Charges have been dismissed against another former Cameron County employee charged in a state bribery investigation called “Operation Dirty Deeds.”
Charges have been dismissed against another former Cameron County employee charged in a state bribery investigation called “Operation Dirty Deeds.”
The Cameron County District Attorney’s Office on Friday dismissed the case against Jose Mireles, who served as a lieutenant with the Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collectors Office, court records show.
Mireles was arrested in January with County Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre Jr., tax investigator Pedro Garza Jr. and dealer/notary supervisor Omar Sanchez-Paz in “Operation Dirty Deeds,” an investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The group had been accused of taking bribes and other charges.
In a prepared statement, Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz said “The charges on Mireles were dropped last Friday. We intend to try the main defendant, Cameron County Tax Assessor Collector, first. After we prosecute Mr. Yzaguirre we will then prosecute any of his employees that may have been involved. It would be beneficial to Yzaguirre and his defense team to try his employees first. That is why we are doing this.”
Charges against Garza, who no longer works with the county, also were dismissed Friday. Charges are pending against Yzaguirre Jr., Sanchez-Paz and Claudia Elisa Sanchez, who was later arrested in connection with “Operation Dirty Deeds,” and charged with one count of tampering with government records.
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