Former Weslaco City Commissioner Gerardo Tafolla, 57, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for his involvement in a bribery conspiracy, as announced by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Court documents and trial evidence revealed that Tafolla, along with former Weslaco City Commissioner John F. Cuellar, accepted bribes from Arturo C. Cuellar Jr., Ricardo Quintanilla, and others. These bribes were exchanged for official actions favorable to engineering companies vying for lucrative city contracts worth tens of millions of dollars.

The scheme, which spanned from March 2008 to December 2015, involved approximately $4.1 million being funneled to one of the participants from two engineering firms. Nearly $1.4 million of this sum was shared with Arturo Cuellar, a former Hidalgo County commissioner. Using a company under his control, Arturo Cuellar facilitated approximately $405,000 in disguised bribes to his cousin, John Cuellar. In return, John Cuellar took various official actions benefiting the companies, ultimately securing contracts valued at around $38.5 million for the rehabilitation of Weslaco’s water treatment facilities.

Ricardo Quintanilla, another participant in the scheme, received approximately $85,000, using the funds to pay cash bribes to Tafolla for his official actions favoring the companies involved in the water treatment plant contracts.

Earlier convictions in October 2022 saw Arturo Cuellar sentenced to 20 years in prison, Quintanilla to 16 years and eight months, and John Cuellar to three years. Tafolla had previously pleaded guilty in April 2019 to federal program bribery.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the IRS Criminal Investigation Houston Field Office jointly made the announcement. The FBI San Antonio Field Office and IRS-CI Houston Field Office conducted the investigation.