Federal Grand Jury Indicts Maverick County Commissioner Rodolfo Bainet Heredia In Connection With Bribery, Kickback And Bid-rigging Scheme

In Del Rio this morning, a federal grand jury indicted Maverick County Precinct Two Commissioner Rodolfo Bainet Heredia, age 54, of Eagle Pass, Texas, in connection with an alleged bribery, kickback and bid-rigging scheme, announced United States Attorney Robert Pitman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Armando Fernandez.

The federal grand jury indictment charges Heredia with six counts of receiving a bribe and one count of paying a bribe to an agent of an organization receiving federal funds.  The indictment alleges that in 2010 and 2011, Heredia manipulated the bidding process to guarantee that contractors he chose would be awarded Maverick County construction contracts. Those contractors deposited the checks issued to them by Maverick County and then made cash payments to Heredia.  According to the indictment, the private contractors submitted inflated bids to Maverick County in order to ensure the availability of sufficient funds to perform the construction work, make a profit, and also to pay the bribe to Heredia.  The indictment further alleges that Heredia gave benefits to a county employee to guarantee that checks were issued to the contractors involved in this scheme.

Upon conviction, Heredia faces up to ten years in federal prison on each count.  Heredia remains in custody following his arrest in October of last year on federal money laundering and bulk cash smuggling charges.  A trial on those charges is scheduled for April 16, 2013.  No court dates have been scheduled in connection with today’s indictment.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Texas Department of Public Safety.  Individuals who have first-hand information about corruption, fraud, or bribery related to Maverick County are urged to contact the FBI at (210) 225-6741.

Assistant United States Attorney Michael Galdo is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government. 

An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.