the emotional baggage of prosecuting those really difficult criminal cases,” he said.

That was in 2005. Kyson – the first insurance fraud prosecutor – now manages the program as it enters its 20 ^th year. The team has TDI lawyers in Tarrant, Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Travis counties.

Kyson is also the Fraud Unit’s chief prosecutor and helps out when he’s not on military duty. On one of his mobilization assignments to the Pentagon, he went to the Army War College and learned about developing operational plans.

“Not only has TDI been super supportive of the military, but my military service has brought back some increased skills and competencies that have benefited TDI,” he said.

For his last military assignment, he was the chief of staff for 1,700 soldiers in the Army Reserve Command.

“As chief of staff of the largest command of military lawyers in the nation, he played a critical role in leading that organization,” said Major General Bill, Kyson’s friend and mentor. “We project great things in his future.”

As he begins his next assignment as a newly-promoted brigadier general, Kyson takes stock of how far he’s come.

“It's overwhelming. But I am very grateful for the opportunity,” he said. “I feel like I've been put into a position of trust where I can help soldiers. And in doing so, I can help our Army Reserve and our country.”