Texas Senator Carlos Uresti Faces Bribery & Wire Fraud Charges
Texas Senator Carlos Uresti (Democrat – San Antonio) has been indicted by a federal jury and is currently facing 13 criminal charges—including money laundering, wire fraud and bribery — in two separate cases. Though he maintains his innocence, Uresti turned himself into the authorities, who claim that the San Antonio lawmaker defrauded many in a Ponzi scheme involving the now defunct Four Winds, to “market frac sand for oil production, all while making false statements and representations to investors.”
The second criminal case alleges that Uresti was involved in assisting a medical company to land a lucrative contract at the Reeves County Correctional Center by acting as a middleman and receiving a bribe. According to a federal indictment cited by the San Antonio Current, the Senator took a monthly payout of some $10,000 from Vernon C. Farthing III (owner of Physicians Network Alliance), and would give half the money to a Reeves County judge in exchange for his vote to contract with PNA- Farthing’s medical services company. The indictment argues that the Reeves county judge, Jimmy Galindo, pushed the contract through the appropriate channels in exchange for monetary kickbacks and the “promises of future payments.” Both Uresti and Vernon C. Farthing III were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and money laundering.
Both federal indictments came after a raid on Uresti’s downtown office by the IRS and FBI. If found guilty on all 13 counts, the longtime state senator could face up to 200 years in prison.
Uresti pleads not guilty to criminal charges
In early June, the Texas legislator entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ to felony charges of fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and bribery. “It’s very important that I tell the people that I am innocent of these charges. I look forward to my day in court when all the facts come out and the truth and not just what has been written in the press. In the meantime, I have a job to do. I’m headed back to Austin, back to the capitol, to do what I was elected to do by the voters,” Uresti told reporters following news of the May 17 indictment.
In response to the legal proceedings, he also issued the following statement: “… In the meantime, I have a job that I was elected to do by the voters, and that is to fight for them in Austin… I will continue to fight for children who have been neglected or abused, for the hardworking families in District 19, and for our Veterans. I want to thank my family, and my constituents and supporters who have reached out with words of encouragement over the past twenty-four hours.”
Legal counsel for Senator Carlos Uresti, who has served District 19 since 2006, calls the federal charges unfounded and maintains that justice will prevail at trial, which is scheduled for mid-December 2017.
Facing fraud charges in Texas?
The Texas penal code imposes harsh penalties for fraud offenses, and even misdemeanor charges can lead to a year in county prison and fines of up to $4,000. If you are being investigated for or have been charged with white collar crimes such as credit card fraud, bribery, money laundering or wire fraud, you need a solid criminal defense attorney who can protect your rights.
Jeff King is an experienced fraud offense attorney in Dallas, who provides zealous representation to those accused of state and federal crimes. Call to schedule a free case evaluation today.
Additional “Sen. Carlos Uresti Indictment” resources:
- TWCNews, Texas Sen. Carlos Uresti Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud, Bribery Charges http://www.twcnews.com/tx/san-antonio/news/2017/06/1/texas-sen–carlos-uresti-pleads-not-guilty-to-fraud–bribery-charges-.html
- San Antonio Current, Former Texas Official Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme With State Sen. Carlos Uresti https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/06/13/former-texas-official-pleads-guilty-to-bribery-scheme-with-state-sen-carlos-uresti
- San Antonio Current, State Sen. Carlos Uresti Indicted on Federal Bribery, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Charges https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/05/16/state-sen-carlos-uresti-indicted-on-federal-bribery-wire-fraud-and-money-laundering-charges
