WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Friday launched an indictment in opposition to longtime Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife, Imelda, charging the pair with bribery and cash laundering associated with their ties with a financial institution in Mexico and an oil and fuel corporate managed by way of Azerbaijan.
NBC News was once first to file that the charges have been coming. The congressman and his wife have been each and every launched on a $100,000 bond after a primary look in federal court docket in Houston, a DOJ spokesperson stated Friday afternoon.
According to the indictment, from 2014 to 2021, the Cuellars allegedly permitted more or less $600,000 in bribes from the 2 foreign entities in change for the congressman appearing professional acts.
“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 stated in a remark.
“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,” DOJ continued. “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 congressman and his wife are each and every charged with two counts of conspiracy to devote bribery of a federal professional and to have a public professional act as an agent of a foreign foremost; two counts of bribery of a federal professional; two counts of conspiracy to devote twine fraud; two counts of violating the ban on public officers appearing as brokers of a foreign foremost; one rely of conspiracy to devote concealment cash laundering; and 5 counts of cash laundering.
If convicted, they might spend years and even many years in jail.
In a remark Friday earlier than the charges have been unsealed, Cuellar denied any wrongdoing, announcing that he had “proactively sought legal advice” from the House Ethics Committee, which had issued “more than one written opinion” in regards to the subject. Much of his remark targeted on his wife.
“I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas,” Cuellar stated in his remark, later including: “The actions I took in Congress were consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people.”
“Imelda and I have been married for 32 years. On top of being an amazing wife and mother, she’s an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. She spent her career working with banking, tax, and consulting,” he persevered. “The allegation that she is anything but qualified and hard working is both wrong and offensive.”
A defiant Cuellar additionally made transparent he’s going to nonetheless search re-election: “Let me be clear, I’m running for re-election and will win this November.”
A remark from the congressman’s protection legal professionals was once very similar to Cuellar’s but additionally famous prosecutors indicted him simply six months earlier than Election Day.
“The government’s decision to move forward with charges so close to the general election — and their decision to execute a search warrant 40 days before his [2022] primary — undermines the electorate and puts a thumb on the scale,” stated legal professionals Chris Flood and Eric Reed.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who had recommended Cuellar’s re-election bid remaining summer time, known as Cuellar a “valued Member of the House Democratic Caucus” in a remark, noting that Cuellar is “entitled to his day in court and the presumption of innocence throughout the legal process.”
In the intervening time, Cuellar will step excluding his place as the highest Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the Department of Homeland Security, Jeffries stated.
Cuellar’s house and marketing campaign place of business in Laredo, Texas, have been raided in January 2022 as a part of a federal investigation into Azerbaijan and a bunch of U.S. businessmen who’ve ties to the rustic, legislation enforcement stated on the time. His place of business had pledged to cooperate with the investigation. In April, Cuellar’s attorney, Joshua Berman, told some news outlets that federal government knowledgeable him he was once no longer the objective of the investigation.
Cuellar is a one-time co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. According to the indictment, in change for the bribes, Cuellar promised to influence regulation associated with Azerbaijan’s warfare with neighboring Armenia; insert pro-Azerbaijan language into regulation and committee reviews on safety and financial help methods; ship a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the House ground; and “consult” with Azerbaijan officers about their efforts to foyer the U.S. executive.
Ahead of the indictment’s unlock, Cuellar’s workforce have been calling different member places of work Friday in the hunt for recommendation on methods to deal with the placement, one supply with wisdom of the ones calls instructed NBC News.
A 12 months after the raid on his house — which has no longer in the past yielded arrests or charges — Cuellar instructed the Texas Tribune: “There has been no wrongdoing on my part. … My focus remains the same from my very first day in office: delivering results for Texans across my district.”
Despite the raid, Cuellar narrowly defeated a revolutionary challenger, Jessica Cisneros, in his 2022 number one and went on to win re-election to his seat that November. He did not face a number one challenger this 12 months and can be on the poll this November in the hunt for his eleventh time period in Congress.
Two years in the past, Cuellar simply defeated Republican nominee Cassy Garcia, 57% to 43%. His district become bluer when he picked up portions of San Antonio following redistricting. But the indictment will make Cuellar extra inclined than previously; in 2020, Joe Biden gained Cuellar’s district over Donald Trump by way of 7 share issues.
Two Republicans will face each and every different in a runoff election in overdue May for an opportunity to take on Cuellar within the fall.
“Henry Cuellar does not put Texas first, he puts himself first,” said Delanie Bomar, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “If his colleagues truly believe in putting ‘people over politics,’ they will call on him to resign. If not — they are hypocrites whose statements about public service aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.”
Cuellar, 66, a attorney, is a former customs dealer and Texas secretary of state. A member of the centrist Blue Dogs and New Democrat Coalition, Cuellar was once elected to the House in 2004.
He’s the one Democrat left in Congress who opposes abortion rights — a place that has infuriated many in his birthday celebration.
The Cuellars are the second one congressional couple to be charged in a foreign bribery scheme previously 12 months. In September, DOJ charged then-Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife when they allegedly permitted loads of 1000’s of bucks, together with gold bars, in go back for professional acts geared toward enriching 3 New Jersey businessmen and benefitting the Egyptian executive. Both Cuellar and Menendez are individuals of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Menendez, who stepped excluding main Foreign Relations, has pleaded no longer accountable. His trial is scheduled to start later this month.
A 3rd lawmaker, New York Republican George Santos, was once expelled from the House in December after a scathing ethics file and 23-count federal indictment charging him with crimes similar to twine fraud and cash laundering. Santos additionally has pleaded no longer accountable.