Webb County Commissioner Caught in Bribery Scandal

Kristopher Michael Montemayor, a county commissioner for Precinct 1 of the Webb County Commissioners Court in Texas, has pleaded guilty to bribery.

According to the investigation, Montemayor solicited and accepted bribes in exchange for promising to perform official acts. Specifically, Montemayor admitted to accepting three separate bribe payments totaling $11,000, as well as over $2,700 in electronics equipment, from a businessman who was an undercover law enforcement agent.

The businessman, unbeknownst to Montemayor, was working with law enforcement to uncover corruption in Webb County. In exchange for the money and equipment, Montemayor promised to take official action to promote the business interests of the undercover agent.

Montemayor also admitted to accepting the use of a new 2012 Ford F-150 truck, which costs approximately $37,015, in exchange for promising to provide government jobs to both the vehicle owner and his spouse. As a result of these job appointments, the vehicle owner and his wife received salaries of $26,000 and $45,553 from Webb County.

The case is being investigated by special agents from the Laredo Resident Agency of the FBI’s San Antonio Division. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Emily Rae Woods and Mark J. Cipolletti of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.

Montemayor is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 7, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo in Laredo, Texas. This conviction serves as a reminder that public corruption will not be tolerated in our communities.

As a result of this investigation, the citizens of Webb County can rest assured that their government officials are being held accountable for their actions.

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