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Former Officials Accused of Bribes, Wire Fraud
In a stunning turn of events, two former Crystal City officials have been charged with a slew of federal crimes, including bribery and wire fraud. According to a superseding indictment unsealed in Del Rio today, 54-year-old former City Manager and City Attorney William James Jonas III and 40-year-old former Crystal City Mayor Ricardo Lopez used their positions to enrich themselves by soliciting and accepting bribes from persons seeking to do business in Crystal City.
The indictment alleges that between May 2012 and February 2016, Jonas and Lopez allegedly used emails, texts, and phone calls to carry out their scheme to defraud Crystal City and its citizens through bribery and the concealment of information. The scheme, which netted the duo millions of dollars, also involved a multi-million-dollar contract for various improvements to the City’s infrastructure.
Under the contract, Crystal City agreed to place approximately $2,124,389 in a specific escrow account and only use those funds to pay the provider as phases of the work were completed. However, Jonas allegedly directed City employees to leave the monies in the City’s General Fund, which was then used to pay his salary as City Manager and City Attorney, reimburse him for certain expenses, and pay certain favored contractors.
The superseding indictment adds 10 new charges against Jonas and five charges against Lopez, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and theft of honest services, substantive counts of wire fraud and theft of honest services, and wire fraud. If convicted, Jonas and Lopez face up to five years in federal prison for the conspiracy to commit bribery charge, up to ten years in federal prison for each bribery-related charge, and up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud-related charge.
Three other defendants in this case—former Mayor Pro-Tem Rogelio Mata, former City councilman Roel Mata, and businessman Ngoc Tri Nguyen—have each already entered guilty pleas to a federal programs bribery charge and are awaiting sentencing. A fourth defendant, former City Councilman Gilbert Urrabazo, is scheduled to have a re-arraignment hearing on August 25, 2016.
The investigation, led by the FBI’s San Antonio Division, has been ongoing since 2016. United States Attorney Richard Durbin, Jr. and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs announced the superseding indictment today in Del Rio.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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