In Hidalgo, Texas, a man who served as sheriff until recently resigned from his position over allegations of corruption and money laundering. He is pleading guilty to the charges against him.
The San Antonio Express-News reported on the story and the swirl of other circumstances surrounding former sheriff Lupe Treviño, which links him to potential criminals, including complicit members of the local sheriff’s department.
Specifically, Trevino is suspected to have taken illegal funds during his elections, and is thought to have used intimidation to get other officers to support him financially in the campaign. There is also the matter of the “Panama Unit,” supposedly a cover-up for a drug trafficking ring that involved members of the police and even Trevino’s own son.
In this situation, the money laundering is only part of the greater series of crimes facing the disgraced former lawman. But the fact of the case itself is not new: the Valley Morning Star reports that this has been ongoing for two years, and that the criminal operations may have laundered as much as $120,000.
While Trevino wages this battle, his successor, the current acting sheriff Eddie Guerra, wants to “fight for public trust” and regain the good will lost toward this institution in the aftermath of the scandal. If convicted, the former sheriff could spend as many as 20 years in prison.
The related nature of both the money laundering and drug charges in this case point to the necessity of treating both with seriousness. With so many variables to consider, it’s possible this case will go on for a while, but the police department has already become the subject of media attention for this scandal.
