TEXAS RANGERS STEP INTO PORTILLO CASE

By Juan Montoya
Sources close to the Brownsville Police Department say that the local cops have handed over the complaint against City of Brownsville District 3 candidate Deborah Portillo to the Texas Rangers for investigation.
The complaint against Portillo – one of four candidates for the position left vacant by commissioner Melissa Zamora, was filed by Martin Sakis who noted that some of the $25,000 in contributions listed in her campaign contributions and expense report from March 1 through April 11 were listed as having been given to the candidate by corporations in violation of state law.
The Texas election Code states that candidates for public office commit a third-degree felony if they accept (and spend) contributions from corporations. Among some of the contributions in Portilo's campaign are listed several corporations such as hotel chains, and Jewelry Corner Inc.
Although sources did not reveal the status of the complaint, Rangers usually investigate and then turn over their findings to the local district attorney for his consideration of whether to prosecute or not.
A former candidate for office said that when heh ran against Abel Limas a few years back, one of the first things he was warned against was the acceptance of political contributions from corporations.
"There was a case where I received money from some attorneys who had a limited liability partnership and I found out that it was also considered a corporation," he recalled. "I didn't want to find out if it was and I returned the money. The Texas Attorney General has prosecuted case like this across the state. Her handlers should have warned her about this at the very beginning."
The Brownsville PD has been recalcitrant in the past to step into political disputes.
Just last year then-police chief Carlos Garcia declined to investigate the alleged illegal hiring of Roberto Cadriel by Cameron County after newspaper stories revealed that the county's Civil Service process may have been subverted by unknown individuals who may have taken the test on his behalf after he failed it twice.
Cadriel is the brother-in-law of Pct. 2 county commissioner Ernie Hernandez. The case was handed back to the county DA and is now in the hands of the Cameron County Sheriff's Department and DA investigators.
It is unknown whether the DA will act before the May 11 election.