Congressman’s Chief of Staff Resigns Following Boss’ Indictment

(NewsWorthy.news) -The chief of staff for an embattled Democratic lawmaker has submitted his resignation following his boss’ federal indictment on bribery charges.

Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas is facing charges related to accepting bribes in exchange for promoting political actions favorable to a foreign entity. Days after the indictment was issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Jacob Hochberg resigned from his role as Cuellar’s chief of staff.

The federal charges followed an investigation launched against the lawmaker, during which the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched their Texas home and uncovered evidence of the scandal. Two years after the infamous warrant was issued, the indictment was served.

According to the charges, Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, received nearly $600,000 in bribes from a company run by the Azerbaijan government. The oil and gas business had a bank run out of Mexico City. The couple allegedly accepted payments between December 2014 and November 2021.

In January 2022, agents with the FBI raided the congressman’s home and office in Laredo, Texas. The couple was federally indicted last week, per a May 3 press release from the DOJ. According to the Justice Department, Cuellar and his wife—aged 68 and 67, respectively—obtained the money through “sham consulting contracts.”

The agency explained that the bribes were conducted via “front companies” as well as “middlemen,” then shuffled into “shell companies” owned and operated by Imelda, who did practically no “legitimate work” within the contracts.

Both Rep. Cuellar and his wife were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery of a federal official, conspiracy related to wire fraud, violating ban on acting as foreign agents, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. If convicted, the couple could be imprisoned for multiple decades.

A tentative trial date is scheduled for July 8 but is subject to change. Cuellar, who is running for reelection, released a statement following the indictment that he and his wife are innocent of all charges against them and expressed confidence that he would win another term in Congress.