A former Texas border county official pleaded guilty to collecting bribes in exchange for helping vendors secure contracts.
The development took place this week when 40-year-old Arnoldo Romeo Flores went before a U.S. judge and pleaded guilty to one of several bribery counts. Flores is allowed to remain on bond pending his sentencing hearing.
According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Flores was the Cameron County Director for Human Resources between 2014-2015. He allegedly collected a series of bribes to help secure two contracts. Court documents filed in the case say the FBI had a cooperating source who helped negotiate the bribes where Flores would explain how to submit an ultimately successful proposal. Prosecutors say the alleged bribes ranged between $1,500 and $3,000.
Cameron County has a history of corruption.
In 2017, authorities arrested former Cameron County Judge Pete Sepulveda in connection with the alleged theft of public funds after ordering county workers to pave his driveway. Sepulveda served as an interim county judge from March 2015 to 2016.
Former Texas State District Judge Abel Limas received a 6-year prison sentence in 2013 for collecting bribes from attorneys for favorable rulings.
Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos received a 13-year prison sentence in 2014 for a racketeering scheme where he and several other attorneys worked on a pay-to-play scheme for favorable rulings.
Former Cameron County Sheriff Conrado Cantu spent more than 15 years in prison in connection because of Mexican cartel bribes. According to a local newspaper, other illegal ventures such as underground casinos also got favorable treatment in exchange for cash.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
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