
Credit: Eric Connolly; U.S. House Office of Photography
CV NEWS FEED // Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-TX, and his wife Imelda on Friday were indicted on charges of allegedly receiving over half a million dollars in bribes.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that the Cuellars were “indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges and taken into custody Friday in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice [DOJ] probe into the couple’s ties to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.”
A press release from the DOJ stated: “According to court documents, beginning in at least December 2014 and continuing through at least November 2021, Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar allegedly accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities.”
The DOJ identified these identities as “an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City.”
“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 DOJ’s press release continued:
In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan. 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 Texas Tribune indicated: “If convicted and given the maximum sentence, Cuellar could face decades in prison.” Cuellar’s wife also faces the same possible lengthy prison sentence. The congressman is 68 years old and his wife is 67.
The New York Times noted that per the indictment, Cuellar allegedly told a Mexican bank official, “We need to find another scheme.”
According to the Times, the congressman maintains that both he and his wife are innocent of all of their charges.
“I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” Cuellar stated. “Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.”
Cuellar is widely considered to be the most moderate Democrat in the House and has previously taken positions at odds with his party on abortion and the ongoing crisis at the southern border.
A self-professed Catholic, Cuellar has a “D” rating from the Catholic Accountability Project.
The lawmaker has represented a South Texas district anchored by the border city of Laredo and parts of San Antonio since 2004. The district’s population is over three quarters Hispanic.
He survived close primary challenges from far-left pro-abortion candidate Jessica Cisneros in 2020 and 2022. In the latter cycle, Cuellar prevailed by only 281 votes.
Cuellar’s seat – Texas’ 28th congressional district – leans to the Democratic Party but, like several other majority-Hispanic South Texas seats, has trended drastically to the right in recent years.
Joe Biden carried the 28th by seven points in 2020. Four years earlier, Hillary Clinton won it by close to 20 points.
If Cuellar resigns and triggers a special election, the race to succeed him is likely to be competitive – and a potential Republican pickup.
