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Former Starr County Attorney Victor Canales Jr. was sentenced Tuesday for extorting money under the color of law, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Canales, 51, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty on Sept. 5, 2023, to money extortion. His sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.
During the hearing, the court heard from an auditor with the Texas Attorney General’s Office describing the cash deposits made from Canales’ personal accounts and his use of funds from the Starr County attorney’s account, according to the release.
It was determined by the court that the amount of bribes Canales took amounted to a total of $44,000.
“The court also noted comments about the culture of corruption in Starr County and said today’s sentence would act as a deterrent to that corruption,” the release said.
Canales was the Starr County attorney from 2005 to 2022 and was responsible for prosecuting misdemeanor crimes.
In September 2021, a woman whose son was charged with three misdemeanor offenses in Starr County reached out to Canales for help. Canales said he could help her for $1,500.
After receiving three money orders that totaled $1,500, Canales deposited the money into his own checking account rather than depositing it into the Starr County account.
Canales then sent a series of letters to Cameron County indicating that the son’s charges would be dropped.
“… (T)he mother told Canales that her son would not qualify for pre-trial diversion in Cameron County because of the charges he was facing in Starr County,” according to Angela Dodge, public affairs officer for the USAO. “Victor then got the money and wrote to advise Cameron County the charges had been dismissed.”
“Prosecutors of all stripes, whether at the federal, state or city level, are defined by an oath, one to serve and protect their communities. It’s an oath that seeks only one thing — justice,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in the release. “Victor Canales Jr. violated that oath and the trust of Starr County’s residents in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in bribes.
“As an office of dedicated public servants, including 200 prosecutors, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District has little patience for corrupt officials, especially when a prosecutor trades his authority, his oath, for personal gain.”
Canales was given permission to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, which will be determined in the near future.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information.
