McAllen attorney Francisco “Frank” Enriquez died Monday after jumping from a high-rise building Monday evening, according to the man’s attorney, Carlos A. Garcia.
On Tuesday morning, San Antonio police officials confirmed that officers were called to the Wurzbach Towers just before 6 p.m. Monday for a reported suicide. Officials declined to provide further details.
Located in the 7700 block of Wurzbach Road, Garcia said Enriquez split his time between his condo at the Wurzbach Towers, described on its website as a 23-story high-rise located next to San Antonio’s Medical Center, and his law office and residence in McAllen.
A man who didn’t identify himself at a number for Wurzbach Towers management, confirmed an incident had prompted a call for police Monday evening, but said he could not comment further for issues of privacy.
Garcia confirmed some of Enriquez’s family members were in San Antonio and received the news of his death.
The 66-year-old man was released from custody just last week, Nov. 5, after a court granted him a $100,000 bond related to one count of receipt of child pornography that came as a result of a federal investigation into allegations of the distribution of pornographic images of children.
The investigation into Enriquez, led by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents, specifically by the HSI Rio Grande Valley child exploitation task force, began in April and led to the identification of a computer’s internet address, which was “offering to participate in the distribution of images and videos of child pornography,” utilizing peer-to-peer software.
“Several videos were obtained from IP address 66.68.206.152, and reviewed as representative samples,” the document stated. “It was determined that the videos meet the federal definition of child pornography.”
The subsequent investigation led authorities to the location of the aforementioned computer, and after obtaining a search warrant for the corresponding location, 4200 Bicentennial Drive, Suite B, McAllen, agents searched the location and found the computer in question.
“Agents learned this office belongs to (Enriquez),” the complaint stated.
“The search revealed that a (peer-to-peer) file sharing software, often used to share child pornography, had been installed on a computer located within the office. Additionally, agents located child pornography on multiple devices found in (Enriquez’s) office.”
During interviews with federal agents, Enriquez admitted he was familiar with BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing software, the record shows.
Before news of the suicide, Enriquez maintained his innocence, and through his attorney, released a statement Nov. 5 following his release on bond of the charges against him in a prepared statement.
“Frank is and remains an innocent man. He is a veteran of the Vietnam era who was honorably discharged in 1975. There are many facts that will come to light later in the litigation that will confirm Frank’s innocence of the charges lodged against him,” the statement read.
A graduate of St. Mary’s University Class of 1978, Enriquez had been a licensed attorney in Texas for more than 40 years.
Enriquez also ran an unsuccessful bid in 2006 for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s congressional seat in the 28th congressional district, receiving more than 15,000 votes in the race.
