McALLEN, Texas – A McAllen grand jury has returned a
74-count superseding indictment against four local men alleging they conspired
with others to pay bribes to two Weslaco City Commissioners.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick made the announcement along
with Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice
Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of
the FBI San Antonio Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Kull of
IRS-Criminal Investigation (CI) Houston Field office.
The indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas
yestrday charges former Weslaco City Commissioner John F. Cuellar, 56, and
Richard Quintanilla, 51, both of
Weslaco; former Hidalgo County Commissioner Arturo C. Cuellar Jr., 65,
of Hidalgo County; and Daniel J. Garcia, 40, of Rio Grande City. They allegedly
conspired to bribe and bribed John Cuellar, 56, of Weslaco, and another Weslaco
City Commissioner – Gerardo Tafolla, 52 of Weslaco - in exchange for official
actions favorable to three engineering companies. Tafolla pleaded guilty to one
count of federal program bribery on April 8, 2019, before the Honorable Micaela
Alvarez of the Southern District of Texas.
According to the superseding indictment, from approximately
March 2008 through December 2015, Leonel J. Lopez, 52, of Starr County,
received approximately $4.1 million from two engineering companies and shared
approximately $1.398 million with Cuellar Jr. Lopez pleaded guilty to one count
of federal program bribery on March 22, 2019, before the Honorable Ricardo H.
Hinojosa of the Southern District of Texas.
The superseding indictment further alleges that Cuellar Jr.
used a company he controlled to pay Cuellar approximately $405,000, disguised
as legitimate legal expenses. In exchange for these payments, Cuellar allegedly
took several official actions to benefit the three construction companies,
including the award of a $38.5 million contract to rehabilitate Weslaco’s water
treatment plant. The superseding indictment also alleges Lopez paid additional
bribes through Quintanilla to Tafolla, according to the allegations.
The superseding indictment further alleges that Lopez and
Cuellar Jr. enlisted Garcia, an attorney, to launder approximately $90,000 in
bribe payments to Cuellar through Garcia’s interest on lawyers trust account.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in federal prison on
each of the wire fraud and money laundering charges, 10 years for a conviction
of federal programs bribery and another five years upon conviction of
violations of interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of
racketeering enterprises.
FBI and IRS-CI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Roberto Lopez Jr. is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorneys
Peter M. Nothstein and Jessica C. Harvey of the Criminal Division’s Public
Integrity Section.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct,
not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through
due process of law.
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