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McALLEN — A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted former Edinburg city councilman Jorge “Coach” Salinas on one count each of federal programs bribery and racketeering.
The four-page indictment alleges that Salinas and another elected official worked together to award contracts to an Edinburg business owner referred to as “Person 1.”
Salinas and “Public Official A” steered the city into approving Person 1’s contracts between June 1, 2019 and March 1, 2020, according to the indictment, which was unsealed Friday.
“Public Official A and Jorge Salinas aka ‘Coach’ were in positions with the City of Edinburg, Texas, where each could vote on whether the City of Edinburg, Texas would award contracts and work agreements to Person 1’s business …” the indictment reads.
In exchange for his favorable votes, Salinas — who served a single term on the Edinburg City Council from 2017-2021 — allegedly accepted at least $5,000 in bribes.
Federal prosecutors further allege that Salinas used a cellphone and other “electronic communications” to facilitate the bribes. The government will be seeking a forfeiture of $47,235.
Federal agents arrested Salinas on Thursday.
During an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker Friday morning, the former councilman spoke only to acknowledge his understanding of the charges against him.
“Yes, sir,” Salinas stated.
Speaking after the hearing, Salinas’ defense attorney, Jesus Villalobos, said he was surprised by the allegations.
“We look forward to bringing this thing to conclusion,” Villalobos said.
The charges against Salinas appear to mirror a similar set of allegations laid out against a prominent Edinburg politiquero, Miguel “Mike” A. Garza, who was indicted for federal programs bribery and racketeering in May 2022.
In that indictment, prosecutors alleged that Garza “corruptly aid(ed) and abet(ted) Public Official A and Public Official B to solicit … United States currency from Person 1 …” in exchange for their votes to award Person 1’s business lucrative city contracts.
The timelines between the two indictments also line up, as both allege that the crimes occurred between June 2019 and March 2020.
Garza pleaded guilty last May and is scheduled to be sentenced later this year.
Garza worked for several political campaigns, including Salinas’ and former Edinburg mayor Richard Molina. Salinas paid Garza $12,000 for his services between Sept. 23, 2018 and Feb. 13, 2020, according to Monitor archives.
However, Villalobos said he was unfamiliar with the case against Garza and did not know if the cases are related.
Hacker set Salinas’ bond at $50,000 with no cash deposit required. He was expected to be released Friday.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with new information about his bond.
