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The mayor pro-tem and city manager for Edcouch have been arrested on federal public corruption charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced the arrests of Victor De La Cruz, 40, and Rene Flores, 60, in a Thursday news release.
The men are scheduled for an initial appearance in McAllen federal court Friday morning.
The men were indicted on Sept. 2.
The indictment alleges that from June to September 2019, De La Cruz, who was mayor pro-tem, and Flores, the city manager, solicited bribes from a Brownsville marketing business.
“The business owner allegedly received two separate $3000 payments for marketing work he was allegedly performing for the city of Edcouch,” the release stated. “In return, he made two $1000 kickback payments to Flores, according to the charges.”
They are charged with conspiracy, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and use of a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of bribery.
