U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. has signed a motion granting a continuance in the embezzlement trial of the former finance director of International Education Services.
Rodriguez granting the motion on Feb. 13 means jury selection in the trials of Juan Jose Gonzalez, the former finance director, Ruben Gallegos Jr., the former CEO, and Ruben Gallegos Sr., the former president, will all begin May 8, federal court documents reflect.
The trio was indicted on the charges in August 2022.
Among the charges and according to a portion of the indictment, Gallegos Jr. was paid salaries way over the $183,000 cap limit with his 2017 salary at $435,416.88.
The indictment also states Gallegos Sr. was paid $506,032.22 and Gonzalez $377,060.96 — also in violation of the salary caps — but their names are redacted in the document.
The IES contracted with the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program and provided temporary shelter care and other related services to unaccompanied alien children, according to the federal indictment.
IES received almost all of its funding in the form of federal grants, and for each fiscal year from 2014 through 2018, it received millions of dollars in federal grant funds.
Gallegos Jr. served as CEO of IES from 2014 to 2018, Gallegos Sr. as president, and Gonzalez as finance director until the federal government decided it would not renew its funding for the IES shelter.
The United States Congress prohibited use of grant funds to pay salaries above a certain rate.
In addition, federal regulations further limited spending of grant funds.
