Late Monday afternoon the Southern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Eric Samuel Jarvis, a well-known attorney in the Rio Grande Valley, had admitted to helping a known drug trafficker during a period of nearly four years, a news release stated.
Jarvis, a graduate of the University of Texas who has practiced law since 1999, pleaded guilty to violating the Travel Act by unlawfully accessing federal documents in order to assist a known drug trafficking organization.
“… (Jarvis) admitted to using a cellular phone and the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) database to assist and promote the drug trafficking activities of known drug traffickers since at least July 24, 2017, through May 10, 2021,” the release stated in part.
Officials further said Jarvis admitted to assisting drug trafficker Angel Aziel Herrera and his successors in Mexico, helping the drug trafficking organization by obtaining documents that provided information regarding co-conspirators during ongoing investigations.
The longtime defense attorney knew criminal complaints had documented drug loads that law enforcement seized from the organization.
Jarvis also knew Herrera and his successors could and would provide the complaints to their sources of supply in order to continue receiving drugs from them for importation and distribution into the country from Mexico.
Jarvis admitted to obtaining the criminal complaints from PACER on at least eight occasions from July 24, 2017, through May 2021 and providing them to Herrera and/or his co-conspirators by WhatsApp or hand delivery, the release stated.
In April, agents with Homeland Security Investigations raided Jarvis’ offices and left with boxes from his McAllen office.
The Mission resident also admitted to accepting drug trafficking proceeds from Mexico as payment from Herrera to represent other co-conspirators working for the organization in criminal matters.
As part of the plea, Jarvis also agreed to forfeit $8,000 in drug trafficking proceeds he received as payment for his criminal actions.
The court accepted Jarvis’ plea Monday and set sentencing for Oct. 1, at which time the defense attorney will face up to five years in prison.
Jarvis was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing, the record shows.
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