WIGHTMAN CONTINUES TO CARRY WATER FOR BEGUM'S FOES

By Juan Montoya
After Josefina Canales approached JP 2-2 candidate Yolanda Begum for "assistance" for her kids from her adopted stepson Michael Begum Jr. at the peak of the campaign and Begum declined to give her more than what they had received in their inheritance, Canales went ballistic.
She threw herself at the service of Erin Hernandez Garcia and her vote-harvesting family and set about to turn a family dispute into a political campaign  issue that the Herandezes and their minions were only too glad to exploit. What started as a trickle of invective soon tuned into a the torrent of half-truths, innuendo, and outright lies.
The Hernandezes and Canales found a willing ally in local blogger Robert Wightman (La Babosa), a disbarred attorney and all-around misanthrope who harbors a deep grudge against Yolanda and her son Alex and anyone he imagines to be against the Heranndezes.
Just a couple of days ago Wightman posted a fabulous scenario whereupon he mixes fact and fiction and uses the fabrication to slur candidate Begum, her son, Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, and even innocent bystanders Cameron County Court-at-Law 1 Judge Arturo McDonald. We're surprised he didn't include the bailiffs and county courthouse workers among those objects of his ire.
At the root of La Babosa's hatred is the personal life of the Begums and the attempt by Canales to wrest money from them. Yolanda married Alex Begum Sr. in 1975. Begum Sr. was a Jewish refugee from Russia and met Yolanda when he came to the border. They marry, have children, and then – after 22 years – divorce amicably.
In the last four years of his life Begum Sr. suffered from terminal cancer and Yolanda, even though they were divorced, tended to him in his dying days.
"We were no longer married but we remained friends," she recalled. "I took care of him until he passed away."
Wightman – who has no way on knowing anything about internal family matters – cavalierly states that after Begum Sr. dies "a battle royal (sic) ensues over his estate and money."
"That's a lie," Begum says. "There was no such battle over any estate or money. "Michael was very fair and equitable in his will to all his loved ones. The only battle over any estate was over Michael Jr.'s, who didn't leave a will because he didn't have anything to leave. That's what Ms. Canales is fighting over. She wants more."
But her's the kicker. Neither Yolanda nor Alex Begum have any say-so over Michael Begum Sr.'s estate. Robert Lacker, a longtime friend, was chosen as executor.
Wightman says Michael Jr. died from a blow to the head. That is also not true, Yolanda says. She said that the sad fact is that the younger Begum had become addicted to hard drugs and that the coroner's report lists his cause of death as an aneurysm resulting from what is commonly called a "speedball," a combination of cocaine and amphetamines.
Canales had married Michael Jr. and had three children with him. She was 28 and he was 21. They lived a "high" life. Afterwards, they were divorced and Michael Jr. married another woman, Andrea, with whom he had four children. The Michael Begum Jr. inheritance was divided between the two families, even though two of the children from Michael Jr.'s were cared for by Andrea, his second wife after Canales left with only one of the children, a girl.
After about five years Canales returned to pick up the other two children, including Mikey, a Special Needs child. Mikey, although with special needs, had impressed school authorities enough that he had been granted a $25,000 scholarship. That opportunity ended when his mother returned and carried him off.
As is the case with Micahel Sr.'s estate. Neither Yolanda nor Alex Begum is the executor of Sandra Begum's chikldren's estate. Someone else does. So why does Canales want them to give her money for her kids?
During the campaign between Yolanda and Erin Hernandez Garcia, Begum complained to the police about derogatory and insulting comments Canales – in the Hernandez camp – was making about her in the social media to help Erin in the campaign. These were duly reported to police and the civil case ended when visiting Manuel Bañales dismissed the charges. Both the judge and Begum's attorney – her son Alex Begum – knew Canales had no money to pay for a judgement if Begum won. So they let it go.
To Wightman, this turned into a "victory" for Canales.
The criminal case, however, languished in the files of former DA Armando Villalobos, who – as he did in the Roberto Cadriel illegal hiring case – sat on the complaint until he left office in disgrace. To Wightman, this is a sign that Villalobos had an unerringly keen sense of right and wrong (what?) and served the highest ends of justice by ignoring the complaint.
Now DA Luis Saenz, in the course of bringing the dockets up to date, has picked it up. It was assigned to Cameron County Court-at-Law #1 with Judge Arturo McDonald.
Since the case was filed there, Canales – probably at Wightman's urging – has agreed to let local attorney Ed  Cyganiewicz remove himself from representing Canales. There was a comment made at the courthouse that Ed's client didn't respect the attorney-client privilege and was feeding information to outsiders about the case.
Since Alex Begum made a political contribution to Saenz in his race, this is interpreted by Wightman as a "payoff" for Saenz. If he does his homework (which he usually does not and shoots from his ample hips), Wightman would see that Begum, as do many other attorneys, contributes to many political candidates. Is he and the other lawyers buying them off, too?
Wightman seeks to make Canales look like a poor victim as pure as the driven snow. But, as they like to endlessly repeat in some quarters, let's be document-driven.
He does not mention that she was charged with theft of property in 2009 that was dismissed pursuant to a plea agreement (09-CCR-0004521-33161), criminal mischief Class A (94-CCR-00007071-43268), Criminal Mischief (94-CCR-000707073-43270), Assault (95-CCR-0001025-47646) victim forgives offense, and another Assault (0001027-47648) victim forgives offense, etc.
This is only in Cameron County. We have documented the case in Harris County (2011-74258), where a poor slob named Hart Eugene Schleicher petitioned the court to issue a restraining order to stop Canales from continuing to harass him and stop her from sending embarrassing and sexually-explicit photographs and recordings to his associates at his place of employment and to his family.
Wightman and Erin Hernandez would like us to believe that Canales is a victim who is being deprived of some entitlement coming to her because at one time she was married to Yolanda Begum's stepson Michael Jr. and now has enlisted herself along with the blogger in the service of the Hernandez vote-harvesting machine to get her revenge because neither Yolanda nor her son Alex will give in to her demands.
Along the way, they nurture the illusion that a federal court will penalize DA Saenz and Judge McDonald for not seeing things their way and upholding the law. What world do these people live in, and do they expect the rest of us to crawl along with them into their sordid gutter of squalor in their lust for money and power?