Eloy Infante, Elpidio Yanez Jr., Adrian Guerrero, Attempted Extortion, Texas 2016

McALLEN, Texas - In a shocking case of corruption, two former elected members of the School Board of Donna and a private citizen who served as a middleman were sentenced for accepting bribes in connection with a services contract held by the Donna Independent School District (DISD).

Eloy Infante, 54, Elpidio Yanez Jr., 45, and Adrian Guerrero, 50, all from Donna, were sentenced to 46, 37, and 18 months, respectively. The defendants pleaded guilty in January 2016 to attempted interference with commerce by extortion.

According to court documents, from February to May 2015, Infante and Yanez attempted to extort, and solicited and accepted bribes from an individual whose company provided services to the DISD. Specifically, the defendants informed the individual that in order for his company to keep its services contract with the DISD, he needed to pay Infante and Yanez $10,000 each.

Both Infante and Yanez admitted they accepted partial payment of the bribes, and Guerrero admitted that he served as the middleman for one of the payments. The FBI investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Leo III and Trial Attorney Monique Abrishami of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.

In connection with their pleas, the defendants admitted to the attempted extortion and bribery scheme. Infante and Yanez were both members of the Donna School Board when they committed the attempted extortion.

U.S. District Judge Randy Crane imposed the sentences. The investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrate the department's commitment to rooting out public corruption and holding accountable those who would seek to exploit their positions for personal gain.

The case is a stark reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability in government. The public has a right to expect that those in positions of power will act with integrity and in the best interests of the community, not for personal enrichment.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/two-former-south-texas-school-board-members-and-middleman-sentenced-attempted-extortion