Judge orders former state Sen. Uresti to prison.
Former state senator is told to surrender to U.S. marshals next week to start sentence
Over the past year, longtime San Antonio lawmaker Carlos Uresti lost his political career, his livelihood as a lawyer and his glamorous lifestyle.
Now, he’s about to lose his freedom.
Senior U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra on Tuesday ordered Uresti, 55, to turn himself in to U.S. marshals by 2 p.m. next Tuesday to start serving a 12-year prison term.
During a hearing, Ezra sentenced Uresti to the maximum sentence of five years in prison for his guilty plea in conspiring to commit bribery in a publiccorruption case out of Reeves County in West Texas.
The former state senator also was directed to pay $876,000 in restitution to Reeves County.
Uresti, though, caught a break when Ezra agreed with prosecutors and defense lawyers, who recommended the disgraced exlegislator serve the sentence simultaneously with a 12-year prison term he received in an unrelated fraud case in June.
It will be at least 2029 before Uresti is eligible for parole. He must serve three years of federal supervision following his release.
Uresti, reading from a prepared statement during the roughly 30-minute proceeding, acknowledged becoming intoxicated with the power that came with his title in Senate District 19.
“I did what I promised myself I would never do and used my title for my benefit,” a contrite Uresti told the judge.
He admitted betraying constituents and family.
“It is my primary mission and my goal to redeem myself to my friends, my family and victims,” he added.
Uresti arrived at the courthouse surrounded by family and supporters, saying he was ready to accept responsibility for his actions.
“I’m ready to put this behind me, and I just ask for all your prayers,” he said.
Uresti later said his biggest re-
gret was letting people down.
“While I’m incarcerated, I’m going to continue to reach out to folks that I can help and help them rehabilitate themselves as well, rehabilitate myself and so when I come back, I’m going to be a bigger and better and stronger person of character to continue to help my community, “he said.
Alicia O’Neill, one of Uresti’s defense lawyers, asked Ezra to allow her client to self-surrender, but the judge gave Uresti only seven days to spend with his family and ill father.
“He was convicted in February 2018,” Ezra said. “It is now February 2019. Mr. Uresti has been out on bond for about one full year, which is extraordinary in a case like this.
“There comes a time when enough is enough,” the judge added. “This is no surprise.”
Ezra, who presided over both of Uresti’s criminal proceedings, called them among the “saddest” for him in his more than 30 years on the bench.
“Sad because it was so absolutely unnecessary,” Ezra said.
“Had he had the need for funds, he simply should have given up his office … and gone into another endeavor,” the judge said. “But he didn’t do that. As he admitted, he used his office and the great prestige that goes with it to engage in illegal activities and to collect a substantial sum of money as a result of those illegal activities. That, unfortunately, placed him outside the norms of our society.”
About two dozen of Uresti’s friends and family members attended the sentencing, joined by media, courthouse personnel and other gawkers anxious to learn the San Antonio Democrat’s fate.
The proceedings, though, lacked the spectacle and drama of his earlier sentencing, where many of the roughly 40 Uresti supporters donned blue ribbons and blue rubber wrist bands bearing Uresti’s name and inscribed, “Blue Ribbon Task Force,” which he had a hand in creating while in the Legislature to combat child abuse.
In October, Uresti pleaded guilty to directing bribes through then-Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo rather than stand trial. Galindo entered his own guilty plea in 2017 and is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 26.
Uresti had been free on bond pending the sentencing.
Lead prosecutor Joseph Blackwell told a swarm of media outside the courthouse after the sentencing that Uresti’s criminal cases show no one is above the law.
“The lawmakers are not above the laws of this country,” Blackwell said. “I think that is important. That should give us all optimism, frankly — the fact that there is a check on the powerful. I think that is the message that should be known to everybody.”
Prosecutors obtained an indictment in May 2017 against Uresti and Lubbock businessman Vernon “Trey” Farthing II, charging them with conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit money laundering in a case out of Reeves County in West Texas.
The money laundering charge was dropped as part of Uresti’s plea deal. He gave up the appeal of his conviction and sentence in the fraud case. A jury convicted him nearly a year ago of 11 felonies, including wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering for his roles at FourWinds Logistics, a now-defunct oil-field services company.
Uresti surrendered his law license and resigned from the Senate following his conviction. Besides receiving a 12-year prison term, Uresti was ordered to pay $6.3 million in restitution to FourWinds victims.
In the Reeves County case, Uresti and Farthing were accused of conspiring from January 2006 through September 2016 to pay and accept bribes to secure a Reeves County Correctional Center medical-services contract for Farthing’s company.
Prosecutors alleged Farthing paid Uresti $10,000 a month as a “consultant.” Half of that amount allegedly went to Galindo for his support and vote to award the contract to Farthing’s company, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said Uresti and Galindo shared more than $800,000 in kickbacks.
Galindo, who served as county judge from 1995 to 2006, subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and failure to file a tax return. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 26.
Farthing was acquitted by a San Antonio federal jury in November.
Uresti said he will spend the next week reminiscing with family and friends, whom he expects will treat him to lunches and dinners.