#Democratic #congressman #detained
U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife were detained and indicted on suspicion of corruption, according to court documents published on Friday.
The Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from Texas is accused of, among other things, membership in a criminal organization, bribery and money laundering. Cuellar and his wife are suspected of accepting approximately $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani state oil and gas company and a Mexican bank in two separate transactions between December 2014 and November 2021.
According to the indictment, the bribes were laundered through sham consulting contracts and channeled to front companies owned by Imelda Cuellar. In exchange, the politician tried to use his public mandate to influence American foreign policy in the interest of Azerbaijan, as well as to put pressure on American officials against anti-money laundering policies that threaten the business activities of the Mexican bank.
In a statement released before the indictment, Cuellar denied the allegations against him and his wife.
