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Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) caught a little bit of a break on Friday when the decide overseeing his case on corruption fees agreed to proceed the trial from July 8, 2024, to March 31, 2025. Meaning the trial will not come till effectively after the November election, during which Cuellar is dealing with off towards Republican Jay Furman, a Navy veteran.
The Laredo Democrat was indicted final month on fees of bribery, cash laundering and illegally engaged on behalf of the Azerbaijani authorities. His trial was scheduled to kick off in July, however now won’t start till spring 2025 with an interim pretrial convention in December. Jury choice is scheduled to start March 31, 2025.
Each federal prosecutors and Cuellar’s crew requested to delay the trial. Choose Lee Rosenthal, a seasoned decide appointed by President George H.W. Bush, accredited their request. The trial will happen in federal courtroom in Houston.
Federal prosecutors allege Cuellar laundered bribes from the Azerbaijani authorities and a Mexican financial institution. In alternate, he allegedly advocated laws the financial institution and Azerbaijani authorities supported. That included laws associated to Azerbaijan’s territorial dispute with neighboring Armenia.
It is not precisely clear from the pleadings what the premise for persevering with the case was. The federal government’s movement requesting a brand new scheduling order references the defendants (Cuellar and his spouse, Imelda, are each charged) requesting a continuance of the July trial date in the course of the Might 16 Pretrial Convention however doesn’t specify the explanations for the request. One can speculate, however on condition that the indictment was solely filed April 30, a continuance of the trial date to subsequent March is not extraordinary. (Imagine I’ve shared this earlier than, however I can rely on one hand the variety of instances I recall really continuing to trial on their authentic/preliminary trial date in practically three many years as a litigator — and nonetheless have a few fingers left over.)
Nonetheless, the delay of the trial means Cuellar will not need to cope with spending time in courtroom or having been convicted forward of November’s election. And one should not essentially rely on the indictment to wreck the chances of Cuellar prevailing. In November 2022, he gained the seat handily, securing his tenth time period in workplace with a 13-point victory over Republican challenger Cassy Garcia, even if his house and workplace had been raided by the FBI in January of that yr.
READ MORE:
NEW: Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar to Be Indicted by the DOJ, Placing His Home Seat in Jeopardy
The fees towards Cuellar learn considerably just like these towards Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who’s at present standing trial for corruption and bribery and has filed to run as an Unbiased in a bid to retain his long-held Senate seat within the November election.
RELATED:
Sen. Bob Menendez Information for Reelection As Unbiased Amid Corruption Trial
Per the DOJ:
An indictment was unsealed as we speak within the Southern District of Texas charging U.S. Congressman Enrique Roberto “Henry” Cuellar, 68, and his spouse, Imelda Cuellar, 67, each of Laredo, Texas, with collaborating in two schemes involving bribery, illegal overseas affect, and cash laundering. Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar made their preliminary courtroom look as we speak earlier than U.S. Justice of the Peace Choose Dena Palermo in Houston.
Based on courtroom paperwork, starting in not less than December 2014 and persevering with via not less than November 2021, Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar allegedly accepted roughly $600,000 in bribes from two overseas entities: an oil and fuel firm wholly owned and managed by the Authorities of Azerbaijan, and a financial institution headquartered in Mexico Metropolis. The bribe funds had been allegedly laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, via a sequence of entrance firms and middlemen into shell firms owned by Imelda Cuellar, who carried out little to no legit work underneath the contracts. In alternate for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and fuel firm, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to make use of his workplace to affect U.S. overseas coverage in favor of Azerbaijan. In alternate for the bribes paid by the Mexican financial institution, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to affect legislative exercise and to advise and strain high-ranking U.S. Government Department officers concerning measures useful to the financial institution.
If convicted of the fees, Cuellar may face many years in jail.
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