SEN. LUCIO'S CHIEF OF STAFF, FORMER COB ADMINISTRATOR RAMIRO GONZALEZ HITCHING THEIR WAGONS TO LAMANTIA CASH

 By Juan Montoya

RUBEN O'BELL

It was October 28, 2019 that the local office of the FBI was investigating an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving the Chief of Staff of State Representative Eddie Lucio III Ruben O'Bell and then-Brownsville Independent School District District trustee Dr. Sylvia P. Atkinson.

From what we were able to put together, a company paid O'Bell and Atkinson from $10,000 to $30,000 to "facilitate" the entry of AGM Food LLC to do business with the BISD to provide food for its cafeterias.

AGM had made a profitable business providing cafeteria food for numerous maquilas along the Mexican side of the river with their main office in Reynosa and thought it had paid for an introduction to the district through O'Bell and Atkinson. O'Bell purported to represent the office of Sen. Eddie Lucio and  Atkinson the BISD.

From what we were able to put together, the company – which has made a profitable business providing cafeteria food for numerous maquilas along the Mexican side of the river with their main office in Reynosa – was made to believe that it had paid for an introduction to the BISD through O'Bell and Atkinson.

From here on it gets murky, but apparently, the vendors were also told that they needed to pay-to-play – one source said that the amount over that time had mounted to some $30,000 – and that a school board member, Atkinson's name is the most mentioned - was somehow involved in the transaction.

The scam became unraveled when the AGM's principals were told that they would be able to meet with Sen. Lucio at the Lucio Middle School and that they would be able to observe the cafeteria operation and get an introduction to the administration and staff.

But imagine their surprise when they showed up and found out that the senator was there for Sen. Eddie Lucio Appreciation Day and that the administrators and cafeteria staff knew nothing of the alleged business meeting and introduction. Additionally, their suspicions were aroused when they found out AGM was not listed as a vendor with Region One, a requirement to do business with its member school districts.

The situation apparently roused the suspicion of school staff and administrators still gun shy because of the district's experience with the BISD's purchase of spoiled barbacoa from Valco in 2016, a company from Mexico that had been selling meat processed in Mexico to school districts in Region One in violation of U.S. Dept. of Agriculture prohibition of spending federal funds to pay foreign vendors.

It has always been known through local political circles that O’Bell always had his hand out if you wanted to speak with Senator Eddie Lucio Jr or his son Eddie Lucio III.

 If you wanted a sit down with either one of them and you happened to be a lobbyist or potential client you had to hire O’Bell at a minimum of $500.00 a month before you had a chance for a 5 minute sit down. Before that, you had to take him to lunch or dinner at the fanciest most expensive restaurants to hear what you wanted and he would determine how much the fee would be.

O'Bell was supposed to testify against Atkinson because of their pay-to-play scheme to bring the non-vetted food vendor from Mexico to sell food to BISD and other undisclosed matters.

Today, O'Bell is a full-time Chief of Staff for Sen. Lucio at $126,000 a year salary, $10,500.00 a month for a 40 hour week at $65.00 an hour. Plus he had the time (when?) to service clients and at his consulting business, bringing his potential annual income to some $226,000. 

Atkinson was indicted on eight counts of bribery on an unrelated scheme to use her position as BISD trustee to push through vendor projects through the BISD, was found guilty and sentenced to 6 ½ years in federal prison

Now as both Lucio Jr. and Lucio III are singing their swan song, O'Bell is hitching his wagon to the Morgan Lamantia campaign for Lucio's District 27 senate seat.

Ramiro Gonzalez

Sources say that Ramiro Gonzalez, the former City of Brownsville Director of Governmental and Community Affairs, is joining O'Bell to push forward the Lamantia campaign in Cameron County. Lamantia is a MCAllen attorney and represents her parents' L & F Distributing company. She has never run for or served in public office.

They have already approached Brownsville Navigation District Director Eddie Campirano who gave them – and Lamantia – a grand tour of the port on the pretense that she might want to lease from the port for her business. The same sources say that Gonzalez and O'Bell have approached the city to have a meet with Lamantia on a pretext of opening up a business here.

Gonzalez was given the option of resigning from the city or being fired after it was disclosed by social media that he and Mayor Trey Mendez were in business together and had applied to the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) for grant of $200,000 and $80,000 to fix up historical properties including the old Coca Cola Plant on Washington Street.

When that was disclosed, Gonzalez was forced to resign his $89,000 gig and Mendez said the applications for the loans – long, complicated affairs – had been put on the BCIC agenda "prematurely" and said he had withdrawn the applications and returned the money. 

O'Bell and Gonzalez have established their headquarters in the back meeting room of the 7th and Park Coffee and Bicycle shop back room.

 If you remember, Graham Sevier, owner of the shop, was appointed to be the chairman of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation by the city commission, including Mendez. Mendez, by the way, appointed members of the GBIC and the BCIC, the latter whose board members were ready to give him and Gonzalez the $280,000.  Mendez ran his mayoral campaign from 7th and Park as did commissioner Rose Gowen.

So is O'Bell hitching his fortunes to the Lamantia campaign to snag the Chief of Staff position in the event she wins while being paid by the state and Gonzalez is seeking to better his fortunes "introducing" elected and administrative city officials to his new candidate?