By Juan Montoya
A few months ago, Jesus "Don Chuy" Silva Treviño applied for a permit from the City of Brownsville Building Permits Department.
The man's property lies next to the southbound frontage road adjacent to the one of the exits of the 77 Flea Market. The s of the elderly man wanted to sell fruit to customers who went to the flea market and might want to buy some produce.
The inspector city inspector who showed up was none other than one Jaime Buentello, a commercial plans examiner..
After several visits, Silva – an elderly man past his 70s – paid the required $2,500 permit fee and said that he was asked to chip in an additional $1,000 in "consulting" fees to facilitate the process.
After months of wrangling with the city, no permit was forthcoming. Buentello, who at first was obsequious, was refusing to answer his calls. City manager Charlie Cabler and pemits department director Evaristo Gamez wouldn't either.
Then, about a week ago, he heard that Buentello had been arrested and charged with five criminal counts. Buentello, a Commercial Plans Examiner was charged with bribery, a second-degree felony and Theft, a state jail felony. Other charges include two Class A misdemeanor charges of tampering with government documents, and abuse of official capacity. He is out on bond awaiting trial.
A friend told Don Chuy about it and his name was given to detective Juan Alvarez as a potential victim. Alvarez visited Don Chuy and took his report.
Meanwhile, after repeated calls to building permits and to the city manager's office without a response, he got a call from Gamez to visit his office.
He went, expecting a fair resolution to his problem and the permission to start his sidelined business.
What he got was something totally unexpected.
Gamez said that he would have to install footings around the building, remove some trees for that have been growing for years next to a fence, and to remove several cars parked there.
"To install footings in the existing building would mean tearing it down and constructing a new one," said a friend who has been trying to help the old man. The trees have been there for years and were never a problem before. Now Gamez says they are."
As a result, Don Chuy cannot use his building to sell fruit and is prohibited from keeping any produce there. There was nothing said about returning the $1,000 he paid to Buentello for his "consulting."
This is a vastly different scenario than that which happened in an case where Buentello was involved. This one belonged to another man who was trying to start a business and had even hired someone from the city engineer's office to draft the commercial plans.
"We figured that if we hired someone from the city to draft the plans, they would know what not to do and that the permits would be issued faster than if someone who doesn't know the city codes and requirements, said one of the man's relatives. "Boy, were we wrong."
Time and time again the plans came back with some added requirement and were rejected.
Then, in the days after Buentellos's arrest, Gamez personally called the applicant and invited him to have lunch...on a Saturday.
The following Monday, the permit was issued and the man is setting up his business.
What was the difference?
Don Chuy is not "connected" politically with anyone and the other man is.
'Apparently, the city permits department is going though the list of permit applications that were delayed under Buentello trying to clean things up,' said the friend. "In Don Chuy's case, they apparently feel they can risk a little criticism and placed more hurdles before he is issued his permit."
Buentello's bribery charge is not related to the case involving "Don Chuy." In fact, it is not listed as a second bribery charge against him.
Will Don Chuy fall through the cracks in the haste of the city administration to squelch the burgeoning scandal at commercial permits?
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
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rita
4 comments:
Hand picking continues , how pathetic one more reason why this city is going no where where is the justice here .?
No City Employee should ever be asking for consulting fees from a citizen seeking permits. That is such a conflict of interest not forgetting to mention completely unethical and if not, should be noted as illegal city action by an employee. I have NEVER heard of such action (request) taken by any city planner outside of Brownsville. As a homeowner and my husband was a foreman for a licensed roofing contractor years past, he dealt with city planning departments many times over, never would such a request be considered legal or ethical outside of Brownsville.
Mr. Don Chuy needs to file a complaint with the State of Texas AG's office and the our own County DA for being defrauded the entire monies he put forth and received nothing in return. He must name, Buentellos & Gamez and all other city employees he had contact with who knew of his application including heads of that department. Department Supervisors should know what is happening and if not it shows their lack of competence and control over city employee action that makes the city of Brownsville liable for criminal acts. By doing nothing to correct or stop the theft of a city by a city employee they have acquiesced to a crime.
This is no different than the mentalities of former Judge Limas and DA Villalobos victimizing the dead victim and her family by taking the monies that was meant for victims and pocketing just because they could or thought they could get away with it.
It is up to the citizens not to allow unethical and criminal behavior to go unnoticed nor addressed just because the shysters work for the city of Brownsville , County or State.
Where the Fuck is Quarter-Million dollar Charlie through out all this bullshit. Do your fucking Job Cabler.
There is nothing new here the last engineer made fast exit to a position up the valley why ? He thought it would be better than Jail. He had been on the take for years.
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