FBI busy with Public Corruption Cases in the United States, Maverick County included
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been busy with tens of thousands of public corruption cases in the United States. According to the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Unit 2013 Report to Congress, there were a total of 21,978 public corruption cases investigated during 2004 through 2013, resulting in 19,062 persons convicted for public corruption.
According to the 2013 Report, there were a total of 9,088 federal officials investigated with a total of 7,856 convicted during 2004 through 2013. The Report also states that 1,990 state officials were investigated during 2004 through 2013 with 1,761 persons convicted. The Report also documents a total of 5,146 local public officials were investigated for public corruption during 2004 through 2013 with 4,512 persons convicted. In addition, the Report notes that a total of 5,754 private citizens were investigated for corruption during 2004 through 2013 with 4,933 persons convicted. The Report noted 499 persons were awaiting trials for public corruption.
Public corruption is targeted by the FBI and other state and local law enforcement entities because it undermines the fundamental principles of democracy which our public government is based on and the effects of public corruption causes citizens to lose trust in their public government and election system, as well as it is theft of taxpayers public monies and financial resources.
Maverick County, Texas is no exception as over 30 persons have been either indicted, charged, and/or convicted of public corruption in one of the largest FBI investigations concerning bribery and pay to play kickback schemes in the United States during 2011 through 2016 and the investigation remains open to date.
The FBI, together with the Texas Department of Public Safety Rangers Division, have recently claimed the convictions of four of five Maverick County Commissioners, including Rudy Heredia, Cesar Flores, Eliaz Maldonado and Jose Luis Rosales, Justice of the Peace Cesar Iracheta, Justice of the Peace Cesar Perez, Maverick County Assistant Auditor Andrea Rodriguez, Maverick County Juvenile Probation Department Officer Javier Gonzalez, Maverick County Solid Waste Authority General Manager Hector Daniel Chavez, Jr., and others.
The most recent indictment for public corruption in Maverick County is that of City of Eagle Pass City Manager Hector Chavez, Sr. on April 14, 2016, stunning the citizens of Maverick County, Texas. Chavez is currently detained and awaiting a Bond hearing in federal district court in Del Rio, Texas.
Prior to Eagle Pass City Manager Hector Chavez’s indictment and arrest, the FBI arrested four members of the Crystal City, Texas City Council, including the Mayor, for public corruption involving bribery arising from a federal grand jury indictment in Del Rio, Texas. This case is pending in federal district court in Del Rio, Texas.
The Eagle Pass Business Journal reviewed all of the 255 counties in the State of Texas to determine how many of them have or have had public officials indicted and/or convicted for public corruption and found that 39 counties have in one form or another been rocked by public corruption and bribery scandals, including Maverick County, Webb County, Willacy County, Hill County, Frio County, Hidalgo County, Waller County, Kaufman County, Liberty County, Williamson County, Liberty County, Leon County, Potter County, El Paso County, Winkler County, Galveston County, Montgomery County, Flagler County, Newton County, Brown County, Brooks County, Jim Wells County, Harris County, Upshur County, Wayne County, Angelina County, Starr County, Kieberg County, Val Verde County, Jasper County, Travis County, Dallas County, Dekalb County, Lake County, Refugio County, Bladen County, Hays County, Zavala County and Cameron County
According to the 2013 Report, the State of Texas had the highest number of public corruption convictions during 2004-2013 with 870 persons convicted followed by the State of California with a total of 678 convictions, the State of Florida was third with a total of 622 convictions, the State of Illinois was fourth with a total of 516 convictions, the State of New York was fifth with a total of 511 convictions, and the State of Virginia was sixth with 501 convictions.
The Southern District of Texas led all four Texas districts with 356 convictions of federal public officials followed by the Western District of Texas, which includes Maverick County, with 257 convictions, the Northern District of Texas had 213 convictions, and the Eastern District of Texas had 44 federal public corruption convictions from 2004 to 2013.
“Public servants who engage in illegal activity or conspire with criminal organizations not only contribute to the persistence of crime, they betray the public trust. This form of corruption is especially concerning due to the trust that the American voter has entrusted on its public officials, in positions that highly affect the constituency with every decision or indecision that they take including corruptive behavior, costing the taxpayer hard earned monies, loss of confidence in public office and also in the election system that they see as corrupt as well. This in turn then brings many issues including low voter turnout, robbing communities of one of our countries greatest rights, the right to vote,” said the the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) oversees the federal effort to combat corruption through the prosecution of elected and appointed public officials at all levels of government. The Section has exclusive jurisdiction over allegations of criminal misconduct on the part of federal judges and also supervises the nationwide investigation and prosecution of election crimes. Section attorneys prosecute selected cases against federal, state, and local officials, and are available as a source of advice and expertise to other prosecutors and investigators.
