SAN ANTONIO (AP) – A former Texas state senator who had already been convicted on federal fraud charges has pleaded guilty to a separate charge of bribery.
San Antonio Democrat Carlos Uresti admitted Friday to facilitating bribe payments to ex-Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo in exchange for favorable actions regarding a county medical services contract. Galindo himself pleaded guilty last year.
Uresti will be sentenced in the bribery case in January. In June, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for charges involving defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme.
Uresti had been general counsel for FourWinds Logistics, a now-bankrupt fracking company, and was convicted on 11 counts of money laundering and wire and securities fraud.
The 54-year-old was first elected to the Texas Legislature in 1997. He resigned in June.
