WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife had been indicted on conspiracy and bribery expenses and brought into custody Friday in reference to a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the couple’s ties to the previous Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
From 2014 to 2021, Cuellar, 68, and his wife accepted practically $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled vitality firm and a financial institution in Mexico, and in trade, Cuellar agreed to advance the pursuits of the nation and the financial institution within the U.S., in accordance to the indictment.
Among different issues, Cuellar agreed to affect laws favorable to Azerbaijan and ship a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the ground of the U.S. House, the indictment states.
The Department of Justice mentioned the couple surrendered to authorities on Friday and had been taken into custody. They made an preliminary look earlier than a federal choose in Houston and had been every launched on $100,000 bond, the DOJ mentioned.
The longtime congressman launched an announcement Friday saying he and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, 67, “are innocent of these allegations.”
“Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas,” Cuellar mentioned. “Before I took motion, I proactively sought authorized recommendation from the House Ethics Committee, who gave me a couple of written opinion, together with a further opinion from a nationwide legislation agency.
“Furthermore, we requested a meeting with the Washington D.C. prosecutors to explain the facts and they refused to discuss the case with us or hear our side.”
Neither Cuellar nor his lawyer instantly responded to calls searching for touch upon the matter.
In addition to bribery and conspiracy, the couple face expenses together with wire fraud conspiracy, performing as brokers of overseas principals and cash laundering. If convicted, they face up to a long time in jail and forfeiture of any property linked to proceeds from the alleged scheme.
The funds to the couple initially went by way of a Texas-based shell firm owned by Imelda Cuellar and two of the couple’s youngsters, in accordance to the indictment. That firm acquired funds from the Azerbaijan vitality firm of $25,000 per thirty days below a “sham contract,” purportedly in trade for unspecified strategic consulting and advising providers.
“In reality, the contract was a sham used to disguise and legitimate the corrupt agreement between Henry Cuellar and the government of Azerbaijan,” the indictment states.
Imelda Cuellar despatched a falsified bill to the Azerbaijan vitality firm’s Washington, D.C., workplace below the settlement, stating her work was full.
“In fact, Imelda Cuellar had performed little or no legitimate work under the contract,” the indictment says.
The indictment additionally alleges an Azerbaijani diplomat referred to Henry Cuellar in textual content messages as “el Jefe” or “boss,” and likewise {that a} member of Cuellar’s workers despatched a number of emails to officers on the Department of State pressuring them to renew a U.S. passport for an Azerbaijani diplomat’s daughter.
Cuellar was at one time the co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.
The FBI searched the congressman’s home within the border metropolis of Laredo in 2022, and Cuellar’s lawyer at the moment mentioned Cuellar was not the goal of that investigation. That search was half of a broader investigation related to Azerbaijan that noticed FBI brokers serve a raft of subpoenas and conduct interviews in Washington, D.C., and Texas, an individual with direct information of the probe beforehand informed The Associated Press. The individual was not licensed to talk about it publicly and spoke on situation of anonymity.
Cuellar, one of the final anti-abortion Democrats in Congress, narrowly defeated progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros by fewer than 300 votes in a primary race in 2022.
