El Paso attorney and judicial hopeful Christina Montes is heading into the May 26 Democratic runoff under a growing cloud, as reporting puts a spotlight on her husband's criminal history and his role in a high-profile bail-bond incident. Court and registry records show her husband, Juan Manuel Montes, is listed on the state sex-offender registry and pleaded guilty in a 2013 indecency case. The revelations are reshaping a local judicial race that will determine who handles misdemeanor criminal matters in El Paso County Court at Law No. 2.
According to the State Bar of Texas, Christina Montes earned her J.D. from Whittier College School of Law in 2018 and was admitted to the bar in May 2019. Her bar profile lists criminal, family, immigration, and juvenile law among her practice areas and shows a downtown El Paso law office registered in her name.
Background on Juan Manuel Montes
Reporting and court records detailed by El Paso Matters show that Juan Manuel Montes pleaded guilty in 2013 to indecency with a child by contact stemming from a 2011 incident and was placed on deferred adjudication. He completed seven years of community supervision, performed 750 hours of community service, and is still required to register periodically as a sex offender. The outlet reports the sexual-abuse victim is related to Christina Montes and notes that other charges on his record were dismissed after his supervision ended.
Bounty hunters and the 2018 arrest
Montes was also among five people arrested in 2018 after an alleged abduction linked to bond enforcement work for 9ONE5 Bail Bonds. Local reporting described the group as storming into a family's home and "brandishing firearms." The El Paso Times covered the arrests and subsequent criminal allegations. That episode later gave rise to civil litigation filed by the family over what happened inside the home.
Civil ruling and campaign questions
In February, a judge ordered 9ONE5 Bail Bonds to pay $60,000 to the family for mental anguish and emotional distress, and one bounty hunter, Christian Jurado, was ordered to pay $40,000, according to El Paso Matters. The same reporting notes that 9ONE5 owner Fernando Serrano donated $500 to Montes' campaign on Jan. 22, and that a landlord has sued Montes this year seeking at least $50,000 for unpaid rent on a downtown law office.
Montes declined or did not respond to interview requests about these issues, according to the outlet. Her opponent, attorney Frances Maldonado, called the revelations "deeply concerning" and said voters deserve answers.
Why voters should pay attention
The winner of the runoff will replace long-time Judge Julie Gonzalez and will take the bench on Jan. 1, 2027, presiding over misdemeanor criminal cases that can include DWIs, family violence cases, and bond forfeitures. For many voters, the situation is raising questions about transparency and whether a judicial candidate can credibly oversee sensitive cases when close family members have been tied to serious allegations and litigation. How Montes chooses to respond, and whether additional court records emerge, could shape the final stretch leading up to the May 26 runoff.
