Congressman Henry Cuellar Charged with Bribery, Acting as a Foreign Agent
A recently unsealed federal indictment charges Congressman Enrique Roberto “Henry” Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, with bribery, unlawful foreign influence, and money laundering. According to the FBI, between December 2014 and November 2021, the congressman and his wife allegedly accepted $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities– a bank based in Mexico City and an oil and gas company that is owned and operated by the Government of Azerbaijan.
Questionable Ethics
Prosecutors allege that payments were initially laundered through several front companies and middlemen before ending up in shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, according to the indictment. Congressman Cuellar allegedly then used his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan and to pressure U.S. Executive Branch officials to influence federal regulation of the financial industry to benefit the Mexican bank.
Congressman Cuellar disputes these allegations and claims he has done nothing wrong. “There was no quid pro quo,” Eric Reed, attorney for Congressman Cuellar, told the New York Times. “His actions in this matter were lawful, transparent, and entirely consistent with the actions of many of his colleagues and consistent with his own principles and the interest of the country.”
Insider Plea Deals
While Congressman Cuellar claims his innocence, three different people tied to the scandal have struck plea deals. The Congressman’s former campaign manager, Colin Strother, and political consultant Florencio “Lencho” Rendon struck plea deals with the Justice Department in March, agreeing to cooperate in the case against the Cuellars. Congressman Cuellar asked Strother to meet with Rendon for a project where he would be paid $11,000 a month but would pass $10,000 on to Imelda Cuellar, according to the plea deal. Strother “understood that the true purpose of the payments” was to “funnel money.”
A third person, Irada Akhoundova, pleaded guilty in May in connection with the investigation into the Cuellars. Her plea agreement says that she worked as a director of a Texas-based affiliate of the Azerbaijan energy company, where she helped facilitate payments and transmitted false invoices that were “in the interests” of the Azerbaijan government and the oil company. Those payments were made through a Texas-based shell company owned by Imelda Cuellar.
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