US DOJ indicts Representative Cuellar and wife Imelda for allegedly accepting bribes of at least $598,000 from two foreign entities

The Department of Justice indicted Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda on Friday for allegedly accepting bribes of close to $600,000. 

Two bribes, which amounted to $598,000, allegedly came from an oil and gas company owned by the Azerbaijani government and a bank headquartered in Mexico City. They were reportedly funneled through shell companies owned by Imelda.

'Cuellar promised to use the power and prestige of his office to advance Azerbaijan’s and Foreign Bank-1’s interests in the United States,' the DOJ claimed. 

The pair were released on $100,000 bond on Friday. If convicted, they could each spend the rest of their lives behind bars. 

'The bribe payments were laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar. Cuellar performed little or no legitimate work under the sham contracts.' 

The scheme ran 'at least' from December 2014 to November 2021.  

The Texas Democrat's home was raided by the FBI in January 2022 as part of an investigation into his ties to Azerbaijani businessmen. 

Cuellar insisted he and his wife were innocent in response to the news.

'I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations.'

'The actions I took in Congress were consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people,' he went on. 

The embattled congressman said he plans to continue his campaign for reelection despite the indictment. 

Cuellar said he and his wife tried to meet with prosecutors and they 'refused to discuss the case or hear our side.' 

'Imelda and I have been married for 32 years. On top of being an amazing wife and mother, she's an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. She spent her career working with banking, tax and consulting. The allegation that she is anything but qualified and hard-working is both wrong and offensive.'  

Cuellar said at the time of the raid he was cooperating with law enforcement and he did not believe he was the target of the investigation. It is not yet clear if the indictment will be related to that investigation. 

The nine-term Democrat is a past co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, an obscure group dedicated to furthering relations with the oil-rich nation on the Caspian Sea.

Congressman Henry Cuellar is expected to be indicted by the Department of Justice on Friday afternoon, according to multiple reports.

Cuellar insisted he was innocent in response to the news - and suggested his wife would be caught up in the indictment

In that role, Cuellar is known to have met repeatedly with Azerbaijan officials, including the country's ambassador to the US, Elin Suleymanov.

Azerbaijan has been harshly criticized in the past for bribing foreign officials and diplomats to secure its foreign policy aims and legitimize dubious election results.

The practice is so common in the country that it is known there as 'caviar diplomacy,' but it is unclear whether the FBI is investigating any similar allegations in relation to Cuellar.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (right) is seen meeting with Azerbaijan's ambassador to the US in 2013. The FBI raid on Cuellar's home is reportedly related to a probe into Azerbaijani activities in the US

FBI agents have been spotted conducting a 'court-authorized' investigation at the Texas home of United States Representative Henry Cuellar, who has vowed to cooperate fully

Since 2004, Cuellar has represented a district that extends from the U.S. border with Mexico near McAllen to Laredo, and north to San Antonio's eastern outskirts.

The moderate Democrat has a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Public records show that Cuellar purchased his luxurious Laredo home in 2010.

The 6,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home in a gated community is valued at $825,000 currently by Realtor.com.

Cuellar, who represents much of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, has been a vocal critic of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their handling of a surge of illegal crossings at the border.