In a move that signifies a crackdown on municipal corruption, Edcouch city officials, Mayor Pro-Tem Rene Flores and City Manager Victor Hugo De La Cruz were indicted, with the announcement made public by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Facing serious charges of bribery and misuse of office, their alleged misconduct has caught the stern eye of justice. The accused are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker tomorrow as revealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Details of the indictment, which a federal grand jury initially sealed on September 2 but has since been made public, tell a story of under-the-table dealings spanning from June to September 2019. According to the charges, De La Cruz and Flores sought bribes in exchange for city contracts, with De La Cruz, serving as the city manager at the time the crimes were alleged to have happened, conspiring alongside Flores, the mayor pro-tem. The charges, as noted by the U.S. Attorney's Office, allege the officials received kickbacks from a marketing service provider in Brownsville.
The intricate web of corruption allegedly included two $3,000 payments from the business owner to the officials for marketing services supposedly rendered to Edcouch. The indictment further alleges that Flores received two $1,000 kickback payments in this quid pro quo arrangement. Both men now contend with the weighty charges of conspiracy, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, and use of a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of bribery.
If the court finds them guilty of these charges, De La Cruz and Flores could each face a maximum of 10 years in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines for the bribery charges alone. The investigation was led by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Johnson and K. Alejandra Andrade are the case's prosecutors.
