Less than two months after U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda landed presidential pardons for their federal bribery charges, the Laredo Democrat’s brother appeared before a federal judge on allegations he used county money to run a fraudulent business.
Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar and associate Alejandro Gutierrez are accused of illegally using sheriff’s office staff and resources to run a for-profit disinfecting business called Disinfect Pro Master they launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuellar pleaded not guilty Thursday and was released on bond, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. Both he and Gutierrez were indicted in November, but the charges weren’t unsealed until this week.
The indictment accuses Cuellar, 67, and Gutierrez, 47, of launching Disinfect Pro Master in April 2020 and signing up clients even though they had no employees or supplies. Instead of using their money to hire staff, the pair enlisted sheriff’s department employees to do the work, both on and off the county’s clock, according to the feds. The men are further accused of running the company from sheriff’s office facilities.
Cuellar’s former assistant chief, Ricardo Rodriguez, 65, already pleaded guilty to his involvement in the scheme, according to federal authorities. His sentencing is set for March.
“The charges also allege Disinfect Pro Master secured a $500,000 contract to clean United Independent School District schools in Laredo and completed the work using [sheriff’s department] staff and resources,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “For more than two years, the business allegedly operated almost entirely with county employees and supplies, incurring minimal overhead.”
Cuellar, Gutierrez and Rodriguez each banked roughly $175,000 — or an even three-way split of the profits — authorities allege. Cuellar used a portion of his windfall to buy property in Laredo, according to details shared by the feds.
Cuellar’s attorney, Houston-based Eric Reed, told the Texas Tribune his client engaged in no wrongdoing.
“The government is going to have to prove their case that whatever misconduct happened by another person was intended by the sheriff and known by him,” Reed said. “And they’ll never be able to make that case, because he did not know and was not involved.”
If convicted, Cuellar and Gutierrez both face up to 10 years in federal prison along with fines of up to $250,000. Cuellar is also charged with money laundering, which carries an additional 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, federal officials said.
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