Nearly two years after former Tamaulipas governor and presidential candidate Tómas Yarrington Rubalcava pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge, he has yet to be sentenced.
Yarrington entered his guilty plea March 25, 2021, in a Houston federal courtroom.
A telephone conference pertaining to Yarrington’s case was scheduled Friday before U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera Jr. The outcome of the conference is unknown.
A confidential sentencing recommendation was filed Sept. 19, 2022. No other documents mentioning his sentencing has been filed since then, court records reflect.
The United States government states Yarrington helped launder anywhere from $3.5 million to nearly $9 million over a period of 15 years.
According to a factual summary of his case, Yarrington admitted to taking bribes while as governor of Tamaulipas knowing that the proceeds represented some forms of unlawful activity “and said transport, transmit and transfer was designed to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control of proceeds.”
Yarrington was Matamoros’ mayor from 1993 to 1995, and from 1999 to 2005 he was governor of Tamaulipas.
The U.S. government stated that from Jan. 1, 1998, to May 22, 2013, Yarrington engaged in conspiracy with others to transport and transmit funds from Mexico to the U.S. to conceal the ownership of the funds.
“These funds were proceeds of a specified unlawful activity, namely the payment of bribes while Yarrington was a public official in Mexico,” federal court documents reflect.
According to the factual summary, Yarrington used some of the proceeds to pay a portion of a note on property he owned at 149 Windward in Port Isabel.
Yarrington is named in a superseding indictment filed May 22, 2013, that charge him with conspiracy to import cocaine and marijuana, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
He was accused of receiving bribes from the Gulf Cartel in the millions of dollars. According to the federal indictment, state police in Mexico would deliver the bribes to Yarrington.
Yarrington fled to Italy and was extradited back to the United States in April 2018.
Yarrington’s case went through legal proceedings for three years before his guilty plea in March 2021.
As part of the deal, Yarrington forfeited property purchased with proceeds from unlawful activity. He agreed to give up his claim to his residence on Windward Drive in Port Isabel.
After pleading guilty to a money laundering charge, Yarrington was remanded to the custody of U.S. Marshals.
As part of his plea agreement, federal authorities recommended a sentencing ranging from 108 to 135 months.
During his March 25 ,2021, hearing before Senior U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle, she reminded Yarrington the reduced sentence is a recommendation, not a guarantee.
Evidence presented during the sentencing hearing could lead the judge to set a sentence different than the one recommended by the government.
