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U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and his wife Imelda Cuellar have been indicted on conspiracy, bribery and money laundering charges.
The charges follow a U.S. Department of Justice probe into ties between business leaders in America and Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, the agency announced in a press release.
Cuellar and his wife are accused of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from 2014 to 2021 from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank headquartered in Mexico. In exchange, Cuellar would allegedly advance the country’s interests.
“The bribe payments were allegedly laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts,” the release stated.
Cuellar agreed to deliver a favorable Azerbaijan speech and to influence legislation that would be beneficial to the country, according to the release.
“In exchange for the bribes paid by the Mexican bank, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to influence legislative activity and to advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank,” the release stated.
The Cuellars are each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official; two counts of bribery of a federal official; two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud; two counts of violating the ban on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal; one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering; and five counts of money laundering.
The charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The Cuellars made an initial court appearance Friday in Houston federal court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo.
In a statement to the Texas Tribune, Cuellar said that his actions were “consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people.”
Cuellar mentions his wife in that statement, saying that they are both innocent and that he “proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm.”
Cuellar is currently running for reelection. He will face either Republicans Jay Furman or Lazaro Garza, who are in a runoff.
Furman said in a Facebook video that Cuellar — the establishment — should be pushed out, saying he is corrupt.
In a Facebook post, Garza said there is no place for corruption in Congress.
The Monitor first reported that “court-authorized” law enforcement activity occurred at Cuellar’s Laredo home and at his downtown campaign office in January 2022.
At the time, the FBI only provided confirmation that special agents were present in the vicinity of Windridge Drive and Estate Drive in Laredo.
“The FBI cannot provide further comment on an ongoing investigation,” the agency said at the time.
A Monitor reporter at the scene in 2022 observed federal vehicles at the congressman’s house where over two dozen agents were also seen taking items from the residence.
Two agents with a clipboard and camera took photos and a truck was photographed and searched by agents. Several government vehicles were also seen outside his campaign office.
