Judge denies effort by US Rep Cuellar of Texas to move bribery trial to hometown of Laredo

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HOUSTON (AP) — A judge on Friday denied an effort by lawyers for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas to move his trial on federal bribery and conspiracy charges from Houston to his hometown of Laredo, Texas.

During a Zoom court hearing, Chris Flood, one of Cuellar’s lawyers, had argued that Houston is more than 300 miles (482 kilometers) from Laredo, where many of the alleged crimes the congressman is accused of committing took place. Flood also pushed back against claims prosecutors would face difficulties trying Cuellar in Laredo, where he is well known.

Federal authorities have charged Cuellar, 69, and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, with accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for the congressman advancing the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico. Cuellar has said he and his wife are innocent.

Celia Choy, a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Justice Department, argued moving the trial would further delay it and she questioned if an unbiased jury could be picked in Cuellar’s hometown.

U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal cited the prominence Cuellar and his wife have in Laredo as well as having a larger jury pool in the Houston area as some of the reasons for not moving the trial to Laredo.

“Houston can handle this case easily, very easily,” Rosenthal said.

The judge also denied a request by Cuellar’s attorneys to push back the start of the trial. The trial for Cuellar and his wife is set to begin Sept. 22.

Cuellar and his wife appeared during Friday’s Zoom hearing but didn't speak.

Since Cuellar’s indictment in April 2024, three people have pleaded guilty in connection with the case: Colin Strother, one of Cuellar’s top former aides; Florencio Rendon, a Texas political and business consultant; and Irada Akhoundova, who was director of a Texas affiliate of an Azerbaijan energy company.

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