Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas and his spouse face charges of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities, as per a federal court indictment in Texas.
The alleged illicit activities are said to have occurred from late 2014 through at least November 2021. The congressman and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, appeared in court in Houston on Friday and were released on a $100,000 bond. They are charged with several offenses, including conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official, violating the ban on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal, and money laundering.
In a statement on Friday, Cuellar vehemently denied the allegations, stating, “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these charges. Every action I have taken in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.” He pledged to continue his reelection campaign in November, maintaining that his congressional actions were always in the best interest of the American people.
Prosecutors allege that the Cuellars orchestrated schemes to receive bribes from an oil and gas company owned by the Government of Azerbaijan and a bank headquartered in Mexico City. In exchange for payments from the Azerbaijan oil company, Cuellar purportedly agreed to perform official acts, including influencing US policy related to Azerbaijan’s conflict with neighboring Armenia. He also allegedly promised to influence financial regulations to benefit the Mexican bank and its affiliates.
The couple is accused of receiving bribe payments through shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, using the proceeds for various personal expenses, including taxes, debt payments, and luxury purchases such as a $12,000 custom gown.
Cuellar's home and campaign office in Laredo, Texas, were raided by the FBI in 2022. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' spokesperson stated that Cuellar is entitled to the presumption of innocence but will temporarily step down from his leadership position on a House Appropriations Subcommittee while the investigation is ongoing.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has called on Cuellar to resign, stating, “If his colleagues truly believe in putting ‘people over politics,’ they will call on him to resign. If not — they are hypocrites whose statements about public service aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.”