By Juan MontoyaTwo former clerks with the office of Justice of the Peace Tony Torres have resigned in the wake of allegations they have been embezzling unknown thousands from that office.
Sources have confirmed that Margarito Guzman and his common-law wife Joanna resigned Tuesday and that the City of Brownsville Police Department was investigating allegations that the two might have conspired to embezzle thousands from the office over an undetermined length of time.
"Our auditor's office has not finished investigating the case and we have yet to know the amounts involved," said a county official. " All I can tell you is that it was a lot of money."
Other sources indicate that the case was turned over to the Brownsville Police Department. A spokesman for the department indicated the investigation was "ongoing" and that comments on the case would follow at a later date.
However, sources indicate that the two have been conspicuous in their spending ways and that the couple took trips to places like Las Vegas, Hawaii and the West Coast often.
"Hell, I can't even go to Hawaii," said an elected county official. "I looked at the cost of going there with my wife and I took her to the (South Padre) Island. These guys would travel to those places once or twice a year."
Other sources say that the couple often took trips to gamble in Las Vegas. One said that he had gone to the city before, but that the couple did not use the economy hotels like he had to.
"I told them I knew of a place that rented rooms for $35 a night and she just laughed at me," he said. "She said they stayed in a casino on the strip. I know that those places cost between $150 to $300 a night."
The same source indicated that Guzman had built a swimming pool at his home, bought a boat, and that he had often boasted of having purchased a 78-inch flat-screen television set to watch football games.
"Hell, I can't even buy one of those," said the elected official. "We couldn't figure out how he did it."
For his part, Torres said that he had asked prosecutors with the district attorney's office more than once how he could remove the two from his office, to no avail.
"I went to the district attorney's office several times to tell them I didn't want them working for me, but they said that they were protected by civil service and that there was nothing they could do," he said. "I really had no choice in the matter even if I didn't want them working for me."
Meanwhile, the same county official said that after the couple resigned, they had approached law enforcement officials indicating that they would be partial to reaching some sort of deal that would implicate Torres in unspecified wrongdoing.
"They seem to want to cop a plea by implicating the judge so they can get a break in their case," he said. "We decided that instead of just looking into Judge Torres' office, we would do system-wide investigation to see whether this type of thing is happening elsewhere."
8 comments:
Chingao Montoya, what is Cameron County hiring, Gypsies, tramps and thiefs. Send the bastards to jail, for 25 years. Par de putos, no tienen verguenza.
Isn't the JP managing his office. People steal when its made easy. This is reminiscent of the Port Isabel JP's office where even the JP was engaged in corruption. All these local governments should be audited!
we SHOULD do A system-wide investigation to see whether this type of thing is happening elsewhere.
We should start with BISD, CITY, Brownsville Navigation, and sent the crooks to jail.
Every govermental office ought be audited once a year. Puro pinches rateros, ojala y los manden a la carcel, bola de mendigos.
I agree, audit, every damn tax-payer entity. And if they find wrong doing, get the bastards to pay, oh mandenlos a chingar su madre a la carcel.
They live off tax payers hard earn money, some people don't buy food in October, just to pay the taxes, and this putos are stealing. Sorry, I say send them to Ruckers for 10 years.
People do things because they know they can get away with it. If Baby Boy Joey could get away from stealing from terminal patients, because his Mama reigns in Cameron County, why shouldn't everyone else give it a try. If the mayor, the sports park "owner", and others too many to mention can get away and laugh about it, why should we all try. I have always wondered why people run for a political office that does not have a salary? Now I know!
i think that people do things that are wrong. but only god knows why they did what they did. and only our court system well give then what they deserve. but you know the saying "its who you know" those are the people who work in our court house. that take advantage and people who really need the job don't get it and why " it's who you know" so if we have a fair system and justice they both will get what they deserve. jail time for both or them. and i think that there retirement that they are intiled to. the goverment should not let them have it they should pay back all the money they took from the county.
Finally, here's the start local governments needed. Now they need to finish the job by conducting a real investigation of all public offices from JP Level to District Court Level. Like someone in the business said, if you're really honest in your investigation, and you really want to find it, the corruption is there. we are in sad state of affairs here in Cameron County.... when is enough, enough? Preach and do what you teach our children. Make our future proud.
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