Part 2
By Juan Montoya
The May 11, 2013 City of Brownsville election for District 3 was a hard-fought campaign between three candidates: Debora Portillo, Rosalio "Leo" Rosales and Martin Sarkis.
In the end Sarkis and Portillo emerged as the top vote getters and were scheduled for the runoff election June 22.
Portillo finished ahead of Sarkis in the May 11th election, but didn't get more than 50 percent of the vote needed to win outright.
The winner would fill the District 3 seat of Melissa Zamora, who did not run for re-election.
Zamora (now Melissa Landin) had been appointed Public Information Officer by Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz and as such, serviced requests for information from the media and the public.
One of those requests were by local blogger and disbarred attorney Robert Wightman.
On May 31, 2013, at 11:04 a.m., Wightman emailed Zamora an open records request for the DA's copy of Sarkis' criminal file. He attached what records he had for Zamora to peruse and hinted that since the file was empty for the most part "this means there were back door negotiations. How do I get access to the DA's copy of the file – open records request – what? (see graphic)."
Those of us who have made open records request know that the DA's Office will usually drag their feet on inquiries and make them wait the full 10 days prescribed by law before they cough up any information requested.
Not so with Wightman's request. In a little over three hours, Wightman was invited to come by the DA's Office and "pickup" the materials he requested.
A trove of more than 300 pages of emails acquired through a public information request of electronic communications between Zamora and Wightman indicates that he asked about the DA's file on the Sarkis' criminal case at 10:12 a.m. that Friday, that she asked him to file the information request at 10:54 a.m, that he filed it at 11 :04 a.m., and that she answered him at 1:31 p.m. that "I have the documents ready for pickup, Melissa."
Wightman was not only successful at acquiring a supposed confidential criminal file from Zamora, the emails also indicate that he sought files from that office related to accusations by Norma Hernandez against Zeke Silva, the criminal file of indicted politiquera Sonia Solis, the mugshot of convicted politiquera Margarita Ozuna, and counseled Zamora as early as April 16, 2013, on how to go about suing individuals and shutting down their social media "for internet harassment."
"Montoya,-Zeke and Duardy (Eduardo Paz-Martinez ) are never going away. No one will come to their defense..." he wrote her. "Duardy by his own admission is not selling books (or slow as he says) - no one will help Zeke - and Montoya will just hang himself without a defense. For Google to shut them down all you need is an order they have defamed you - you do not need damages - just a court finding these statements are false."
Was the release of defendants' criminal files legal, ethical, or permissible? And was the singling out of Zamora's "enemies" by Wightman in cahoots with the DA's Office a proper function of that office?
Was the release of the DA's Office Sarkis criminal file approved by Saenz? And was the release by Zamora of information known only to the DA, Sarkis and his defense attorney requested and released to affect the city election to fill her old seat on the city commission?
Next: Is Saenz Losing the Maquinita P.R. Game?
Next: Is Saenz Losing the Maquinita P.R. Game?
14 comments:
This is serious Juan. Melissa Zamora obviously was getting back at people she thought were writing about her on the blogs. Releasing criminal files does not sound legal, and if Saenz knew, both should be looked at by the law.
Luis Saenz you better FIRE Melissa Today or else you will be brought on charges of abuse of power and defamation by a public official.
Mellissa Zamora your turn is coming. Great Job Juanito. You just hit a homerun taking down two of the most corrupt officials in Cameron County. Luis Saenz need to be brought up against the State Bar.
Melissa should sue. Always wondered why she hasn't done so yet. It's become quite evident that all you do is write about this woman and allow for anonymous commenters to write disgusting things about her. I imagine someone is paying you to do this, but why? I remember when Capt. Bob was sued for doing the same thing to someone else. They were able to track comments to certain individuals and he lost a big lawsuit because of it.
All those files are open records. It is her job to provide the documents. Where is the conspiracy. Just because you don't like what is requested you throw her under the bus for doing her job.
Melissa again?????? Good grief. Stop with your jealous rants. You are a vato and not a vieja.
Melissa has a history of using her position in a way to serve her bosses and herself. She intervened in a BPD investigation of a rear-end collision caused by Rene Oliviera during his last campaign vs Alex Dominguez. She blocked an investigation. It served Rene and highlighted
her willingness to do "anything" to benefit herself. When running for city commission she "promised" to seve the voters....in the end she only served herself. Now she has been put in a "pit bull" job with DA Saenz and uses information to serve herself and maybe the DA office. "Information is power" and Melissa and Saenz make every attempt to use the media and manipulate the media to benefit themselves....and that often means breaking the rules/protocols. Melissa and Saenz together are practicing deception as a means to leverage power.
I'd do her!
The dilemma with Her is her Derrìerre.
Lol, she's a dumbass but I'll do her
She's already been done !
For all the ones that say they would do her, you better double bag it, for your protection.
(Duardy by his own admission is not selling books)
Well, no wonder I saw a stack of them at the dollar store this morning. And I couldn't tell if they were in the toilet paper aisle or the novel aisle. LOL!!!
Dags.
(you better double bag it, for your protection.)
If Duardy's been there, well maybe not, but his tongue and mouth, you had better.
Saenz days as DA are numbered.
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