McALLEN, Texas — The mayor pro-tem and city manager of Edcouch, Texas, have been arrested on charges of public corruption, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Victor Hugo De La Cruz, 40, the city manager, and Rene Flores, 60, the mayor pro-tem, were taken into custody following a federal grand jury indictment.
Both officials are scheduled to make their initial court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker on Sept. 13. The indictment, returned on Sept. 2, was unsealed upon their arrests.
The charges stem from allegations that between June and September 2019, De La Cruz and Flores solicited bribes from the owner of a Brownsville marketing business. The business owner had received two payments of $3,000 for marketing services purportedly performed for the city of Edcouch. In return, according to the indictment, the business owner made two $1,000 kickback payments to Flores.
De La Cruz and Flores face charges of conspiracy, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, and use of a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of bribery. If convicted, both could face up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for the bribery charge. They also face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy and interstate commerce charges.
