#Imelda Cuellar

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

It’s gotten buried a bit underneath news about the negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza, the related protests on U.S. college campuses, and the ongoing trial of a former president for allegedly covering up payments to a pornography actress, but high-profile Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was indicted on Friday by the Department of Justice in Houston. He says he is not guilty of the charges and will stand for reelection as planned this fall.

Cuellar, a relatively conservative Democrat who represents a district that stretches along the U.S.–Mexico border around Laredo and pokes up to San Antonio, is charged with 14 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, and so forth related to allegations that he was paid under the table to influence U.S. policy on behalf of Azerbaijan’s national oil company, SOCAR, and the Mexican bank Banco Azteca. (Neither Banco Azteca nor SOCAR, nor any of their employees, have been charged with a crime.)

A longtime incumbent, Cuellar won his general-election race in 2022 by a wide margin. But his district, the 28th, has a significant population of Hispanic and/or Latino voters and has become more Republican in recent years as those groups have trended rightward. The Cook Political Report rates it as having a Democratic “lean” of 3 points—which, roughly speaking, means a generic Democrat would be expected to beat a generic Republican in the district by only a 3-point margin. That’s close enough to mean that Cuellar’s indictment and potential conviction could threaten Dems’ efforts to retake the House of Representatives, which Republicans currently hold by a tenuous four votes.

The case is similar to that of Democratic New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, another longtime incumbent who was indicted last September for allegedly accepting bribes from three men in New Jersey who were seeking to influence U.S. policy toward Egypt, among other things. Menendez’s trial is set to begin next week, and he says that if he is not convicted he still might run for reelection in November as an independent. While he’d be very unlikely to win such a race, he could potentially siphon enough votes away from the Democrats’ presumptive nominee, current Rep. Andy Kim, to throw the seat to Republicans.

So, both of these members of Congress are in high-stakes races that they are refusing to drop out of despite facing corruption indictments. But there’s another major similarity between the two stories as well: Wives!

Menendez’s wife Nadine was also charged in his case, and the allegations against the couple include claims that the men accused of seeking favors from the senator bought Nadine Menendez a Mercedes convertible and paid her to hold a fake no-show “job” at a halal-certification business. Cuellar’s wife Imelda was also indicted; she’s accused of receiving the alleged bribe payments from SOCAR and Banco Azteca through shell companies she owned that were ostensibly providing the firms with “consulting” services. The government alleges that, actually, Imelda Cuellar did “little to no legitimate work” in return for the hundreds of thousands of dollars she was paid.

A statement issued by Cuellar says his wife is innocent. Nadine Menendez has pleaded not guilty, although in a disclosure that may have caused some awkwardness around the proverbial Englewood Cliffs dinner table, Robert Mendendez’s attorneys told a judge in January that his potential testimony at trial might implicate her. Since then, however, the pair’s cases have been separated from each other in a way that will preclude anything he says from being used against his spouse.

Does the Democratic Party have an (alleged) Bribery Wife Guy problem? Are liberals soft on wife crime? This fall, the voters will have their say.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Chris Stein at The Guardian:

The US justice department on Friday accused the Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, of accepting about $600,000 in bribes in exchange for influencing policy in favor of Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. The Cuellars had made their first appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Houston by the afternoon, but it was not clear how they pleaded. Earlier, the congressman, who has represented a swath of Texas’s border with Mexico in the US House since 2005, issued a statement denying unspecified “allegations” against him. “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas,” Cuellar said. He added that “I’m running for re-election and will win this November,” when Democrats are hoping to regain the majority in the House of Representatives.

The justice department said that between December 2014 and November 2021, the Cuellars received bribes from an unspecified bank headquartered in Mexico City as well as an oil and gas company controlled by the government of Azerbaijan. Imelda Cuellar then allegedly used “sham consulting contracts”, front companies and intermediaries to launder the money. In return, the congressman influenced US foreign policy to Azerbaijan’s advantage and pressured unnamed “high-ranking” officials in the executive branch to take actions in favor of the bank. A statement from the House Democratic minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, said that under the party’s rules in the chamber, Cuellar would step down as the ranking member of a homeland security subcommittee while he faces these charges. Jeffries added that Cuellar “admirably devoted his career to public service … is a valued member of the House Democratic caucus” and was “entitled to his day in court and the presumption of innocence throughout the legal process”.

Two years ago, the FBI raided Cuellar’s Laredo, Texas, home and campaign office as part of an investigation into US businessmen and their links with Azerbaijan. Cuellar said he was cooperating with their inquiry, and months later, an attorney for the lawmaker told Fox News that he was not a target of the investigation that led to the raid.

Texas DINO Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda were accused of accepting about $600,000 in bribes in exchange for lobbying for policies favoring Azerbaijan by the DOJ.

This puts the historically Democratic but rapidly red-trending seat in South Texas in further microscope.

See Also:

HuffPost: DOJ Indicts Rep. Henry Cuellar, Wife On Federal Bribery Charges

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Kevin Siers cartoon: Trump fills us in on his view of the rule of law

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 5, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAY 06, 2024

In 1776, as British colonists in North America were contemplating how to construct a new nation, Massachusetts lawyer John Adams famously wrote to friends about the relationship between government and the law. A republic, he wrote, “is an Empire of Laws and not of Men: and therefore…that particular Arrangement…which is best calculated to Secure an exact and impartial Execution of the Laws, is the best Republic.” 

In 1787 the framers of the Constitution set out to create a nation built on the rule of law. The next year, the states ratified their new framework, and in 1789, the Constitution went into effect. One of the first acts of the newly seated Congress was to establish a federal court system. The Judiciary Act of 1789 set out the different courts and their jurisdictions. And in 1868, with the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, Americans explicitly wrote into the Constitution the principle that all U.S. citizens must be equal before the law. Two years later, they established the Department of Justice to make sure that principle would be honored across the country. 

In the past three years, the Biden administration has worked to confirm that the U.S. is a nation of laws. That work has borne fruit. In the past few days, several cases have jumped out in which the administration has used the law to protect ordinary Americans. 

On Tuesday, April 30, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenged more than 300 junk patent listings for drugs that treat diabetes, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and that help people lose weight, including Ozempic. Bogus patent listings prevent generic drugs from entering the market, keeping brand-name drug prices high. The FTC gives the manufacturer 20 days to withdraw or amend the listing or certify, under penalty of perjury, that they are correct. In November the FTC successfully challenged junk patents on asthma inhalers, reducing their price to $35.  

FTC chair Lina Khan said: “By challenging junk patent filings, the FTC is fighting these illegal tactics and making sure that Americans can get timely access to innovative and affordable versions of the medicines they need.”

On Thursday, May 2, Yvette Wang, the chief of staff to Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese billionaire businessman who works with Trump associate Steve Bannon (in 2020, law enforcement officers arrested Bannon on Guo’s yacht on charges of fraud), pleaded guilty to conspiring with Guo in a massive fraud scheme that involved wire fraud and money laundering and netted more than $1 billion. Wang personally will forfeit $1.4 billion to the United States and faces up to ten years in prison. The trial for Wang and Guo is scheduled to start on May 20. Guo has pleaded not guilty. 

On Friday the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged the auditing firm for Trump’s social media company and its owner with “massive fraud.” The SEC called BF Borgers a “sham audit mill” and said it “deliberately systemically failed to conduct” audits and reviews that were filed with the SEC between January 2021 and June 2023. Those reports are supposed to inform investors about the value of companies. The SEC fined the company $14 million and banned it from practicing accounting. Its owner, Benjamin Borgers, did not admit wrongdoing but accepted the judgment. 

Also on Friday, the Department of Justice released a grand jury’s indictment of Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife, Imelda, alleging that beginning no later than 2014 and until at least November 2021, they accepted close to $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani oil and gas company and a Mexican bank and then laundered the payments through Imelda’s company. In exchange, the indictment says, Cuellar agreed to adjust U.S. policy toward Azerbaijan, especially its oil industry, and to oppose laws that would curb money laundering and regulate the payday lending industry.  

On Friday, at former president Trump’s fraud trial for interfering in the 2016 election by paying $130,000 to buy the silence of adult film actress Stormy Daniels and falsifying business records to hide the payment, former White House aide Hope Hicks established that Trump had indeed intended to silence Daniels in order to stop voters from hearing her information before the election. Appearing reluctant to testify against Trump, Hicks nonetheless described a conversation with Trump in 2018, after Daniels’s story became public. Trump told her that “it was better to be dealing with it now, and it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election.”

The rule of law protects ordinary Americans and defends their right to elect a government of their choice. But in 2024, it is under attack.

Trump continues to insist that the stories about his extramarital affairs are false, but his main strategy for addressing his many legal troubles is to insist that the justice system is rigged against him. This continues a pattern he began as soon as he took office, when he unsuccessfully pressured FBI director James Comey to drop the investigation into his 2016 campaign’s interaction with Russian operatives. Although FBI directors are supposed to be virtually untouchable during their ten-year term, Trump fired Comey and then spent the rest of his term accusing the FBI of persecuting him.

That attack on our judicial system expanded to sweep in all the judges who ruled against his campaign operatives and his extremist policies on immigration. He called the courts a “joke” and a “laughingstock” and attacked the Justice Department as a whole and judges personally.

Those attacks increased after Trump left office and was indicted for his efforts to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election. An analysis by NBC News of more than 14,000 Trump posts and reposts from April 2022 to January 6, 2024, showed that in some periods he attacked the judicial system more than he promoted his campaign. He aimed his attacks most often at special counsel Jack Smith, as well as New York attorney general Letitia James; Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over Trump’s Manhattan fraud trial; Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg; and Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney Fani Willis—all of whom are in charge of cases against Trump.  

Reporters Dareh Gregorian and Jasmine Cui wrote: “The posts generally portray Trump as the victim of a Democratic scheme designed to derail his presidential bid, with an array of judges and prosecutors working against him at the behest of President Joe Biden, and all part of a partisan ‘witch hunt,’ a term he used about 250 times during that time period.” 

At a meeting for donors at Mar-a-Lago Saturday, Trump complained about the criminal charges against him, calling Jack Smith a “f**king a**hole,” and accused President Joe Biden of running a “Gestapo administration,” a reference to the German secret police that crushed opposition and rounded up Jews, Roma, LGBT individuals, and other targeted groups during World War II. 

Trump has vowed to take control of the Justice Department and make it serve his interests. Chris Geidner of Law Dork noted today that the federal courts already favor Republicans, and a second Trump presidency would allow him to fill multiple court vacancies, probably including some on the Supreme Court, with his extremists. They would cement the ideology of MAGA Republicans into our laws for the foreseeable future. 

Trump’s war on the Department of Justice over his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election has already progressed into an attempt to delegitimize the results of the 2024 election, suggesting he does not believe he will win in a free and fair election. 

Yesterday, Charlie Spies, the Republican Party’s top lawyer, resigned after Trump turned on him for his public statements that the 2020 election was not stolen. Spies was one of three lawyers the Trump team hired in March after it took over the Republican National Committee (RNC). An establishment Republican lawyer, Spies was paired with MAGA lawyer and former right-wing One America News Network anchor Christina Bobb to oversee the RNC’s so-called election integrity unit. Now Spies is out and Bobb, who has been indicted for election fraud for her participation in the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election, remains.

In an astonishing exchange on Meet the Press this morning, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), who is angling to become Trump’s vice presidential pick, refused six times to say he would accept the results of the 2024 election if Trump didn’t win. Host Kristen Welker asked: “Will you commit to accepting the election results of 2024?” Scott responded: “At the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump.” Welker followed up: “Yes or no, will you accept the election results of 2024 no matter who wins?” Scott answered: “That is my statement.” 

When Welker continued to push the question, Scott accused NBC of working for the “Democrat Party” but refused ever to agree to the peaceful transition of power, which, as Welker noted, is the hallmark of the democratic republic people like John Adams established in 1789.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[dankusner]

Defiant Cuellar holds onto wary supporters

BRIBERY CHARGES

Many colleagues open to letting corruption case play out first

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas insists he has no intention of stepping down since being indicted on federal charges accusing him of taking nearly $600,000 in bribes.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Cuellar told reporters asking if he was contemplating resignation after the indictment was announced May 3. “Everybody’s innocent until proven otherwise and we are going to continue doing our job.”

He stood by that position last week after it was revealed federal prosecutors have secured guilty pleas from three people in connection with the case against him. He and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, are accused of participating in schemes involving bribery, illegal foreign influence and money laundering.

Cuellar denies the allegations.

The federal indictment alleges the Democrat from Laredo accepted almost $600,000 in bribes to advance the interests of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan and a bank in Mexico.

The most serious charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

Former top Cuellar aide Colin Strother and political consultant Florencio Rendon are cooperating with the federal investigation, according to plea agreements filed in March.

Strother’s attorney declined comment.

Rendon’s attorney said he could not immediately comment.

The Associated Press reported last week that a third person pleaded guilty May 1 in Houston federal court to acting as an agent for Azerbaijan without registering with federal officials.

CNN confronted Cuellar on Capitol Hill about the guilty pleas, but the Texan said he isn’t going anywhere.

“We’re not afraid of the truth,” said Cuellar, who is on the November ballot as he seeks an 11th two-year term.

Other politicians have won reelection with pending indictments, including Ken Paxton, Texas’ Republican attorney general.

Two Republicans, Jay Furman and Lazaro Garza Jr., are competing in a May 28 runoff to determine who will face Cuellar in November.

It is unclear how much Republicans will spend on the race, having seen challengers fall short in previous bids against the incumbent.

Cuellar faced a close call in the 2022 Democratic primary but won by 13.3 percentage points that November.

After the indictment was unsealed, the National Republican Congressional Committee pounced, calling for Cuellar’s fellow Democrats to push for his resignation.

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., did so, but he’s a striking exception.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Thursday he had not rescinded his endorsement of Cuellar and he wanted to give the Texan time and space to “work out his legal situation” without wading into politics.

“I support Henry Cuellar’s right to a trial by jury,” Jeffries said. “He is innocent until proven guilty.”

The Santos precedent

The NRCC accused Democrats of hypocrisy for pressing to oust U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., over his own criminal charges.

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, said it’s a sign of a healthy democracy when those in power are held to account.

He pointed to an initial failed vote to kick out Santos, which Allred opposed, citing a lack of due process.

Allred joined others in voting for Santos’ successful expulsion on a subsequent vote, after the release of a scathing report by the Ethics Committee that cited “overwhelming evidence” Santos used campaign funds for personal purposes and committed other crimes.

There has been no such report on Cuellar.

“Due process still has to be observed,” Allred said.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, noted Cuellar said he sought and received legal opinions from the Ethics Committee before taking actions cited in the indictment.

“As a criminal defense attorney, I always go with the presumption of innocence,” she said. “So I’m hoping for the best.”

24055361

Republicans hold back

Many Republicans in Congress, including those from Texas, also are inclined to let the legal process play out for Cuellar, an occasional political ally.

After news of the indictment broke, several Texas Republicans cited Cuellar’s record of working on bipartisan measures and his penchant for breaking with his party over his opposition to abortion rights, support for tougher border security measures and other issues.

“I know Henry to be a really good man, and for whatever he’s going through, I feel sorry for him,” said U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Willow Park. “He’s well-liked. He’s a good man and he thinks a lot like conservatives do on certain issues.”

Williams said he has been Cuellar’s friend for many years and remains one, noting that he served as Texas secretary of state after Cuellar held the position.

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, also called the Democrat a friend.

“I know they’ve been coming after him for a while,” Jackson said. “They come after him, in part, because he does on occasion vote with us.”

U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, R-San Angelo, called Cuellar a “great member to work with” on issues from energy to agriculture.

Across the Capitol, both Republican U.S. senators from Texas spoke positively about working with Cuellar on various issues.

Sen. Ted Cruz said the allegations are “serious” and “concerning,” but he also highlighted issues of agreement, such as streamlining approval of new U.S.-Mexico bridges across the Rio Grande and designating a new interstate corridor running from Laredo through West Texas.

“He has been a strong partner fighting for jobs in Texas, and together we’ve gotten a lot accomplished for the state,” Cruz said.

Cruz, who wrote a book accusing Democrats of “weaponizing” the justice system, said it’s fair to ask whether the case against Cuellar is politically motivated.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said he’s enjoyed working with Cuellar and feels for him, but the matter is up to the courts.

“Henry has always been a bipartisan individual and he’s one of the very few pro-life [Democratic] House members and frankly, you know, you can see where he may be in disfavor by the current administration,” Cornyn said.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar's indictment packed with loaded language

As a legal document, the 54-page federal indictment against Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, makes for easy summer reading.

You don’t need legal training to understand what it alleges happened between “at least” December 2014 to “at least” November 2021.

The Laredo couple stands accused of taking almost $600,000 in bribes from a Mexican bank and an oil company owned by the government of Azerbaijan.

The case is scheduled to go to trial next March. Several co-conspirators have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department.

The Cuellars have denied all the charges.

Both foreign entities wanted Cuellar to do their bidding in Washington, according to the indictment.

While Cuellar massaged legislation and policy, his wife facilitated the collection of bribes.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and AzerbaijanÕs Ambassador to the United States Elin Suleymanov visit with the University of the Incarnate Word students on Oct. 10.

Cuellar and Suleymanov talked to the students about the partnership between the United States and Azerbaijan.

In several ways, the indictment’s language makes for a compelling read.

The main characters set up sham companies and write fake invoices.

Azerbaijan officials seek to advance their interests vis-a-vis a neighboring country and longtime adversary, Armenia.

The Mexican bank wants less enforcement of banking and anti-money-laundering rules, including those that placed restrictions on the payday lending industry.

The latter was the most offensive to me, as Cuellar’s poorest constituents are so greatly harmed by predatory lenders.

Yet those weren’t the only intriguing parts of the indictment.

Consider the dialogue between Cuellar and the foreign representatives.

You’ll have to search the indictment for “El Jefe,” “Boss” and “abrazo.”

I consulted with two Ph.D.-armed professors — a professor emerita of bilingual-bicultural studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a professor of Spanish at Our Lady of the Lake University.

Both Ellen Riojas Clark of UTSA and Maribel Larraga of OLLU are Spanish speakers with a keen interest in the use of language, whether it’s English, Spanish or Spanglish.

They understand the nuances in the phrasing, linguistic patterns and word choices used by people of the Southwest and Mexico — and in this case by a representative of Azerbaijan and Mexican banking officials to forge relationships with a borderland politician.

Both read the indictment with special attention to the conversations between Cuellar and foreign officials.

Here are a few examples.

From Page 17: “On March 31, 2017, HENRY CUELLAR texted Azerbaijani Diplomat-1: ‘Submitted language today.’ ”

Azerbaijani diplomat-1: “You are the best El Jefe!”

Cuellar: “Yes sir.”

From the following page: Azerbaijani diplomat-1: “Boss, do you know (Representative-2)?”

Cuellar: “Yes sir.”

Azerbaijani diplomat-1: “Any chance of talking him into withdrawing his amendment or no way? Coming up on the floor today.”

Cuellar: “I will ask him.”

Larraga acknowledges there’s “really nothing extraordinary” in the language. “Boss,” for example, is used and overused, she said.

What is notable is the context, she said.

One individual is trying to strengthen his connection to the other with a cultural reference meant to ingratiate.

He employs common, congenial Spanish words to gain Cuellar’s confidence, such as signing off with the word “abrazo” or hug.

Let’s face it, it was kissing up.

Larraga said speakers use such techniques intentionally or subconsciously even in the offhand, “Good morning, Boss” to Cuellar.

The salutation casually praises Cuellar in an effort to remain in his good graces, conveying that the speaker needs something from him.

For Larraga, it’s interesting that the speaker doesn’t merely use “Jefe” but “El Jefe.”

The Azerbaijani diplomat, who has presumably acquired some Spanish fluency, knows that the definite article “el” underlines that Cuellar is the one jefe vs. a mere, run-of-the mill, indefinite “un” or “a” jefe.

In this case, Cuellar is the only jefe.

Narcissism and arrogance are at work, too. In calling Cuellar “Boss” and “El Jefe,” the speakers are playing to his ego.

US Rep. Henry Cuellar and State Rep. Richard Raymond seen with Mexican federal, state and city leaders on Jan. 25, 2024 at Texas A&M International University.

US Rep. Henry Cuellar and State Rep. Richard Raymond seen with Mexican federal, state and city leaders on Jan. 25, 2024 at Texas A&M International University.

David Gomez Jr./Laredo Morning Times

They were building a level of comfort, understanding and trust, even acknowledging they were doing good work together.

Riojas Clark zeroed in on similar passages.

But Riojas Clark found Cuellar’s responses the most interesting.

Cuellar often answered Spanish-language phrasing in English by saying, “Yes, sir!”

For her, it reads as deference, suggesting that the U.S. congressman knew who the bosses really were.

And they weren’t Cuellar’s constituents.

“But, for me, it’s the tone of the whole thing,” Riojas Clark said.

The Spanish-language use of “El Jefe” and English translations of “Boss” disparaged Cuellar, whether he recognized it or not.

The words established a hierarchy, but don’t necessarily reflect Cuellar as the real boss.

It’s a very old story in politics, in Texas politics.

“Cuellar knows who the bosses are,” Riojas Clark said, “and he’s doing as he’s told.”

[cavenewstimes]

Yes, There’s Another “Wife Guy” Bribery Scandal for Democrats

Politics Democratic Hopes of Retaking Congress Threatened Again by Allegations of Wife Corruption Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar’s household has allegedly been up to no good. The government alleges that Rep. Henry Cuellar’s wife, Imelda, did “little to no legitimate work” in return for the hundreds of thousands of dollars she was paid. Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty…

[masterofd1saster]

CJ current events 9may24

The modern Rules for Radicals

Students participating in the Gaza Solidarity Encampments at universities across the country are being taught to become militants, according to nine manuals obtained by The Free Press. Many of the manuals, which are being shared via phone group chats with students across the country, encourage “militancy” and instruct protesters to break laws, seize buildings, vandalize them, and then use tactics to evade police detection and arrest. One guide, called “De-arrest Primer,” teaches protesters to physically resist arrest or, in some cases, assault police officers or throw projectiles at them to protect fellow “comrades” from arrest. “Each de-arrest,” the guide states, “is a micro-intifada which can spread and inspire others until we may finally shake off this noxious ruling order all together.”*** https://www.thefp.com/p/student-protest-guides-violence-micro-intafada

***

There's no legal way.... for a wussy

Protip: Grow a pair, DPD.

***

Politically motivated?

An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas charging U.S. Congressman Enrique Roberto “Henry” Cuellar, 68, and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, 67, both of Laredo, Texas, with participating in two schemes involving bribery, unlawful foreign influence, and money laundering. Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar made their initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo in Houston.

According to court documents, beginning in at least December 2014 and continuing through at least November 2021, Congressman Cuellar and Imelda Cuellar allegedly accepted approximately $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: an oil and gas company wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Azerbaijan, and a bank headquartered in Mexico City. The bribe payments were allegedly laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts. In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan. In exchange for the bribes paid by the Mexican bank, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to influence legislative activity and to advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank. *** https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-congressman-henry-cuellar-and-his-wife-charged-bribery-unlawful-foreign-influence-and

He's one of the more conservative dems in Congress.

***

Stupidity is often a crime

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — Crews rescued a teenage boy who was seriously injured after falling 30 feet down an abandoned missile silo near Deer Trail in Arapahoe County Sunday morning. Crews said he is expected to survive. It happened around 3:30 a.m. near 82000 E. County Line Road 22, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office said a group of eight teenagers gained access to the entrance of the silo when one of them fell through a two-story shaft and down the underground complex, landing onto twisted metal, broken concrete and stagnant water at the bottom. The sheriff’s office said rescue teams entered the silo hours after arriving on scene. They had to navigate an extremely hazardous underground maze before they were able to locate the 18-year-old victim. The teen was freed from the silo just before 9 a.m. and airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries.*** The property owner told Denver7 that he intends to press charges, which he said he has done in the past. His father bought the property sometime after the silo was decommissioned in the 60s. He said it's been "a headache" to own ever since.*** https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/crews-rescue-teenage-boy-from-abandoned-missile-silo-near-deer-trail-teen-is-expected-to-survive

***

Oliver Wiseman notes

→ The janitor versus the multimillionaire: Last week, Suzy Weiss wrote about the tale of two Columbias, captured in a single photograph: a now-viral image of a janitor fighting off an anti-Israel rioter during the occupation of Hamilton Hall.  Per the New York Post, the activist is James Carlson. He also goes by Cody Carlson and Cody Tarlow. A high-ranking police source told the paper he is “a longtime anarchist.” Carlson is not a Columbia undergrad but the 40-year-old son and heir of a prominent ad executive. Carlson owns a $3.4 million Park Slope townhouse that has “four wood-burning fireplaces” according to the Post. Carlson has been charged with “burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, conspiracy, and criminal trespassing.” The whole thing is delicious. Almost as delightful as our favorite trust-fund communist: Fergie Chambers. https://www.thefp.com/p/front-page-there-are-two-sets

***

Excellent Tablet essay on free speech

Free speech is not a divisible concept. Either everyone is free to say what they want, no matter how noxious others find it, in order to create and sustain the free market of ideas—or else speech isn’t free.***

There is no exception for hate speech in the Constitution. It is not, according to the Constitution of the United States of America, illegal to misgender someone, or call them a dirty kike or a pig, or tell them you want them to be shipped back to Africa, or say that the State of Israel has “no right to exist,” or that all women are nasty hookers who play men for money. Those statements might rightfully earn you the disgust of those around you, as well as exclusion from any number of personal and professional opportunities, or access to private institutions and spaces. But they are not unlawful, and no governmental authority has the standing to penalize you for making or believing them—in the privacy of your home, in the public square, or on the open internet. That includes Congress, which is made up of elected officials. Americans have radically lowered our standards for what we expect of this class of people, but we think we can all draw a line at a basic understanding of the Bill of Rights. The fact that a word or idea is annoying or upsetting to you—or us!—does not make it illegal. [antisemitic speech is not illegal]***

What this looks like in practice is something that every American should be alarmed and repelled by: A small group of powerful people are now using public-private partnerships to silence the Constitution, censor ideas they don’t like, deny their opponents access to banking, credit, the internet, and other public accommodations. (Here, for the skeptics, is a link to 10 examples of times when Facebook, YouTube, and Amazon passed censorship policies because the government told them to do so.) When a platform like Facebook, which currently accounts for a staggering third of all traffic to news sources, colludes with the federal government to suppress reporting on COVID-19, say, or when Twitter, a major digital reincarnation of the public square, kicks out an American political candidate for being too extreme while allowing users like the genocidal leader of Iran to remain, the rules have changed. “Bad speech,” an old adage goes, “is best corrected by good speech.” That was true until these public-private fingers hit the scales, making sure that fight couldn’t ever be fair.***

Over the past half-century, with increasing intentionality and force, American universities have come to see themselves not as repositories of civilization-sustaining knowledge but as social actors that act independently to shape social values—which they do not by teaching young people how to think, but by telling them what to think. Abandoning the principles of free inquiry, these institutions turned themselves into factories for conformity and increasingly bizarre, divisive, and hateful doctrines held by the loudest (and often smallest) factions of their faculty.***

Enter a graduate seminar these days, and you’ll notice right away a strange obsession with language. Academics understand words not as most of us have traditionally understood them—as sharp and useful tools with which to explore reality in all of its complexity—but rather as pagans do, as fetishized, magical spells and incantations that have the power to cause actual harm or bring about real rapture. This is why academic papers overwhelmingly feature such groan-inducing titles like “(Re)membering the Body: A Herstory of Sexual Desire”: If you believe words can actually hurt, you ought to make sure they’re used safely and only by those trained magi who can say the right things in the right order and not upset the angry gods. Indeed, we might go so far as to argue that everything you’re seeing on college campuses these days—all the madness—in one way or another relates to speech, and these new, mangled ideas of it. The arc of censorship is long, but it bends toward Hamilton Hall.***

***

Fair questions from Nellie & Bari

So: Why crime? And why San Francisco?  For the past decade, the city has been at the forefront of the effort to radically transform the criminal justice system. If you ask advocates of the policy—people like Chesa Boudin, George Gascón, and George Soros—the idea was as straightforward as it was overdue: overhaul a punitive, racist system that was doling out cruel and unusual punishments for minor offenses.  San Francisco has slashed the budget for police, retroactively reduced sentences for nonviolent offenders, and prohibited officers from pursuing individuals committing nonviolent crimes. The city has new mandatory training for police aimed to tackle racial bias and to limit the overall interaction between police and civilians.  But did it work?  Since 2020, the city has suffered rising crime, from rampant burglaries to open-air drug use to public defecation. Half of the city’s retailers have departed the once bustling downtown, and drug stores all over the city are packing it in. In 2022, drug overdose deaths in San Francisco hit a record high. And police response times have become slower, even though cops are now fielding fewer calls. If you’ve visited San Francisco in the past year, you’ve likely seen the problem with your own eyes. If you haven’t, you can find countless videos online, like this one. Or this one. Or this one.  The crime surge is not limited to the City by the Bay. In the years since the pandemic, places like New York and Los Angeles also saw increased homicides, aggravated assaults, shoplifting, and so on.  All of this is why crime is one of voters’ top concerns in the 2024 election cycle. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans and 47 percent of Democrats say reducing crime should be a top policy priority.  Have American cities become too soft on crime? Are progressive prosecutors to blame? Or are deeper causes like poverty and income inequality the real culprits? Is criminal justice reform a necessary step toward justice? Has it made American towns and cities safer? Or is the whole project, despite its high ideals, a mistake? ***

***

BB -

This is all bad theater. The judge knows 10k isn't enough to deter Trump, and he knows he can't get away w/ $1M. At the same time, Trump knows that the fines show he's being persecuted.

***

California dreaming?

Many 2d Amendment proponents say that when life or death is a matter of seconds, the police will be there in a minute or two. In California today, you may be on hold for a long time.

***

The Trump CLAS docs case:

Special prosecutor Jack Smith apparently told the court that he had misled the judge about the docs. He had represented to the court that the docs were in exactly the same condition and order as when seized. He now admits that the docs are in the same boxes, but not in the same order. Why does it matter?

Former Trump defense lawyer Tim Parlatore told Just the News that Smith’s “admission is stunning on multiple levels.” First, he said it “reinforces the incompetence” of prosecutors “in conducting basic criminal investigations and prosecutions that I observed when I was on the team.”  “But at a deeper level, the loss of specific document locations is a destruction of exculpatory evidence,” he said. “I went through all of the boxes at NARA [National Archives and Records Administration] and the document order was important because it was clear to us that the boxes had been untouched since leaving the White House.” “For prosecutors who are trying to prove that the defendants knowingly possessed these documents to then destroy the evidence that would undermine that claim is a very serious violation,” Parliatore added.***

***

Tell me, Sherlock, what was your first clue that he was a violent criminal?

Adre “Psycho” Baroz sentenced to life in prison for 5 San Luis Valley murders

Adre Baroz, nicknamed “Pyscho,” received five life sentences on Friday.

***

Protesters, always on the side of the poor outsiders....

It’s the viral image that captured the clash between the anti-Israel protesters who stormed Columbia and the campus workers who tried to stop them. As the mob invaded Hamilton Hall in the early hours of April 30, a facilities worker was photographed pushing a demonstrator against a wall.  Later, it emerged that the protester was a 40-year-old trust fund kid named James Carlson, who owns a townhouse in Brooklyn worth $2.3 million. The man who tried to hold him back was Mario Torres, 45, who has worked at Columbia—where the average janitor makes less than $19 an hour—for five years. Now, in an exclusive interview with The Free Press, Mario Torres describes the experience of being on duty as protesters stormed the building in the early hours of the morning, breaking glass and barricading the entrances. “We don’t expect to go to work and get swarmed by an angry mob with rope and duct tape and masks and gloves,” he said.***

***

Gun laws don't work when you refuse to enforce them

Last week the DC Sentencing Commission released their Annual Report, which is one of our only data sources for what happens to cases after police make an arrest. Without this data we would never know that 79% of adults arrested with illegal guns in DC get away without any felony conviction. More than 2,000 gun cases over the last two years were either never prosecuted, dropped or pled down to lesser charges without any public scrutiny of DC’s prosecutor. This report (and similar excellent analyses by the Commission’s staff) are crucial for understanding how prosecutors and judges apply the laws on the books and getting beyond the vibes-based spin that dominates DC crime discourse. The report especially highlights the gap between how the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) acts in court vs. their poll-tested “tough on crime” public rhetoric. With kids as young as 3 years old being killed in shootings, we desperately need some accountability for our unelected prosecutor who has undermined all of DC’s local efforts to reduce gun violence.***

***

Because everyone wants to see them....

WAUKESHA — A 67-year-old woman and her 28-year-old boyfriend are accused of having sexual contact in the Waukesha County Jail lobby. Karen Hill and Desmound Cleveland were charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court with disorderly conduct Friday. If convicted, they both face 90 days in jail. A $1,000 signature bond was set for both of them and they entered not guilty pleas. They have a court date of June 3. A Waukesha County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the jail lobby, 515 W. Moreland Blvd., on Thursday for a possible disorderly conduct/lewd and lascivious call that happened in the jail overnight. A jail supervisor called to report two people had sex in the jail lobby and the woman, later identified as Hill, was still on the scene, the criminal complaint said.***

***

J. Disaster would sentence him to six years.

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) -- Former Johnson City Middle School Principal Daniel Erickson pleaded guilty to luring a child in Broome County Court Monday, the district attorney’s office announced. The crime, which is a felony, stems from an investigation into which Erickson engaged in sexually charged conversations with a 16-year-old girl on Snapchat, a communication app popular among teens and young adults. The incident occurred between June 28 and July 7, 2023. Erickson, of Greene, NY, was arrested when he agreed to meet the student at a remote location to have sex with her. The Broome County Sheriff’s Office detailed that Erickson brought a Grimace Shake and chicken nuggets from McDonald’s as well as condoms with him. Deputies then arrested him. Yet, before he was arrested, the sheriff’s office noted that Erickson had made multiple attempts to meet the girl. He even tried to meet her at her home but the girl would not come out and meet him. He posed as a young adult on Snapchat and used his position as the middle school principal and used databank information from the district to convince her who he was, the sheriff’s office noted. Erickson resigned as the Johnson City Middle School Principal in August 2023. He was 55-years-old at the time.*** Erickson will be sentenced on July 30 to six months of incarceration followed by five years of probation supervision. That will include sex offender conditions, restitution payable to the victim and will have to register as a sex offender. ***

Six months is a lame sentence.

***

[tocitynews]

Laredo Texas Democratic Us Representative Henry Cuellar And His Wife Are Indicted Over Ties To Azerbaijan – Dallas Texas reporting

From 2014 to 2021, Cuellar and his wife accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico, and in exchange, Cuellar agreed to advance the interests of the country and the bank in the U.S., according to the indictment.

Among other things, Cuellar agreed to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the U.S. House, the indictment states.

The Department of Justice said the couple surrendered to authorities on Friday and were taken into custody.

The longtime congressman released a statement Friday saying he and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, “are innocent of these allegations.”

The payments to the couple went through a Texas-based shell company owned by Imelda Cuellar and two of the couple’s children, according to the indictment. That company received payments from the Azerbaijan energy company of $25,000 per month under a “sham contract,” purportedly in exchange for unspecified strategic consulting and advising services.

“In reality, the contract was a sham used to disguise and legitimate the corrupt agreement between Henry Cuellar and the government of Azerbaijan,” the indictment states.

Imelda Cuellar sent a falsified invoice to the Azerbaijan energy company's Washington, D.C., office under the agreement, stating her work was complete.

“In fact, Imedla Cuellar had performed little or no legitimate work under the contract,” the indictment says.

[massispost]

New Post has been published on https://massispost.com/2024/05/us-congressman-henry-cuellar-indicted-for-accepting-bribes-from-azerbaijan/

US Congressman Henry Cuellar Indicted for Accepting Bribes from Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON, DC — Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife have been charged with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities, according to an indictment in federal court in Texas. The alleged scheme took place from late 2014 through at least November 2021, the indictment says. The congressman and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, made their initial court appearance on Friday in Houston and were released on a $100,000 bond. They are facing several charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official, violating the ban on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal and money…

[newsfact]

Federal grand jury subpoenas Rep. Cuellar, wife, and associates in Azerbaijan-tied probe: report

Federal grand jury subpoenas Rep. Cuellar, wife, and associates in Azerbaijan-tied probe: report

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A federal grand jury probe that resulted in the raid of the home of Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar has reportedly begun issuing subpoenas. According to a report from ABC News, the grand jury has issued relations to ties between U.S. companies and related to ties to Azerbaijan and includes a subpoena of records related to Cuellar, his wife Imelda,…

[katian5]

Community of Madrid Championship AMCFF 2016 (results)

Results of the Madrid Community Championship AMCFF 2016 pullover muscles worked, an event held on October 16 at the IES Antonio Machado, as well as the Fidel Montero Regional Open .

CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE COMMUNITY OF MADRID

Junior Fitness Bikini

1. Nerea Pons Guerrero (Free) (3)

2. Natalia Pérez Saldivar (Francisco del Yerro II) (5)

3. María Cinta Aparicio Pérez (Free) (2)

4. Tamara Jiménez Gómez (Totalactivity Team) (4)

5. Imelda Cuellar López (Free) (1)

Bikini Fitness Master

1. Lourdes Brito Laffont (US Fitness System) (7)

2. María Murillo Lorenzo (Be Strong Gym) (14)

3. María Inmaculada Moreno Peña (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (13)

4. Marta Guijarro Rojas (Axs Team) (9)

5. Gheorghita Bran Visan (Totalactivity Team) (10)

6. Irene Ibañez Martin (Abraham Gym) (12)

. Patricia Benítez Forte (Edgar Morilla) (8)

. María del Mar Castillo del Pliego (DM Team) (11)

 Bikini Fitness up to 158cm

1. Jessica Garcia Benavente (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (19)

2. Maria del Mar Amaya Campos (Maxfitnes) (17)

3. Amparo Jorge Alonso (Francisco del Yerro II) (16)

4. Laura Escobar Mascuñano (Totalactivity Team) (15)

5. Jeniffer Johana Peña Rueda (Axs Team) (18)

Bikini Fitness up to 163cm

1. Jessica Viviana Ramírez villa (Francisco del Yerro) (25)

2. Cristina Fraile Herrera (Francisco del Yerro) (23)

3. Elia Babin Contreras (FlexNutrition) (22)

4. Cintia Manzano Jimenez (Be Strong Gym) (20)

5. Jennifer Torres Castellanos (Totalactivity Team)

Bikini Fitness up to 169cm

1. Natalia Banaru Nikolaevna (Francisco del Yerro) (27)

2. Gema María Gómez Rodríguez (Totalactivity Team) (28)

3. Barbará Martín De Lucas (Totalactivity Team) (29)

Fitness bikini plus 169cm

1. Gemma Granados Aguirre (Thor Gym) (31)

2. Diana Alves Rodriguez (Cherokee Sports) (32)

3. Marina Lorenzo Martínez (FC Manuel Manchado) (30)

Absolute Champion Bikini Fitness

Jessica Garcia Benavente (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (19)

Men´s Physique Junior

1. Joel Nogal Fernández (Totalactivity Team) (35)

2. Julio Antonio López Corbacho (Free) (38)

3. Francisco Javier Puerto Mérida (Totalactivity Team) (43)

4. Salvador Reynaldo Hernández Bonilla (GTF (Global Top Fitness)) (36)

5. Erik Diez Gorrochategui (CDE Nova Alcobendas) (46)

6. David Carretero Velasco (Francisco del Yerro) (44)

. Héctor Dionisópulos Sacristán (Totalactivity Team) (37)

. Christian Andrés Brito Reinoso (Totalactivity Team) (39)

. Adrián Álvarez Muñoz (Totalactivity Team) (40)

. Angel of the Blond Lazarus (Free) (41)

. Daniel Bachura Campos (Francisco del Yerro) (42)

. Víctor Domínguez Burguillo (Free) (45)

. Tomas Lanzetti Tortorella (Free) (47)

Men´s Physique Master

1. Sergio Violero Bolaños (Maxfitnes) (52)

2. José Luis Casas Velasco (Francisco del Yerro) (59)

3. Sergio Velasco González (Free) (60)

4. Israel Rodríguez Martínez (Totalactivity Team) (57)

5. José Luis Rivas Rodero (Francisco del Yerro) (53)

6. Félix Carrión Jimeno (Free) (62)

. Dimas Jesús Calle González González (Attitude) (48)

. Juan Antonio Martínez García (Attitude) (49)

. Jean Marc Hurni Hurni (Ironshop Madrid) (50)

. David Gascueña García (Totalactivity Team) (51)

. Veselinov Ganchev Hook (Free) (54)

. Sebastian Jajuga (Essential Gym PSN Team) (55)

. Rafael Jiménez Jiménez (Life Sport Center) (56)

. Miguel Ángel Sanz Sánchez (Totalactivity Team) (58)

. Javier Gómez Francisco (Opera Gym) (61)

Men´s Physique up to 170cm

1. Santiago Hernando Cercadillo (Totalactivity Team) (70)

2. Yonder Javier Machado Padrón (Free) (66)

3. Frank Castellón Coneo (Totalactivity Team) (63)

4. Pablo Patarro Hernández (Attitude) (73)

5. Francisco José del Río Barbao (Free) (67)

6. Javier Domínguez Fernández (Totalactivity Team) (64)

. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Carrasco (Free) (68)

. Diego Marcelo Suárez Palaguachi (Totalactivity Team) (71)

. Rafael Fernández Moreno (Alkida) (72)

. Adrian Aguiar González (Totalactivity Team) (74)

Men´s Physique up to 178cm

1. Cristian Ledesma Ruiz (Life Sport Center) (78)

2. Iliyan Olegov Ivanov (Totalactivity Team) (76)

3. José Javier López Ortega (Francisco del Yerro) (83)

4. Happy Edodo Ogieva (Life Sport Center) (77)

5. Iván Bustos García (Totalactivity Team) (84)

6. Javier Torrijos Mediavilla (Free) (86)

. Manuel de la Morena Blasco (Free) (75)

. Angel Castellote Espinosa (Life Sport Center) (79)

. Ricardo Arenas Asenjo (Totalactivity Team) (80)

. Ernesto Garcia-Monteavaro Cobo (Francisco del Yerro) (81)

. Javier Ortiz Barquilla (Free) (82)

. Ruben Donoso Sanchez (Free) (85)

. Alberto Martin Barbero (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (87)

. Saulo Jorgge Mora (Totalactivity Team) (88)

. David Ramírez Villa (Francisco del Yerro) (89)

. Miguel Catalin Pisica Pisica (Attitude) (90)

Men´s Physique more 178cm

1. Alberto González Gómez (Free) (102)

2. Pablo Gutiérrez Arroyo (Totalactivity Team) (97)

3. José Olmedo Moreno (Free) (101)

4. Carlos García-Soldado Martos (US Fitness System) (99)

5. Terrense Ricardo Paul Vansluytman (Free) (103)

6. Alberto Gil Burgos (Totalactivity Team) (96)

. Manuel Moratinos Saro (Free) (91)

. Carlos Andrade Mancebo (Totalactivity Team) (92)

. David Meis Martín (Life Sport Center) (93)

. José Alberto Gómez Bello (Free) (94)

. David Morales Llopis (Totalactivity Team) (95)

. Fermín Díaz Rodríguez (Francisco del Yerro II) (98)

. Daniel Sánchez Oliva (Francisco del Yerro II) (100)

Absolute Champion Men´s Physique

Cristian Ledesma Ruiz (Life Sport Center) (78)

Men´s Short

1. David Ezequiel Pitton (Barbarian Team Madrid) (115)

2. José María Mete Bueriberi (Francisco del Yerro II) (111)

3. Arturo Mengotti López-Ballesteros (CDE Nova Alcobendas) (108)

4. José Manuel Gil Fernández (Francisco del Yerro) (109)

5. Joaquin Alterachs Sebe (Francisco del Yerro II) (110)

6. Ibán Sánchez Redondo (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid)

. Ángel Luis Moreno De Federico (107)

. Juan Carlos Castillo Algueda (Francisco del Yerro) (112)

. Christian Alberto Bautista Apunte (Francisco del Yerro II) (114)

Bodyfitness Master

1. Nuria Sanchez Martinez (Totalactivity Team) (116)

2. Laura Fernández de Frutos (Nufitness Center) (117)

3. Claudia María Arias Castro (Cherokee Sports) (118)

Bodyfitness up to 163cm

1. Verónica Gutiérrez Redondo (Maxfitnes) (123)

2. Mauri Karina Ramírez Pérez (Maxfitnes) (120)

3. Isabel Mendiola Torrón (Lata Team) (122)

4. Carol Modestita Arevillca Mendoza (Abraham Gym) (121)

5. Carmen María Rejón Ruiz (Francisco del Yerro) (119)

Bodyfitness over 163cm

1. María del Rocío Hernández Gómez (Cherokee Sports) (124)

2. Marina Navas Campaign (Free) (129)

3. Elena Cordero Carvajal (Axs Team) (127)

4. Silvia Tambo Arizcuren (CDE Nova Alcobendas) (125)

5. Esther Bueno Barranquero (Francisco del Yerro) (130)

6. Eva Garcia Martinez (US Fitness System) (126)

. Marión Belisario Serrano (Francisco del Yerro II) (128)

Absolute Bodyfitness Champion

Nuria Sanchez Martinez (Totalactivity Team) (116)

Women´s Physique

1. María Vegas Fernández (Free) (134)

2. Cristina Teigell Zapatero (FC Manuel Manchado) (133)

Classic Bodybuilding Junior

1. Abel García Vaillo (Be Strong Gym) (142)

2. Cristian Fernández Gómez (Alkida) (144)

3. Nahuel Ibañez Caruana (Free) (143)

Classic Bodybuilding Master

1. Eduardo Francisco Redruello Bollo (Lata Team) (141)

2. Miguel Angel Sánchez Escobar (Francisco del Yerro) (140)

3. Roberto Rujas Cimarra (Francisco del Yerro) (137)

4. Miguel Angel Gonzalo Gamero (Yunfit Sport) (136)

5. Jorge Ros Gonzalez (Cherokee Sports) (139)

6. Ignacio González Ruiz (CDE Nova Alcobendas) (135)

. Juan Pedro Cano Morlon (FC Manuel Manchado) (149)

Classic Bodybuilding up to 175cm

1. Héctor García González (Totalactivity Team) (146)

2. David García Sánchez (Francisco del Yerro II) (145)

3. Miguel Pichel Garcia (Yunfit Sport) (150)

4. Javier de Haro Chacón (Francisco del Yerro II) (147)

5. Oscar Alberto Martín Fernández (Free) (138)

6. Omali Daniel Reyes Bobilla (Francisco del Yerro II) (148)

. Carlos Arenas García (Alkida) (151)

. Alberto Esteban Perea (Free) (152)

Classic Bodybuilding up to 180cm

1. Alejandro Esteban Serrano (FlexNutrition) (156)

2. José Luis Lobo Bravo (Lata Team) (158)

3. Raúl Polished Lion Polished Lion (Alkida) (154)

4. Alejandro Martín Ortiz (Totalactivity Team) (155)

5. David Vigo Merino (Maxfitnes) (165)

6. José Ruiz De Nicolás (Lata Team) (157)

. Mario Morales Hurtado (Free) (153)

Classic Bodybuilding more 180cm

1. Víctor Muñoz Teixidó (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (160)

2. Francisco Güeto Pulido (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (161)

3. José Luis Fernández Jaime (Francisco del Yerro) (162)

4. Antonio Gómez Gómez (Free) (164)

5. Angel Fernandez-Mazarambroz Rodríguez-Izdo (CDE Strength and Health) (163)

6. Manuel Iñiguez Conde (Maxfitnes) (159)

Absolute Champion Classic Bodybuilding

Víctor Muñoz Teixidó (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (160)

Junior Bodybuilding

1. Carlos García Oquendo (Cherokee Sports) (171)

2. David López Arribas (Essential Gym PSN Team) (168)

3. Daniel Domínguez Arcas (Free) (169)

4. Carlos Lozano Sánchez (Alkida) (170)

Bodybuilding up to 75kg

1. Julián Prieto Santana (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (178)

2. David Gonzalez Caballero (Free) (173)

3. Ildefonso Barragan Romero (Lata Team) (174)

4. Alexander Christian Weigl Weigl (FlexNutrition) (172)

5. Jose Luis Legazpi Sanchez (Cherokee Sports) (172)

6. Jorge Navarro Bastante (US Fitness System) (179)

. David Sánchez Pintado (FC Manuel Manchado) (176)

. Álvaro Solanilla Araujo (Lata Team) (177)

Bodybuilding up to 85kg

1. Mario Alonso Carnicero (Francisco del Yerro) (186)

2. Antonio Pérez García (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (181)

3. Freddy Villarroel Morin (Free) (182)

4. Carlos Laborda Flores (Free) (180)

5. José Luis Álvaro Guerra (Edgar Morilla) (187)

6. Francisco Navarro Hernández (Free) (185)

. Jesús Pérez Cuesta (Francisco del Yerro II) (183)

. Fran Bohabonay Meha (Alkida) (184)

Bodybuilding plus 85kg

1. Sorin Sandor (Francisco del Yerro) (192)

2. Álvaro Ordoñez González (Maxfitnes) (188)

3. José María Fernández Madrigal (Francisco del Yerro) (193)

4. Mauricio Ruiz Palomo (Attitude) (190)

5. Francisco Moreno García Abadillo (CDE Nova Alcobendas) (191)

6. José Manuel Huete Álvarez (Thor Gym) (189)

. Javier Sánchez De Teresa (Edgar Morilla) (194)

Absolute Bodybuilding Champion

Mario Alonso Carnicero (Francisco del Yerro) (186)

OPEL FIDEL MONTERO

Bikini Fitness

1. Jessica Garcia Benavente (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (19)

2. Jennifer Gómez (Free) (35)

3. Jessica Viviana Ramírez villa (Francisco del Yerro) (25)

4. Nerea Pons Guerrero (Free) (3)

5. Merxe Sanmartín Mogort (Francisco del Yerro) (36)

6. Lourdes Brito Laffont (US Fitness System) (7)

. Natalia Banaru Nikolaevna (Francisco del Yerro) (27)

. Gemma Granados Aguirre (Thor Gym) (31)

. Virginia Sánchez-Oro (CDE Nova Alcobendas) (37)

Men´s Physique

1. Cristian Ledesma Ruiz (Life Sport Center) (78)

2. Aitor Rodríguez Fernández (Axs Team) (34)

3. Joel Nogal Fernández (Totalactivity Team) (35)

4. Alberto González Gómez (Free) (102)

5. Santiago Hernando Cercadillo (Totalactivity Team) (70)

6. Sergio Violero Bolaños (Maxfitnes) (52)

Men´s Short

1. David Ezequiel Pitton (Barbarian Team Madrid) (115)

2. José María Mete Bueriberi (Francisco del Yerro II) (111)

3. Arturo Mengotti López-Ballesteros (CDE Nova Alcobendas) (108)

4. José Manuel Gil Fernández (Francisco del Yerro) (109)

5. Joaquin Alterachs Sebe (Francisco del Yerro II) (110)

6. Ibán Sánchez Redondo (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid)

. Ángel Luis Moreno De Federico (107)

. Juan Carlos Castillo Algueda (Francisco del Yerro) (112)

. Christian Alberto Bautista Apunte (Francisco del Yerro II) (114)

Bodyfitness

1. Nuria Sanchez Martinez (Totalactivity Team) (116)

2. Immaculate Pelegrin Hernandez (Francisco del Yerro) (38)

3. Purification López Garcinuño (Thor Gym) (39)

4. Verónica Gutiérrez Redondo (Maxfitnes) (123)

5. María del Rocío Hernández Gómez (Cherokee Sports) (124)

Women´s Physique

1. María Vegas Fernández (Free) (134)

2. Cristina Teigell Zapatero (FC Manuel Manchado) (133)

Classic Bodybuilding

1. Juan Fernando Castrejón Gómez (Francisco del Yerro II) (40)

2. Víctor Muñoz Teixidó (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (160)

3. Borja Serna Sierra (Francisco del Yerro) (42)

4. Agustín De Marcos Muñoz (DM Team) (43)

5. Ivan Marcos Sánchez (Lata Team) (41)

6. Eduardo Francisco Redruello Bollo (Lata Team) (141)

. Abel García Vaillo (Be Strong Gym) (142)

. Héctor García González (Totalactivity Team) (146)

. Alejandro Esteban Serrano (FlexNutrition) (156)

Body-building

1. Mario Alonso Carnicero (Francisco del Yerro) (186)

2. Sorin Sandor (Francisco del Yerro) (192)

3. Luis García Martínez (Francisco del Yerro) (45)

4. Carlos García Oquendo (Cherokee Sports) (171)

5. Julián Prieto Santana (Barbarian Team Madrid Madrid) (178)

[migueltimoshenkov-blog]

AQUI Y ALLA.

AQUÍ Y ALLÁ

 Entre ICE y Trump

 MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV

Analista político

 LO DIJO ALEXANDER: México necesita asegurar estabilidad en sus fronteras o caerá en anarquía.

 * Enrique Rivas asume con interés el tema migratorio, busca soluciones factibles.

* Fernando Miranda Macías irá con todo contra Carlos Canturosas y amigos.

* Imelda Sanmiguel ya gobierna el PAN; su discurso trillado, frio y sin emociones.

  Las ciudades fronterizas mexicanas experimentan la gran pesadilla de la era de Donald Trump. Hombres y mujeres están regresando sus pasos al territorio de su patria con el sueño americano frustrado por la intensa movilización de agentes de ICE e Inmigración. Algunos deportados han perdido su identidad y no están dispuestos a quedarse en México, porque desafiarán la autoridad estadounidense para retornar al confort. El Alcalde de Nuevo Laredo, Enrique Rivas Cuellar, ha asumido con razonamiento humano y ejecutivo el fenómeno que provoca la política xenofóbica y diplomática sobre el tema de la migración.  Rivas será anfitrión el viernes, 17 de febrero, del presidente de la Asociación Nacional de Alcaldes, Enrique Vargas del Villar con Pete Sáenz, alcalde de Laredo, Texas, y otras autoridades fronterizas, además de Organizaciones de Migrantes de Chicago y Houston para asociar ideas y flexibilizar el regreso de mexicanos. Discurrirán que los tiempos están corriendo y la suerte de más de tres millones de inmigrantes sin documentos, con o sin record criminal, habrán de generar movilización e inquietudes a los habitantes fronterizos mexicanos. La promesa que hizo Trump se está cumpliendo y genera nerviosismos a familias cuando la Agencia de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) visitan viviendas, áreas de empleo o de alta concurrencia de latinos. El operativo se sostiene bajo las leyes de la administración Obama, quien hizo su parte con el retorno de tres millones de mexicanos silenciosamente, pero que el gobierno del Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto, legisladores y agrupaciones pro-migrantes mostraron conformidad. El Presidente Trump, en su Twitter, expresó ayer domingo que cientos de detenidos ya regresados a México fue cumplimiento de sus promesas electorales. Su razón es que expulsan a miembros de bandas organizadas, traficantes de drogas y demás. El problema para México y ciudades fronterizas es el fracaso de las políticas públicas en seguridad. El riesgo se adiciona al endeble esquema de lidiar con mexicanos que encontraron el paraíso en Estados Unidos en la actividad criminal diferente al que se practica en México. Creo que la preocupación que muestra el Alcalde Rivas y otras autoridades es razonable, porque será abreviado el control de su poder. Si los criminales expulsados se unen a las gavillas fronterizas o intentaran crear su propio imperio será un campo de guerra. La autoridad debe mostrar dinamismo, razonamiento y acción para evitar que se desborde la violencia fronteriza. Las protestas en las diferentes ciudades de México no muestran inteligencia. Si a Trump no le inquietan en Estados Unidos, lo que ocurra en México y otros países lo debe disfrutar…………………SE CUMPLIO EL IMPERIO DEL PODER - Imelda Sanmiguel llegó sin capital político, estrategia, dinamismo, razonamiento o hegemonía al poder municipal del PAN. La marca de la imposición lució como vieja práctica en buenos tiempos y que ha ejercido el PRI. Las genuinas voces del panismo en protesta asistieron a la fachada política armada por Ismael García, hermano del Gobernador de Tamaulipas Francisco García. El discurso de la ahora dirigente panista se escuchó frío y sin emociones. Llamó a unidad y sucumbió en el triunfalismo de la vieja guardia política, adelantando triunfos electorales para el 2018. Se equivocó cuando definió que su partido ha defendido los derechos de militantes. En este punto de partido no se hizo justicia a mi amigo Francisco Javier Estebane, el Dr. Jorge Ramírez Rubio, Rogelio Soto y otros hombres que dieron presencia y valores a los colores blanco y azul, pero que ahora quedaron fuera por el insistente elitismo que ejerce como marca de patente de un PAN que está en el negocio entre familia. Imelda debe ser cauta, porque dentro de su partido existe el contratiempo. Los panistas de abolengo han pronosticado su quebranto antes de empezar. La abrazaron, le desearon buena suerte y se sumaron a su buen inicio, pero en ese contexto están deseando su derrota…………………EL ABOGADO JUAN FERNANDO MIRANDA - Es un hecho que el abogado Miranda Macías va con todo contra el ex alcalde Carlos Canturosas, el ex cabildo en general y contra Jorge Enrique González Fisher. Miranda es un abogado consistente y defenderá su razón legal hasta los más altos tribunales. Miranda no ignorará que fue trasladado a la prisión de Nuevo Laredo por una queja criminal que certificó el ex alcalde sobre daño patrimonial. En la audiencia del pasado fin de semana, en la ciudad de Reynosa, estuvieron ausentes en la Sala Regional del Supremo Tribunal de Justicia del Estado los acusadores. La fiscalía estatal presentó un escrito sobre alegaciones del ex alcalde Canturosas. En 15 días, de acuerdo a Miranda Macías, el Tribunal podrá emitir un veredicto sobre el caso. Durante la administración de Canturosas, Miranda les causó quebrantos y los llevó a diversos tribunales por una serie de situaciones legales en las que debieron de pagar varios millones de pesos del presupuesto municipal. En este tema se encontraba José Carmona, ahora líder del programa migrante con el gobierno panista. La queja de Carmona fue que alegó que el gobierno municipal de CCRV ocupó terrenos que correspondían a un familiar, movilizando todas las instancias judiciales, además legislativas, para que se restituyera el daño patrimonial causado por el gobierno. Pero mire como da vuelta la vida, ahora Carmona está del lado del gobierno……………LEGITIMAR - México debe legitimarse abrazando a sus amigos del sur y Europa, incluso arropar a Cuba, independientemente de la rivalidad con Brasil. El gobierno de Enrique Peña Nieto se sentía ‘norteamericano’, globalizado y enfocado exclusivamente en su asociado Donald Trump. Quedó claro que el estado mexicano no amplió sus horizontes ufanado por la lejanía de Dios y cerca de Estados Unidos, que lo hizo perder el piso. Abandonó sus amigos, y aunque no se encuentra sólo, se han solidarizado países europeos y de otras latitudes por la animadversión que despierta el Presidente Trump…………………………EN OPINION - El Ministro de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación, José Ramón Cossío, define que México es un país con graves problemas de impunidad y acceso a la justicia. ¿Por qué razón? Bien, porque las leyes o constitución no se aplicable al crimen organizado, a narcotraficantes y criminales de cuello blanco. Incluso vemos el desorden que ni los comerciantes ambulantes son sujetos a respetar el estado de derecho. El país es un nudo gordiano, por ello la impunidad reina en México…………FELICIDADES para todos y que disfruten un agradable Día del Amor y Amistad…………… (Comentarios puede enviarlos a (МИГУЭЛь ТUMOWEHKO6) Miguel Timoshenkov en chenkov99@yahoo.com o miguelmitimo@aol.com migueltimoshenkov@gmail.com o Miguel Timoshenkov@rusomike twitter).

[joelsanradar]

RESPALDA DIPUTADA AL MOVIMIENTO INDÍGENA

#Hidalgo RESPALDA DIPUTADA AL MOVIMIENTO INDÍGENA @SantiagodAnaya @CementosForMX

Joel Sánchez Rodríguez

@JoelSanRadar

  Santiago de Anaya, Hgo.- Al reunirse con integrantes y dirigentes del Movimiento Indígena Santiago de Anaya para conocer a través de ellos la problemática que viven por la empresa Cementera Santa Anita, la diputada…

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