Two former members of Fiesta San Antonio royalty, family members indicted on federal charges

Days before the kickoff to San Antonio's citywide party, a federal grand jury has indicted two former former members of Fiesta royalty on charges they conspired to commit wire fraud and money laundering, according to the Justice Department.

The indictment names Kenneth “Ken” Flores and his father Antonio “Tony” Flores Jr. — both former Rey Feos — along with family members Christopher Flores and Irma Flores as participants in an alleged government contract-rigging scheme. Irma Flores, Tony Flores' wife, in 2003 became the first Hispanic woman to serve as president of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission, according to an Express-News report.

The four are accused of fixing awards and prices on housekeeping and janitorial-services contracts at U.S. Army hospitals and medical centers, according to documents released by the Justice Department.

In comments to the Express-News, attorneys for the indicted Flores family members denied the government's allegations.

The Floreses operate San Antonio-based Allegiance Environmental Services and Helpful Hands Inc., according to Express-News reports. News about a federal probe into members of the family surfaced in January after an investigation by the daily.

The indicted members of the Flores family are accused of entering a "corrupt partnership" with government employees Karisa Waysepappy Kelley and John Jordan “Chip” Mathes, Justice Department officials said. The feds accuse those insiders of helping the family land millions of dollars in federal contracts in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.

Ken Flores was voted Rey Feo LXX in 2018, and Tony Flores was selected for the honorary position in 1996. Those voted into the role of Rey Feo, often referred to as the “People’s King,” oversee an annual effort to raise scholarship funds.

The defendants made their initial court appearances Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard B. Farrer of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, according to the Justice Department. Each is being held on a $50,000 bond, and an arraignment hearing is set for April 19.

If convicted on all charges — which include wire fraud and money laundering — each of the indicted family members faces a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison, according to the authorities.

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