In the Southern District of Texas, former Starr County Attorney Victor Canales Jr. has been sentenced to a prison term of 37 months for the crime of extortion under color of law. Following his guilty plea on Sept. 5, 2023, Canales will also face three years of supervised release. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane pronounced the sentencing, which concerns bribes amounting to $44,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement.
An auditor from the Texas Attorney General’s Office testified during the sentencing hearing about Canales’s personal cash deposits and misuse of county funds. Judge Crane alluded to a broader issue of corruption within Starr County, expressing hope that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to future corrupt practices. U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani emphasized that a prosecutor’s oath is "one to serve and protect their communities," and highlighted the betrayal of public trust that occurs "especially when a prosecutor trades his authority, his oath, for personal gain," as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Victor Canales Jr., who served as the County Attorney from 2005 to 2022, fell from grace when it was discovered he solicited bribes to manipulate legal outcomes. In one known instance, Canales accepted $1500 from a mother seeking to resolve her son’s misdemeanor offenses, only to pocket the money for personal use. He then promised to have the charges in Starr County dropped, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp from the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office reiterated the FBI's commitment to eradicating public corruption, stating to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, “Citizens in the Rio Grande Valley deserve local government officials who can be trusted.” The investigation that led to Canales’s conviction was part of the Border Corruption Task Force and included the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Office of the Attorney General, Homeland Security Investigations, the Texas Rangers, among others. Canales will voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, which is yet to be determined.
The prosecution of Canales was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Cook Profit.
