Posted on 05/20/2007 5:50:24 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Two corporations charged this month in an alleged plot to supply undocumented workers to a South Texas oil rig builder are apparently run by a state district judge, according to a published report.
Judge Leonel Alejandro, the presiding judge of the 357th District Court in Brownsville, has not been charged in the case. He is president of CPEP Inc. and LAMC Inc., the companies behind a firm called Port Fabricators that provided workers to Keppel AmFELS, The Brownsville Herald reported.
Public records obtained by newspaper show that Alejandro also has former ties to AmFELS, acting as that company's attorney before becoming a judge in January 2003.
In a statement issued to the newspaper, Alejandro said he helped develop Port Fabricators and that he still has some involvement with the company.
"The company has continually cooperated through the process," Alejandro said. "It would not be appropriate for me to comment further given the preliminary information we have at this time."
Houston attorney Eric Reed, who represents both CPEP and LAMC, said Alejandro "has always encouraged the cooperation of the company and continues to do so."
"It's very early on," Reed said. "We will take a good look at the charges and keep a dialogue with the government to better understand what the accusations are." He said he was optimistic about the outcome.
A federal grand jury indicted CPEP, LAMC and two former employees on fraudulent employment charges. AmFELS paid Port Fabricators $30 million over a two-year span for lease contracts involving more than 1,000 workers, more than half of which allegedly had invalid employee documents, according to court records.
CPEP and LAMC face 13 counts combined, each punishable by up to a $500,000 fine. Also charged are former employees Rolando Villanueva, 31, and Ernesto Casas, 33, who face up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of transferring or accepting a fraudulent document.
The two companies, plus Villanueva and Casas, are suspected of providing undocumented workers with fraudulent documents to AmFELS for its shipyard and oil rig-building business from 1999 to 2006.
Between January 2002 and September, the Defense Department awarded AmFELS a $73 million contract to modify an oil-drilling platform used in missile defense. It was also during that span that AmFELS allegedly paid Port Fabricators $30 million to fulfill a labor lease contract, according to the indictment.
Villanueva's attorney, Edward A. Stapleton III of Brownsville, said Villanueva said he did nothing wrong. Casa's attorney declined to comment.
The trial is scheduled to start in July.
"...more than 1,000 workers, more than half of which allegedly had invalid employee documents,.."
Ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
Can we deport him, too?
More Rat corruption....
What a shock that the Feds looked the other way, again! /sarcasm//
This needs to be on Rush, Hannity, and all the rest of the talk shows. Someone needs to call Pelosi and ask her for a comment on RAT corruption.
Mexico is corrupt- Mexicans in the positions of autority will soon make America just as corrupt as Mexico.
Security wall construction begins at courthouse [South Texas Fort Aztlan?]
Awhile back I talked to an attorney in Brownsville about a civil dispute involving two parties. He flat said if the party on my side was white and the party on the other side was Mexican the Mexican would win. He said a white would ALWAYS lose.
We elect our state judges in Texas. Brownsville is in the bluest part od the state.
In south Texas crooked judges are the norm. If they were honest they wouldn’t get the criminal alien vote.
the same votes the Dems are after (and Republicans like McCain)
Calling Libs *rats* is offensive to rodents!
Cameron County now has a Republican Sheriff thanks to corrupt democrats like judge Alejandro.
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