Henry Cuellar’s re-election bid complicated by brother’s fraud case

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas’s efforts to overcome the charge against him and then receive a pardon from President Donald Trump are colliding with his brother’s legal troubles.

Martin Cuellar, the sheriff of Webb County, Texas, faces a hearing Thursday on accusations that he misused county funds. The case, combined with the closeness of the Cuellar family, complicates the political outlook of Henry Cuellar, who is campaigning to continue his congressional career in one of the most competitive districts in the country.

More than six months have passed since Trump pardoned Cuellar on bribery, conspiracy and money laundering charges.

Cuellar said, “This amnesty gave us a clean slate. The noise is gone. The work remains.” he said. In a post I wrote to X, He announced that he would run again the same day.

FORMER INDIANA REPRESENTATIVE STEPHEN BUYER RECEIVES FULL AMNESTY FROM TRUMP FOR 2023 INSIDER TRADING GOVERNMENT

Cuellar was accused of accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from an oil and gas company controlled by the Azerbaijani government and a Mexican bank.

Although those charges have been dismissed, Cuellar’s case is still in the public spotlight as he fends off accusations that his brother siphoned off funds.

Martin Cuellar, who has pleaded not guilty, faces up to 10 years behind bars and a possible maximum fine of $250,000 for allegedly using county employees and resources to run his own disinfecting business, Disinfect Pro Master.

Martin allegedly took home approximately $175,000 in illicit income between 2020 and 2022. Ministry of Justice.

“They allegedly opened Disinfect Pro Master in April 2020 and signed service agreements with local businesses and restaurants, despite having no employees or supplies of their own,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

SWALWELL DEFENDS HIS FRIEND GALLEGO, CAMPAIGN-FUNDED SUPER BOWL, MIAMI TRIPS: ‘WHERE SHOULD THE MONEY GO?’

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, speaks with reporters at the Capitol after a meeting of House Democrats on June 27, 2019. (CQ Polling via Tom Williams/Getty Images)

“The indictment alleges that WCSO employees ran the company’s day-to-day operations from the sheriff’s office, where they obtained programs and equipment to conduct both day and night disinfection services in the county.”

The connections between Cuellar and his siblings are strengthened by their closeness. Cuellar has used the campaign fundraiser in the past to boost his family’s chances at their own official businesses, records show.

Cuellar’s campaign and the PAC he leads paid his sister, Rosie Cuellar, $11,000 to work on the campaign in 2022 and then donated $1,200 to her bid to become a judge, according to FEC records. it exists similarly donated $8,400 to his brother Martin Cuellar and his campaigns for sheriff in 2008 and 2020.

The family’s troubles appear to be interconnected, according to at least one viewer.

“The latest legal issue surrounding Henry Cuellar’s family proves one thing: The scandals did not end with Henry. They simply moved down the family tree,” Christian Martinez, the Spanish press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. he said.

“The Cuellar family’s culture of corruption has turned South Texas into a case study of what can happen when a self-serving family holds on to power for too long.”

SWALWELL PAL ACCUSED OF USING ‘LUXURY LIFESTYLE’ CAMPAIGN, INCLUDING SUPER BOWL TICKETS, AT BANKROLL

House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee member Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, questions U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2026 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Cuellar’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Cuellar, who won the Texas primary in March, now heads to the general election on Nov. 3. Cuellar was last re-elected in 2024 with a 52.8% to 47.2% victory over Republican challenger Jay Furman.