US congressman and wife charged with taking bribes
By Mike Wendling
US congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife have been charged with accepting around $600,000 (£478,000) in bribes, the justice department says.
It is alleged the couple corruptly received money from an Azerbaijani government-owned oil company and a Mexican bank.
The Texas Democrat has denied the charges in a statement.
The couple were bailed after appearing in court in Houston. If found guilty, they could face decades in prison.
“I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” Mr Cuellar, 68, said on Friday.
The couple are each charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud, money laundering and violating a ban on acting as agents of a foreign organisation.
The justice department said bribes were laundered from 2014-21 via a series of “sham consulting contracts” through middlemen and front companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, 67.
In exchange for the money, the indictment alleges Mr Cuellar agreed to influence US foreign policy in favour of Azerbaijan and push measures beneficial to the bank headquartered in Mexico City, including changes to money-laundering laws and attempts to block regulation of the payday lending industry.
