WASHINGTON (AP) — For two decades, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar has distinguished himself as a moderate Democrat along the Texas-Mexico border, occasionally attacking his party over guns and immigration while rarely winning a tough reelection was waiting.
But a federal indictment charging Cuellar with federal conspiracy and bribery charges puts the Laredo resident, who was first elected in 2004, in a different spotlight. Cuellar, 68, and his wife, Imelda, 67, were taken into custody Friday in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the couple’s ties to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
The congressman professed his innocence after the charges were revealed and vowed to continue his bid for an 11th term in November, saying, “Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.”
The Cuellars are accused of taking nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico. In return, Cuellar allegedly agreed to represent the interests of these entities in the US
The couple surrendered to authorities, made their first appearance before a federal judge in Houston and were each released on $100,000 bail, the DOJ said.
Cuellar’s family is a political fixture along the border: His brother is a sheriff in Laredo, and his sister, a former municipal judge, is also on the ballot this year, running as the Democratic candidate for state representative.
Several of Cuellar’s allies in the district, which stretches from the Rio Grande to the suburbs of San Antonio, expressed surprise at the charges but said they would still support his re-election. Cuellar’s moderate politics have helped him maintain support in places where Democrats have lost ground, such as Starr County, a rural and agricultural part of South Texas.
“It’s extremely surprising to me because I’ve known Henry for many, many years,” Starr County Judge Eloy Vera said. “He’s always been a very straight man, you know, very genuine. I mean, he’s done so much for us in Starr County. I hate to see this happen.”
President Joe Biden won Starr County by a narrow single-digit margin. Two years later, Cuellar won it with 40%.
Sylvia Bruni, chair of the nearby Webb County Democratic Party, said she would trust the justice system to work fairly and keep her focus on the election. “We are on a campaign to make progress, with our democracy at stake,” she said in a statement.
Cuellar released a statement Friday saying he and his wife “are innocent of these allegations.”
“Before taking any action, I proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee, which provided me with more than one written opinion, along with an additional opinion from a national law firm,” the statement said.
“In addition, we requested a meeting with Washington DC prosecutors to explain the facts, but they refused to discuss the case with us or hear our side.”
In addition to bribery and conspiracy, the couple is also accused of fraud, acting as agents of foreign clients and money laundering. If convicted, they could be punished with decades in prison and forfeiture of any property related to the proceeds of the alleged scheme.
The payments to the couple were initially made through a Texas-based shell company owned by Imelda Cuellar and two of the couple’s children, the indictment said. That company received payments from the Azerbaijani energy company of $25,000 per month under a “sham contract,” allegedly in exchange for unspecified strategic consulting and advisory services.
“In reality, the contract was a sham used to conceal and legitimize the corrupt agreement between Henry Cuellar and the government of Azerbaijan,” the indictment said.
As part of the agreement, Imelda Cuellar allegedly sent a forged invoice to the energy company’s office in Washington, DC, stating that her work had been completed.
“In fact, Imelda Cuellar had performed little or no legitimate work under the contract,” the complaint said.
The indictment alleges that an Azerbaijani diplomat referred to Henry Cuellar as both “el Jefe” and “boss” in text messages, and also that a member of Cuellar’s staff sent multiple emails to State Department officials stating he pressured them to renew an American passport for the daughter of an Azerbaijani diplomat.
Cuellar was once the co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.
The FBI searched the congressman’s home in the border city of Laredo in 2022, and Cuellar’s attorney said at the time that he was not the target of the investigation.
Cuellar, one of the last anti-abortion Democrats in Congress, narrowly defeated progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros by fewer than 300 votes in a 2022 primary. Cuellar has been among Biden’s loudest critics in his party, largely because of the response from the government on record. number of migrant crossings at the border. His moderate politics have at times aligned him with Republicans on issues such as abortion and guns. ___
Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas. Sean Murphy contributed from Oklahoma City.
