Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife allegedly took nearly $600,000 in bribes, indictment says
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Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas speaks during the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security hearing on April 10, 2024.
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were accused of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities, according to an indictment in Texas federal court.
The alleged scheme occurred from late 2014 until at least November 2021, the indictment says.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the indictment, which was first reported by NBC News.
In a statement released Friday, Cuellar said, “I want to make it clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I did in Congress was to serve the people of South Texas.”
Cuellar said in his statement that the actions he took in Congress were “in the interest of the American people” and promised to continue his bid for re-election in November.
In his testimony he suggested that his wife, Imelda, was involved.
“In addition to being an incredible wife and mother, she is an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. She spent her career working in banking, taxes and consulting,” Cuellar said. “The claim that she is anything but qualified and hardworking is wrong and offensive.”
Cuellar also said that before taking any action, he “proactively” sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee and an opinion from a national law firm, and sought a meeting with federal prosecutors “to explain the facts.”
“The actions I took in Congress were consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people,” Cuellar said. “Additionally, we requested a meeting with Washington D.C. prosecutors to explain the facts and they refused to discuss the case with us or hear our side.”
Cuellar’s home and campaign office in Laredo, Texas, were raided by the FBI in 2022. The charges against Cuellar are not yet publicly available.
The National Republican Congressional Committee quickly called for Cuellar’s resignation.
“If your colleagues truly believe in putting ‘people above politics,’ they will call on you to resign. Otherwise, they are hypocrites whose statements about public service are not worth the paper they are written on,” NRCC spokesperson Delanie Bomar said in a statement.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
