Former Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo faces federal bribery and income tax related charges announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr.; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division; and, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge William Cotter, San Antonio Division.
Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas filed an Information charging Galindo, age 53, of Selma, TX, with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and one count of failure to file income tax returns.
Galindo served as County Judge for Reeves County from January 1995 through December 2006. The Information states that as an elected official, Galindo had a fiduciary duty to the people of Reeves County. Galindo, on behalf of Reeves County, negotiated a contract with a company owned by Vernon C. Farthing, III, of Lubbock, TX, to provide medical services for inmates located in the Reeves County Correctional Center. Galindo signed the contract on Sept. 13, 2006. The Information alleges that Galindo conspired with Farthing and District 19 Texas State Senator Carlos Uresti to ensure that Farthing’s company was awarded that contract.
According to the Information, Galindo provided Farthing’s company with information not known to the general public about pricing which under the contract was more favorable to Farthing’s company than to Reeves County. To secure the contract, the Information states that Farthing agreed to hire Uresti as a consultant and pay him $120,000 year. Uresti, in turn, agreed to pay Galindo one-half the money he received from Farthing’s company. From September 2006 until December 2011, Farthing’s company paid Uresti approximately $600,000. Of that amount, Galindo received approximately $285,000. From January 2012 until December 2015, Farthing’s company, and its successor companies, paid Uresti approximately $252,500. Of that, Uresti paid Galindo approximately $116,740. The Information also alleges that Galindo failed to file individual income tax returns for the years 2004 to the present.
Upon conviction, Galindo faces up to five years in federal prison on the bribery charge and up to one year in federal prison on the tax charge. Galindo’s initial appearance date has yet to be scheduled.
A federal grand jury indictment, returned Tuesday in San Antonio, charges District 19 Texas State Senator Carlos I. Uresti and 44-year-old Vernon C. Farthing, III, of Lubbock, TX, with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad released Farthing on bond following his initial appearance this morning in San Antonio. Judge Bemporad released Uresti on bond following his initial appearance yesterday.
The FBI’s Pubic Corruption Task Force is conducting this investigation. The Task Force is comprised of investigators from the FBI, IRS-CI, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Peace Corps-Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph E. Blackwell, William R. Harris and Mark Roomberg are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
It is important to note that an information and indictment are merely charges and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
