Posted on 01/08/2005 10:00:24 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
PHARR — Just like a hangover, the morning after an FBI raid can be an unpleasant one.
But it was business as usual Friday for the administrative offices of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district and the Pharr Housing Authority.
Just 24 hours after FBI agents raided those locations and left with about 100 document boxes, employees at the PSJA administrative office were smiling and going about their work.
Superintendent Arturo Guajardo, whose white Chevy Suburban was parked just outside the front door, said Friday morning he has no idea what the FBI could be looking for.
"They took a lot of documents," he said. "I’m sure once they review all the documents, everything will be OK."
The school district offices appeared organized on Friday and gave no hint that dozens of federal agents had scoured the place one day earlier. Guajardo said staff members did have a few obstacles to overcome.
"We are missing some documents that are needed for daily operations," he said. "But we’re open today and operating just fine."
Nancy Herrera, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby, declined to comment Friday.
A memo signed by Guajardo and posted on the office’s bulletin board said the school board meeting set for Jan. 10 has been rescheduled for Jan. 17. The memo does not explain why the meeting has been reset.
The federal agents in blue also exercised a search warrant on the offices of the Pharr Housing Authority, where PSJA Trustee Roy Navarro works as executive director.
Navarro has served on the PSJA school board for nine years, making him the most senior member of the board. He also is a past president of the school board.
On Friday, Navarro declined to comment on the FBI raids.
"Based on the ongoing investigation, the advice my attorney has given me is to not make any comment," Navarro said.
He said he has been in and out of his office on Friday morning, but no one should infer his absence has anything to do with the raids.
"I’ve been sick with the flu," Navarro said. "So I will continue to be in and out until I recover."
The mood at the housing authority was more somber than at the PSJA administrative office. People who wanted to make housing payments encountered silence, as staff members quietly went about their work.
The FBI also extended the raid to the homes of Guajardo and Navarro, who live about a mile from each other in San Juan.
On Friday, both homes were quiet.
The feds took files and rifles from Navarro’s house, which still has Christmas lights and decorations on the front lawn.
At Guajardo’s home, agents seized at least two dozen document boxes and loaded them into three vehicles.
In a written statement released on Thursday, Shelby said the raids were part of an ongoing investigation and no charges have been filed.
Initial television news reports claimed three board members had been arrested, but Shelby told The Monitor on Thursday that was not the case.
The school district has been in the spotlight since at least 2000, when school construction issues began appearing in Hidalgo County courts.
Many of the school district’s construction projects have suffered from construction and design flaws, and have gone over the initial construction budget.
The FBI previously raided the offices of Al Cardenas Masonry in Pharr in October 2003. The firm, owned by Al Cardenas, often was tapped by the school district for construction projects.
Agents confiscated files from Cardenas’ office during that raid.
Most recently, Guajardo was at the center of a state investigation conducted by auditors with the Texas Education Agency. The TEA investigated the business relationship between the school district and San Juan Bolt & Supply, a business he co-owns with his brother, Celestino Guajardo Jr.
The TEA recommended that the school board re-evaluate business deals between the store and the school district.
Guajardo on Friday said all he is asking for is some time.
"I hope you can let our parents, our staff and our student body know that I’m asking them to be patient with us," Guajardo said. "This is a normal procedure of the FBI — they’re authorized to do this — and I know once they review the documents, everything will be OK."
———
Alma Walzer handles special assignments, investigative reporting and politics for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4422.
LOL!!
"We are missing some documents that are needed for daily operations,"
what kind of "documents" are needed? for daily operations?
South Texas Ping!
Once again, this story displays one of the oddities of Texas government. The state has almost no investigative and enforcement ability due to the Texas constitution. It is almost entirely local.
However, when the corruption extends into local law enforcement, which it has done for decades in South Texas, there's no one who will enforce the law. Except the Feds.
Some honest person in Hidalgo County tipped off the FBI.
Strange. I don't know about my job but if they raided my home, I would be screaming my head off all the way to Dubya for my stuff back.
Somebody's goin' to jail, I bet! :^)
Wouldn't that be an SUV?
IMHO They raided the wrong Dept.In the wrong county and the wrong Town.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
