CORPUS CHRISTI – In what lead defense attorney Eddie Lucio referred to as the “hot mic incident,” Texas Department of Public Safety agent Janie Alvarado expresses her doubts that Cameron County Tax-Assessor Tony Yzaguirre is taking the bribe money.
On Tuesday morning, Lucio questioned supervisor Ryan Maza on what happened when she told him her thoughts.
“Agent Alvarado did not know the totality of the investigation. I think she looked at one episode and not the whole facts,” Maza said.
Maza further testified that Alvarado came from a narcotics background, and so she may have had a different understanding of how the investigation should go.
Lucio once again raised the issue of barbeque tickets, asking Maza if he was aware DPS essentially paid for some.
DPS informant Mel Sosa testified on Monday morning that he purchased five tickets from Yzaguirre for a total of $100.
Lucio argues that it is possible the “bribe money” was really used for fundraising tickets.
However, those ticket sales would have to be reported, according to expert witness testimony from Ross Fischer, an Austin attorney who served on the Texas Ethics Commission for five years.
Even in the case of one set of tickets, which were for a birthday barbeque, the fact that a political figure was charging money for an event raises questions, Fischer said.
“The fact that a political office holder is charging money to hold a birthday party would lead me to believe it’s a political event,” Fischer said.
Sosa’s name does not appear in any of the campaign reports, and nor are there any records involving ticket sales, according to state evidence.
