Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar (D)’s chief of staff reportedly resigned on Monday, days after the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Cuellar and his wife on bribery charges. .
Several sauce Confirmed Jacob Hochberg, Mr. Cuellar’s chief of staff, announced that he has resigned from his post as Congressional reporter Mika Solner for Punchbowl News. report.
“Hochberg called his staff about an hour ago to let them know,” says CNN reporter Haley Talbot. I have written In the post of X.
News: Representative Henry Cuellar’s chief of staff resigns, according to Democratic Party officials
— Mica Soellner (@MicaSoellnerDC) May 6, 2024
The Justice Department’s indictment comes two years after Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents served a search warrant on the Cuéllards’ Laredo, Texas, home.
According to the Justice Department, Cuellar and his wife are accused of accepting approximately $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani government-owned oil and gas company and a Mexico City-based bank from December 2014 to around November 2021. He was indicted. statement.
The Justice Department said the bribes were “laundered into a shell company owned by Imelda Cuellar through a series of front companies and intermediaries pursuant to sham consulting contracts, with little or no legitimate work being performed under the contracts.” insisted.
In January 2022, FBI agents raided Cuellar’s home in Laredo as well as another building where his office was located.
Months later, FBI agents searched A lawyer representing the state of Texas said at Mr. Cuéllar’s home that law enforcement officials said he was not a target of the investigation.
The raid on Mr. Cuéllar’s home was reportedly related to his activities with Azerbaijan and the country’s government.
In a statement from the Department of Justice, they revealed Mr. Quejars’ charges.
Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar have each been charged with the following offenses and, if convicted, face maximum penalties as indicated: Bribery of a Federal Official and Public Official. Two counts of conspiracy to cause a foreign principal to act as an agent. Registration under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), five years in prison for each charge. Two counts of bribery of federal officials, each with a sentence of 15 years in prison. Two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, 20 years in prison for each count. Two counts of violating the prohibition on public officials acting as agents of foreign principals who are required to register with FARA; each count carries a sentence of two years in prison. One count of money laundering conspiracy, 20 years in prison. Five counts of money laundering, 20 years in prison for each count.
