The U. S. Department of Justice indicted Rep. Henry Cuellar ( D- Texas ) and his wife on corruption and crime charges on Friday.
In a Friday press release, the Justice Department said the prosecution charged both the senator and his family, Imelda Cuellar, for participating in two corruption techniques, money laundering, and immoral foreign effect. According to the press release, U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo and the Democratic agent made an appearance in Houston on Friday.
According to court records, the Democratic senator and his family allegedly accepted roughly$ 600,000 in bribes from a Mexican institution and an Azerbaijani oil and gas company owned by the government from December 2014 until at least November 2021.
According to the Department of Justice,” the reward payments were reportedly laundered through a number of front companies and brokers into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed small genuine work under the deals,” according to the Department of Justice’s press release on Friday.
Congressman Cuellar reportedly agreed to employ his business to effect U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan in exchange for the bribes the Azerbaijani oil and gas company paid, according to the Department of Justice. Congressman Cuellar reportedly agreed to effect congressional action and to pressure senior U.S. Executive Branch officials into putting together plans that would benefit the Mexican bank in exchange for the bribes.
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The Texas member and his family have been accused of two counts of conspiracy to bribe a federal official into having the standard work as a foreign principal’s broker, two counts of bribery of a federal official, two counts of breaking the law that forbids public officials from serving as foreign principal’s agents, two counts of conspiracy to defraud, five counts of money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to suppress money laundering, respectively.
Up to 15 or 20 years in prison are available on some of the charges brought against the congressman and his wife.
According to Fox News, federal law enforcement conducted a previous search of the Texas lawmaker’s home and office in 2022 as part of an investigation into several U.S. businessmen.
Prior to the announcement of Friday’s indictment, Cuellar released a statement obtained by NBC News. ” I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations”, Cuellar said. ” In Congress, I have done everything I can to help the people of South Texas.”
On Friday, Cuellar and his wife were both released on bond, according to Fox News. Cuellar made an announcement on Friday that he would continue to run for reelection in November, according to NBC News.
