McALLEN — “‘Remember what happened in Weslaco.’ That’s what people will say after today.”
Those were the words William J. Gullotta, trial attorney with the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, said as he urged U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez to hand down sentences that would send a message to public officials in the Rio Grande Valley.
The federal prosecutor urged the judge to send a message that white collar crime is no less serious, and will prompt no less severe punishment, as a crime of violence.
“If Arturo Cuellar and Rick Quintanilla are given light sentences, the message that sends is maybe it’s worth the risk,” Gullotta said.
Gullotta was referring to former Precinct 1 Hidalgo County commissioner Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar and Weslaco businessman Ricardo “Rick” Quintanilla, who last fall were found guilty of a combined 70 counts of bribery, money laundering and wire fraud in relation to the $38.5 million rehabilitation of Weslaco’s water treatment infrastructure.
Alvarez, a judge known for her disdain of public corruption, took the prosecutor’s arguments to heart.
The judge handed down a sentence of 20 years in federal prison to Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar, and 16 years and eight months to Quintanilla.
“The city really was in desperate need. … Rather than thinking, ‘I need to work to ensure that my community has good drinking water,’ … you closed your eyes to all of that and said, ‘How do I line my pockets?’” Alvarez said, addressing the two men during a sentencing hearing Wednesday afternoon.
The judge said she’d struggled to understand what had motivated the defendants — who had built successful lives for themselves — to participate in the scheme.
“I, quite frankly, have been at a loss to understand why you went down this path… other than the money,” Alvarez said.
The judge spoke of other cases that came before her — of hearing the stories of migrants who have fled their countries, in part, due to their fear of corrupt public officials.
She spoke of how stories like that cannot be allowed to happen in the United States lest, “We really become a lawless society,” Alvarez said.
After handing down their sentences, the judge ordered the two men to be taken into custody immediately.
Quintanilla looked back toward the gallery and waved briefly as a young woman could be heard calling to him.
“I love you, dad. I love you,” the young woman said as he and Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar were escorted away by the U.S. Marshals.
In handing down the two sentences, Alvarez noted the seriousness of the crimes the pair committed, but also tempered the punishment with consideration for what she called their roles as “average participants” in the scheme.
She denied requests from prosecutors to consider them the orchestrators behind the scheme at large and thereby enhance their sentences.
Instead, the alleged mastermind behind the scheme was former Rio Grande City municipal judge Leonel Lopez Jr.
Lopez began cooperating with federal investigators long before charges were brought. Prosecutors say he accepted $4.1 million in bribes, which he then disbursed to the other members of the conspiracy.
Lopez was slated to be the prosecution’s chief witness, but he died of a short and aggressive cancer in November 2020.
Alvarez also took into consideration the defendants’ ages and their family commitments.
Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar, who was found guilty of accepting more than $1.1. million in bribe payments, and whom Alvarez considered more culpable than his co-defendant, Quintanilla, is nonetheless just shy of turning 70 years old.
With the 61 guilty verdicts against him, Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar faced a sentence of up to life in prison under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
But the judge spoke of her rare practice of handing down life sentences. She has only done so in just a handful of cases, and even then, only when the crime involves a death.
As such, the judge made what she referred to as a “variance” when handing down Arturo “A.C.“ Cuellar’s 20-year sentence.
He declined to speak on his own behalf when given the opportunity.
However, one of his defense attorneys, Carlos A. Garcia, called the 20-year sentence against his client a “trial tax.”
“What we saw today is evidence of the consequence of someone exercising their right to a trial,” Garcia said after the hearing.
“You go to trial, you get punished,” he said.
Furthermore, Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar continues to maintain his innocence, Garcia said.
“As A.C. sits in a jail tonight, he in his heart of hearts knows that he didn’t do anything wrong. … Is he a businessman? Did he try to make money? Damn right he tried to make money,” Garcia said.
Quintanilla, meanwhile, expressed contrition.
“I’m deeply sorry to my family for what I’ve put them through,” Quintanilla said, as his voice began to waver.
“Something that happened in my life these past few years,” he said.
A moment after Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar and Quintanilla left the courtroom, the judge turned her attention to sentencing former District 2 Weslaco city commissioner John F. Cuellar.
John F. Cuellar, cousin to Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar, had turned government witness early on in the case.
On Aug. 2, 2019, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and would go on to testify against his cousin at trial.
John F. Cuellar testified that, between 2011 and 2014, Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar paid him $405,000 in bribes in exchange for steering the Weslaco City Commission into approving contracts with Massachusetts-based construction firm, CDM Smith, San Antonio-based Briones Engineering, and McAllen-based LeFevre Engineering.
His testimony during the seven-day trial ultimately served as the linchpin in the government’s case against Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar. It was something the judge acknowledged just before handing down John F. Cuellar’s sentence.
“You really did make the case,” Alvarez said to John F. Cuellar.
“Mr. Tafolla, while the jury found him credible, he really wasn’t as strong as you,” she said, referring to another of the government’s key witnesses, former District 4 Weslaco city commissioner Gerardo “Jerry” Tafolla.
Tafolla was also a member of the bribery conspiracy who became a cooperating government witness.
During trial, Tafolla testified that Quintanilla, his close friend and one-time campaign manager, had plied him with thousands in cash in exchange for his favorable votes on the commission.
Alvarez sentenced John F. Cuellar to three years in prison.
Tafolla and another former Weslaco city commissioner, David Fox, await sentencing.
In addition to their prison terms, Alvarez also ordered the two Cuellars and Quintanilla to pay $4.1 million in restitution, for which they are jointly and severally liable.
Cuellar must also pay a $15,000 fine for each of the 61 counts against him, for a total of $915,000. He must also pay a total of $6,100 in “special assessments.”
Quintanilla must pay $1,000 for each of the 15 counts against him, for a total of $15,000. He must also pay a $1,500 special assessment.
Both Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar and Quintanilla will also be required to remain under court supervision for two years after their release.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with new information.
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