The Department of Justice on Friday indicted Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas on charges of conspiracy and bribery.
Mr. Cuellar’s wife, Imelda, was also charged in an investigation into allegedly accepting $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-based energy company and a Mexican bank to promote the former Soviet republic’s interests in the United States.
Fox News confirmed that Cuellar and his wife were released on bail.
Federal law enforcement raided Cuellar’s home and office in 2022 as part of an investigation into a group of American businessmen and their ties to the country. The representative and the agency agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
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Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) is seen outside a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus on the U.S. Capitol. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Cuellar issued a statement Friday following reports of upcoming charges, declaring both he and his wife innocent without specifying the charges.
“I want to make it clear that my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” Cuellar wrote. “Everything I did in Congress was to serve the people of Texas.”
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The Texas lawmaker again specifically defended his wife and her qualifications, without disclosing the nature of the charges.
The seal of the Department of Justice hangs on the podium at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
“Imelda and I have been married for 32 years. In addition to being a wonderful wife and mother, she is an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. She has spent her career in banking, tax and consulting. She has no qualifications or qualifications whatsoever. “Working hard is both wrong and offensive,” he wrote.
Mr. Kueyar previously served as co-chairman of Azerbaijan’s parliamentary group.
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This is a developing story and will be updated. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
