Crystal City, Texas city council: Corruption arrests
BartSimpson @ Tue Feb 09, 2016 12:01 pm
Crystal City Texas News: Nearly All Council Officials Arrested on Felony Charges
http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/crystal- ... z3zhM8QfLd
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Crime took a big bite out of a small Texas town’s city hall last week when five top officials in Crystal City were arrested on federal corruption charges.
Mayor Ricardo Lopez, city manager William James Jonas, council members Rogelio Mata and Roel Mata, and former council member Gilbert Urrabazo, as well as businessman Ngoc Tri Nguyen, were all arrested in connection to the alleged scheme, The Washington Post reported.
An indictment handed down by a grand jury accuses the men of taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and helping Nguyen, the operator of an illegal gambling operation who goes by "Mr. T," according to The Post. Another council member, Marco Rodriguez, was arrested last month on unrelated human smuggling charges, the newspaper said.
"The breadth of the corruption was startling. Almost every facet of the government in Crystal City had elements of corruption in it," FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Combs said, according to KENS-TV.
The indictment accuses the arrested officials of “voting to award contracts in exchange for bribes, extorting payments from contractors, turning a blind eye to Nguyen’s illegal gaming business while taking action to shut down would-be competitors, and agreeing to reduce Nguyen’s taxes in exchange for him waiving debts, among other dealings,” The Post said.
Crystal City has a population of about 7,500 people and is about 130 miles southwest of San Antonio. Now, the sole council member is Joel Barajas, the only one on the panel not facing charges.
"I just want to say to Crystal City that we came this far and all we got to do is just unite together with the community and myself and we can continue going forward," Barajas told KSAT.
Each defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine if convicted, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, the city council members are reportedly still in charge, according to KENS-TV.
Mayor Ricardo Lopez, city manager William James Jonas, council members Rogelio Mata and Roel Mata, and former council member Gilbert Urrabazo, as well as businessman Ngoc Tri Nguyen, were all arrested in connection to the alleged scheme, The Washington Post reported.
An indictment handed down by a grand jury accuses the men of taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and helping Nguyen, the operator of an illegal gambling operation who goes by "Mr. T," according to The Post. Another council member, Marco Rodriguez, was arrested last month on unrelated human smuggling charges, the newspaper said.
"The breadth of the corruption was startling. Almost every facet of the government in Crystal City had elements of corruption in it," FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Combs said, according to KENS-TV.
The indictment accuses the arrested officials of “voting to award contracts in exchange for bribes, extorting payments from contractors, turning a blind eye to Nguyen’s illegal gaming business while taking action to shut down would-be competitors, and agreeing to reduce Nguyen’s taxes in exchange for him waiving debts, among other dealings,” The Post said.
Crystal City has a population of about 7,500 people and is about 130 miles southwest of San Antonio. Now, the sole council member is Joel Barajas, the only one on the panel not facing charges.
"I just want to say to Crystal City that we came this far and all we got to do is just unite together with the community and myself and we can continue going forward," Barajas told KSAT.
Each defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine if convicted, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, the city council members are reportedly still in charge, according to KENS-TV.
It is of note that Zavala County was sued in 2014 for having 105% of their population registered to vote.
It is also of note that Zavala County is so thoroughly Democrat and liberal that in 2012 not one single Republican cast a vote in the Presidential election or primary election.
The city council of Crystal City is 100% Democrat, Hispanic, and liberal.
![[popcorn]](./images/smilies/popcorn.gif "Eating Popcorn")
Freakinoldguy @ Tue Feb 09, 2016 3:45 pm
I didn't know Hillary was a member of the Crystal City Council. 
Vamp018 @ Tue Feb 09, 2016 7:20 pm
Im right here in Texas Atm. Dead bull-eye in the Western Federal and Southern Dist of Texas. Without going into too much detail Bart's post is very dead on and Crystal City is just small potatoes. The Two large elusive one's under the scope is San Antonio and Austin. Note not State but Local and County with Home Rule compared to General Rule as there is two sets in Texas. I'll try to pop in when I can , but I'm stuck on Deployment along the TX-MX Border, but am enjoying being back in Texas and in service to the Citizens of the Republic and State Texas.