A sitting Democrat in Congress is at the center of a bombshell federal indictment that reads like a political crime thriller — and could destroy his career.
Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, a longtime fixture in Democrat politics, is accused of taking nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign sources: Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil giant SOCAR and Mexico’s Banco Azteca. Federal prosecutors say the payments were disguised as “consulting” fees to companies controlled by his wife — companies that allegedly did little or no real work.
According to the indictment, the story begins in 2013 with what appeared to be an ordinary overseas trip. Cuellar and his wife traveled to Turkey and Azerbaijan on a junket funded by a little-known Houston nonprofit. But prosecutors allege that trip kicked off a years-long influence-for-cash scheme that would involve foreign governments, luxury spending, and money laundering.
