By Juan Montoya
...If it hadn't been for Magallanes, Gilberto Hinojosa, Eddie Treviño, and even Ernesto Gamez, (Abel) Limas would not have run for office.
In fact, Magallanes was one of four Brownsville attorneys who helped to secure a loan from IBC Bank to allow Limas to finance his 2000 campaign.
In an article written by Emma Perez-Treviño in 2011, she wrote that, aside from contributions, "A good portion came from a $25,000 loan that Limas secured from the International Bank of Commerce. Four Brownsville attorneys and a relative put their names on the line for Limas, each guaranteeing $5,000 of the loan. These were not reported as campaign contributions, and individually they exceeded state limits on contributions to judicial candidates.
The attorneys were Ernesto Gamez Jr., who was Limas’ campaign spokesman; Leonel Alejandro, now (then) judge of the 357th Judicial District; and former Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa’s partners at the time, Juan Magallanes and Eddie Treviño, now (then) former Brownsville mayor, with the then-law firm of Magallanes, Hinojosa and Treviño."
Then, in 2005, after Limas had been in office for one four-year term and was embarking on a second one, the partners heard he was thinking of resigning his bench.
During the Ray Marchan trial, Limas told prosecutors that he had told them he wasn't going to resign and they talked him out of it.
LIMAS : "I was going to resign in 2005. I had a letter for Gov. Rick Perry in 2005.
ASST. U.S. Atty. "And they told you don't resign. Please don't resign."
LIMAS: "Yeah, they told me not to resign. They didn't tell me 'Don't resign. We'll do this for you.' No. They encouraged me not to resign. And I said 'I'm going to resign.'"
It was in 2005 that the Magallanes and Limas relationship grew closer, even to the point of impropriety because Limas accepted a $30,000 loan from Magallanes as collateral for a property in Ft. Bend while Magallanes had a case before the court.
Lawyer Baltazar Salazar stated that Limas had bent over backwards to make sure Magallanes received his due in the form of court-ordered payments even when a jury did not award him any damages or attorney's fees in that case.
Salazar alleged that Limas issued orders that went against a jury decision that put $100,000s of dollars into Magallanes' pockets.
"This (the Magallanes $30,000 loan) came a few months after a Cameron County jury awarded Magallanes nothing, zero. Limas then on his own awarded Magallanes $195,000 in damages and $50,000 in attorney's fees..."
The case (2004-10-5058) was styled Bob Torres Properties vs. Southern Stone Properties, according to Salazar, who commented on Magallanes; opponent Oscar X. Garcia's FB page that "this was not a loan. This was a payback for ignoring a jury's verdict."
In fact, during the Ray Marchan trial, Limas testified that Magallanes loaned him the money in 2005. Limas himself admitted that it was unethical fro him not to tell opposing counsel of the personal loan.
ASST. U.S. ATTY: ...And you were in a bind in 2005 and you accepted $30,00 0 from a lawyer, according to Magallanes, in 2005...
LIMAS: It was unethical.
ASST. U.S. ATTY: Ok. Well it's not unethical unless you're doing favors or they're bribing you.
LIMAS: No, sir.
ASST. U.S. ATTY: So you're saying taking money is unethical period?
LIMAS: No, sir. You can get a loan form a lawyer as a judge. You can have a transaction as a judge. The only thing that makes it unethical is me, that I did not advise the opposing counsel that I was engaged in a form of transaction that benefited me, I never told that lawyer."
12 comments:
Gilberto Hinojosa, Juan Mgallanes, Abel Limas, best buddies for life. No favor too big, no bribe too small.
need you say more
Need you say more. There is a saying that if you hang around shit long enough you start smelling like shit.
Crooks..All of them..that's is why we don't vote...
same old same old, if we vote for this kat in then we as voters have no shame and we should just have let villalobos, limas and our gang stay in office just my opinion. fyi juan magallenes is part of our gang along with joe rivera, gilberto hinojosa and others and they know it para que se asen pepes, just my opinion, im holding my nose in November and voting for the republican guys, just plain tired of all these corruption by the democRATA party for too damn long. cca.
The Democratic party is asking us to vote straight party...I say hell...no.....my vote for county judge ..will be Republican. .first time ever...not voting for a corrupt politician. .never !!
Don't forget Da Mayor too !
que crook ni que la chingada bola de mamones cuando anden mamados con los compadres y los pare la policía y los metan al bote a las 3 de la mañana los que ban a smell like shit is you all . now were is the crooooook or who is the crook
This is for the “Cool Arrow”, don’t blame the Democratic party for all those bad apples. Here in south Texas we have a lot of “Chaqueteros”. These are Skin Head, Tea Party Republicans. They are under disguise, since they feel that they can better win an election if they run under a most “just” party. A good example of them is Eddie Lucio and Tony Martinez. Blame the Skin Head, Tea Republican Party for not bringing out good candidates. They just don’t have any. Toda la basura se viene para aca. The Skin Head, Tea Republican Party have notable candidates such as Bob McDonnell and Rick Perry. You would be lying if you would tell me that you never voted for at least one of our local bad apple candidates. Once we vote for them they think they have just been handed over a true license to steal. They forget all about the constituents that voted for them. The only thing in their minds is “What is there for me and my friends?” They keep on being elected because they have handed enough favors.
If you think the Demos are Bad ... Try the Republicans. They are ready to deport you my friend . You, your wife. Your children. Your grandmothers, etc. Deportation is the Final Solution !!!!!!
Keep it coming Bro...
Great job juan, follow the money. Do what carl bernstein and Bob Woodward did.Your on the right tract. Don't stop, they will fear you
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