A county court-at-law bailiff was taken into FBI custody late Friday afternoon, according to spokeswoman Michelle Lee.
A county court-at-law bailiff was taken into FBI custody late Friday afternoon, according to spokeswoman Michelle Lee.
The federal charges against Oscar De La Cruz, bailiff for County Court-at-Law No. 6, are unknown at this time, and Lee said additional details about the nature of the charges would be made public Monday.
De La Cruz has worked for County Court-at-Law Judge Albert Garcia for about two years. Garcia said he was surprised to learn about the incident.
FBI agents were also present Friday at the Hidalgo County Courthouse. Lee said the agency was “conducting law enforcement activity” there.
This is the second FBI visit to the courthouse in the last few months — in early February the now-former state District Judge Rodolfo “Rudy” Delgado’s office was raided by agents investigating bribery allegations.
Delgado, who resigned from the bench earlier this week, is under federal indictment and is scheduled to go to trial this fall.
Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez confirmed he that received a call from the federal agents advising him there would be a search warrant executed Friday at the County Court at Law No. 6 offices.
“I can confirm that the FBI is, was, going to be present in the courthouse, in reference to a search warrant being executed,” Rodriguez said. “At this point, we are in full cooperation and here to assist not only the FBI, but any agency.”
