HOUSTON (AP) - Webb County Commissioner Jaime Canales (kah-NAH’-lehs) and former Laredo City Council member Johnny Amaya have pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy charges in a public corruption case.
The pair entered their pleas in federal court in Houston on Thursday. They could be sentenced to up to five years in federal prison when U.S. District Judge Sim Lake sentences them Feb. 14.
According to court documents, Canales admitted accepting gifts between January 2015 and January 2017 in return for his influence on the Webb County Commissioners Court and the Laredo Metropolitan Planning Organization. The gifts included checks disguised as campaign contributions and personal loans, along with use of a Padre Island condominium and meals and entertainment.
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Amaya took a job as a consultant to a corporation between January 2011 and April 2017 and provided cash payments and personal checks to Webb County and Laredo city officials, including Canales.
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