Wednesday, August 26, 2015

SILGUERO PLEA BARGAIN YIELDS INSIDE LOOK AT JP SCANDAL

By Juan Montoya
Former Justice of the Peace 2-2 Erin Garcia Hernandez had just assumed office a scant two months before when the sister of one of her clerks told her some of her family members had a little problem and could she help them out with a favorable settlement?
Thus begins the story that embroiled the JP 2-2 court and became the focus of an investigation by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, the FBI Task Force and the Brownsville Police Dept. The result was two indictments handed down by a county grand jury against two sisters and the questioning of court staff and Justice of the Peace Erin Garcia Hernandez. Garcia has never been charged.
The 140-page attachment to the plea bargain reveals the scope of the corruption that enveloped the court almost upon from the day that Garcia took over the office in late 2013 to serve the unexpired term of deceased JP Tony Torres.
It seems that Vanessa and Jaime Mercado and had approached Maria Velia Silguero, the sister of Liliana Cantu, Erin's clerk Liliana Cantu, and offered both women $800 in return for a favorable settlement in a small claims lawsuit they had filed against some relatives.
Silguero said she approached Garcia through her sister and later alone in the corridor of the courthouse.
According to Silguero's statement – and corroborated in part by Garcia – both women met in the hallway of the second floor of the county judicial wing, Silguero told Garcia that the defendants owed close to $15,000 to Jaime Mercado. She also told Garcia – and through her sister Liliana – that the Mercados were relatives even though they were not.  At this point Silguero said Garcia told her that they should file for a sum lower than $10,000 which would giver her jurisdiction in JP court.
The Mercados were assisted by Cantu to fill out the forms to file their small claim in January 11, 2013. The couple submitted a claim for $9,455. Garcia had taken over the court just a little over a month before in late November or early December.
And how much should she charge them, Silguero said she asked Garcia using her thumb and forefinger to signify the cash.
"Silguero said that Garcia told her that since they were family she (Silguero) should charge them whatever she wanted and whatever they paid to give towards her campaign," the investigative report attached to Silguero's no-contest plea continues.
"Silguero said that Garcia had BBQ fundraiser for her campaign possibly sometime in June. To donate toward the campaign. Silguero stated that she was going to give the money to Garcia by way of purchasing BBQ tickets. Silguero's sister Cantu gave Silguero 70-80 bbq tickets, and in turn Silguero gave approximately $600 to her sister to give to Garcia. Silguero stated that she intended the money as a payment to Garcia for a favorable ruling in the Mercado lawsuit and that the fundraiser was a way to disguise the payment to the judge.
In fact, Garcia did make a default judgement April 3, 2013 when the defendants in the Mercado lawsuit did not show up. But she quickly reversed that ruling when the defendants hired former Cameron County DA Armando Villalobos who on April 13, 2013 asked for a rehearing claiming they had not received notice of the hearing on the case.
Garcia dismissed the case against the defendants on August 7, 2013.
By then, on May 2013, less than a month after the April 3 ruling, a federal jury was picked to sit in judgment of the former DA on corruption charges. He was later convicted and sentenced to 13 years in federal prison.
According to the documents attached to the case, investigators found that the notice for the hearing on the Mercado case had been intentionally sent to a nonexistent address, unlike other notices sent to them which contained the correct address.
After Villaobos requested the hearing, Garcia reversed her ruling and dismissed the case. This led to a courtroom confrontation between Vanessa Mercado and Garcia where Mercado complained in open court that she had "given one of your clerks $800" to get a favorable ruling in their case.
The incident was witnessed by the clerks and a bailiff from the Pct. 2 Constable's office who later filed a report for the investigators.
After this confrontation, Cantu said she was called to Garcia's office where the judge told her she was giving her a "heads up" about Mercado because she knew she wasn;t going to stop there.
The investigators interviewed both sisters, the Mercados, and court staff over a period of  time stretching from August 2013 through February 6, 2014. There were at least 14 interviews during that time. At one point both sisters said they were "afraid" to make any statements involving the Hernandez family because they were politically powerful and were afraid they would "get them."
At the end of the report DA Investigator Zachary Rhinehart recommended that "this case be reviewed by a Grand Jury to consider the facts which indicate that Vanessa Mercado, Jaime Mercado, Maria Silguero, Liliana  Cantu and Erin Garcia "knowingly and intentionally" participated in an effort to solicit, accept or agreed to accept from one another" a bribe for a favorable ruling from Garcia in the Mercado case.
When she was asked by Rhinehart if she had any qualms about accepting cases of relatives of her employees, and whether she had done anything about the claims by Mercado that she had paid $800 to her employee in return for a favorable ruling, Garcia was equivocal. She told Rhinehart that "In hindsight I don't know if I should have or shouldn't have, in hindsight a reasonable person that she (Mercado) would have paid her (Cantu) to help arrange theh case, sure absolutely."
The Mercados, Liliana Cantu, and her sister Maria Velia Silguero were indicted by a grand jury. Garcia was not.
As a result of the plea, Silguero is being offered five years in jail, probated for five years. Silguero has not been formally sentenced yet. The case was heard by 103rd District Court Judge Janet Leal.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Liliana Cantu Villarreal is RAT. There is no telling what she stole from Judge Tony Torres.

Anonymous said...

Entering freshmen enrolled in the new biomedical sciences degree program at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will never have to buy a traditional textbook.

Instead, their course materials will be delivered to them on iPads, which they’ll receive at orientation on Aug. 26. And that’s just the first indication that this degree program will not be business – or in this case – higher education as usual.

BioMed: UTRGV students attend orientation for the biomedical sciences program
BioMed: UTRGV students attend orientation for the biomedical sciences program
The biomedical sciences degree marks the official launch of the UT System’s competency-based education initiative, an ambitious and sweeping mission to reimagine and personalize courses to increase student success and access. The degree uses elements of competency-based education.

Competency-based education allows students to advance through courses based on their ability to master knowledge and skills. Students are held to clearly defined and rigorous expectations but can move through a course at a pace that ensures their success. Courses will be delivered in a hybrid format, a combination of online, classroom, laboratory or clinical time.

The UTRGV biomedical sciences degree program was designed by the UT System’s Institute for Transformational Learning in partnership with UTRGV Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences faculty and is part of a larger initiative to increase the number of physicians in South Texas, who are desperately needed in the region.

Francisco Fernandez, M.D., dean of the new UTRGV College of Medicine, calls the project a groundbreaking initiative in premedical education that’s a game changer for aspiring physicians.

“Using elements of the competency-based approach and student services supporting creativity, determination and drive, UTRGV students are going to be better prepared to take the MCAT, enter medical school and be successful medical school students,” he said. “What this will result in is more qualified doctors coming from the Rio Grande Valley who have the power to transform this community.”

Anonymous said...

Random Scenerio: Ok I am trying to help a domestic abuse victim but she refuses to cooperate. I admonish the perp and call him every name in the book.
The truth is that I am really being vindictive against a local politician and her husband because I( poor me all butt hurt) was blocked from her FB page.
The perp is telling me stories about the politician and her husband.
And I BELIEVE him?????????? Something reeks of revenge!!!!!!!!!!!
Isnt he a no-good violent domestic abuser?????????
What business do I have talking to him and believing anything he has to say?
Please Juanito can you or one of your three readers help me clear this?
I have tried asking these questions on el loco's blog but won't let me.

TIA :)

Anonymous said...

so, everyone gets indicted except the Judge?? What??? shouldn't she be the example? wow unbelievable

Anonymous said...

Spotted the Blimp off that Ripple Street where he lives. Walking his dying dog. Dog looked like hell, but still better than Blimp. ja ja ja

Anonymous said...

Orange is the new black, pansona! Ya estas bien enchorizada.

Anonymous said...

Chamber Director has told us not to say anything about this ragarding LNG plants.

- Emits carbon dioxide when burned
- Contains 80-95% methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG)
- Explosive, potentially dangerous
- Concentrated sources require long distance transmission and transportation
- Energy penalties at every stage of production and distribution
- Requires extensive pipelines to transport over land
- Stored and distributed under high pressure
- Requires turbine-generators to produce electricity
- Liquefied form (LNG) used to transport over water, in tanker ships is - potentially very dangerous
- Energy use competes with use for chemicals and fertilizers

Anonymous said...

The judge was not involved. This was all a scheme of Lily Cantu. She is a rat and not the first time she has been accused of stealing. Lily was taking money from people for shit that was never promised.

Anonymous said...

Yes lily. Get on a fucking diet. Ya estas fea y pansona. Pareces un paquete de chorizo.

Anonymous said...

to anonymous 10:11 am ref. LNG. you have touched a lot of points, most of them untrue. Quit taking people's word for the truth and do some resaerch on LNG on your own. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

The comical part of this scenario / fiasco is that Cameron county elected officials are products of the political politiquera (o) practice syndrome . This is a good jolly laugh. (The politician is the one that throws a Big Fart and blames others).

Anonymous said...

Put the handcuffs on Erin Hernandez, Luis Saenz! What are you scared of?

Anonymous said...

Grow up! Domestic violence is not a joke, unlike you.You sound like the insecure Duardo, or possibly , the Walgreens jeans - wearing pendejo Valadez.Par de mensos !

Anonymous said...

Erin truly was one of the worst JP's Cameron county has ever had. These people have no business holding office and I for one am gld the people spoke and removed her from office.

Anonymous said...

We cannot afford to put Erin in jail. She will eat too much and cost taxpayers chingos

Anonymous said...

I saw Erin the other day at Sam's and she was wearing some tight ass pants. I figured she was trying to be hip by wearing skinny jeans which are "in" right now. Nombre! They had a huge tag in the back that said "husky" and they still fit her real tight! It was so gross I threw up all the free samples I had eaten inside the store.

rita