Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democratic congressman from Texas, and his wife Imelda Cuellar have been indicted on charges of bribery, unlawful foreign influence, and money laundering schemes. According to the indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Texas on May 3, 2024, Henry Cuellar allegedly accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City. The bribe payments were laundered through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar. In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Henry Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan. In exchange for the bribes paid by the Mexican bank, Henry Cuellar allegedly agreed to influence legislative activity and advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank.
The indictment also accuses Henry and Imelda Cuellar of setting up sham consulting contracts with the two entities, using front companies and middlemen as intermediaries. The bribes were allegedly laundered into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts.
Henry and Imelda Cuellar are each charged with multiple offenses including conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery of a federal official, honest services wire fraud, violating the ban on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal, concealment money laundering, and money laundering. The FBI and Department of State Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
The indictment comes after federal law enforcement raided Cuellar's house and office in 2022 as part of an investigation into a group of U.S. businessmen and their ties to Azerbaijan. Cuellar previously served as a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.
Cuellar made his initial court appearance on May 3, 2024, in Houston before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo and was released on bond. The maximum penalties for each offense if convicted are as follows: two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official and to have a public official act as an agent of a foreign principal, five years in prison on each count; two counts of bribery of a federal official, 15 years in prison on each count; two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, 20 years in prison on each count; two counts of violating the ban on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal, two years in prison on each count; one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering, 20 years in prison; and five counts of money laundering, 20 years in prison on each count.
