Two Democrat Officials Plead Guilty in Large-Scale Bribery, Money Laundering Case Involving Foreign Government

Last year, two Democratic political consultants pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar to launder over $200,000 in bribes from a Mexican bank. Cuellar, a Democrat representing South Texas, and his wife, Imelda, were indicted on charges of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from Azerbaijan and Banco Azteca, a commercial bank based in Mexico. The Laredo native faces charges of bribery, money laundering, and working on behalf of a foreign government.

The indictment against Cuellar accuses him of accepting money from the bank to influence the Treasury Department and subvert anti-money laundering policies that would benefit the Mexican bank. Allegedly, Cuellar engaged his former campaign manager, Colin Strother, and consultant, Florencio “Lencho” Rendon, to orchestrate the payments.

Furthermore, allegations claim that the Cuellars were simultaneously engaged in a scheme with the state-run oil and gas company based in Azerbaijan. Payments were supposedly laundered via fake consulting contracts through shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar. For the payments, Rep. Cuellar allegedly advocated for U.S. policy that was favorable toward the foreign nation.

The American Tribune reported in December that Cuellar had won re-election in the 28th District of Texas along the southern border with Mexico, despite his ongoing legal battle with the corruption charges. Cuellar had denied any wrongdoing amid the indictment brought against him. Recent reports indicate that Cuellar’s trial has been rescheduled to begin in September.

A May press release from the Department of Justice stated, “An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas charging U.S. Congressman Enrique Roberto “Henry” Cuellar, 68, and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, 67, both of Laredo, Texas, with participating in two schemes involving bribery, unlawful foreign influence, and money laundering. Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar made their initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo in Houston.”

The DOJ statement continued, “According to court documents, beginning in at least December 2014 and continuing through at least November 2021, Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar allegedly accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City. The bribe payments were allegedly laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts.”

“In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan. In exchange for the bribes paid by the Mexican bank, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to influence legislative activity and to advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank,” the DOJ said.

Last May, Cuellar released a statement maintaining his innocence in the face of the indictment. The representative maintained that his conduct was “consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people.” He added, “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Before I took any action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm.”

Watch Kash Patel shut down Adam Schiff below: