Texas Sheriff Martin Cuellar Indicted in Alleged COVID Disinfecting‑Business Fraud After Brother’s Trump Pardon
Texas Sheriff Martin Cuellar, brother of Rep. Henry Cuellar, was indicted on federal fraud and related charges alleging he and his assistant chief used county staff, vehicles and supplies to run a for‑profit COVID disinfecting company, Disinfect Pro Master, including a roughly $500,000 school‑district contract DOJ says was performed with county resources. The indictment carries potential penalties (including up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 fines on the public‑corruption counts and similar exposure on a money‑laundering count); Cuellar says he will be “fully vindicated,” Rep. Henry Cuellar calls him “an honest man,” and Henry and his wife had previously been pardoned by President Trump after a Biden‑era DOJ bribery indictment — though Trump later endorsed Henry’s opponent.
📌 Key Facts
- Sheriff Martin Cuellar of Webb County, Texas, has been indicted in a case tied to allegations he and an assistant chief used county staff, vehicles and supplies to run a for‑profit COVID‑era disinfecting company called Disinfect Pro Master.
- The Justice Department alleges a local school‑district contract brought about $500,000 to Cuellar and his assistant and that the work was performed using county resources rather than company employees or supplies.
- The indictment includes public‑corruption and money‑laundering counts that carry potential penalties of up to 10 years in federal prison and $250,000 in fines on the public‑corruption counts, plus up to another 10 years and a $250,000 fine (or twice the proceeds) on the money‑laundering count.
- Sheriff Cuellar issued a statement saying he will be 'fully vindicated,' and Rep. Henry Cuellar has defended his brother as 'an honest man' with 'deep respect for the law.'
- The case has drawn renewed attention because Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife were pardoned by former President Donald Trump after a Biden‑era DOJ bribery indictment, and Trump has since endorsed Cuellar’s opponent despite having granted that clemency.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Fox details DOJ allegations that Sheriff Martin Cuellar and his assistant chief used county staff, vehicles and supplies to run a for‑profit disinfecting company, Disinfect Pro Master, during COVID‑19.
- The article specifies that a local school‑district contract brought in about $500,000 to Cuellar and his assistant, with DOJ saying the work was done using county resources rather than company employees or supplies.
- It lays out potential penalties: up to 10 years in federal prison and $250,000 fines on the public‑corruption counts, plus another possible 10 years and a $250,000 (or twice‑the‑proceeds) fine on the money‑laundering count.
- The story carries full statements from Sheriff Cuellar asserting he will be 'fully vindicated' and from Rep. Henry Cuellar calling his brother 'an honest man' with 'deep respect for the law.'
- It re‑caps that Henry Cuellar and his wife were pardoned by President Trump after a Biden‑era DOJ bribery indictment, and notes Trump has since endorsed Cuellar’s opponent despite having granted that clemency.