U.S. Border-Area Prosecutor Charged With Taking Bribes

El Paso, Texas—An Assistant District Attorney for El Paso County has been charged for allegedly taking bribes to dismiss criminal charges in a U.S. community bordering Mexico. The unsealed, though previously publicly unavailable indictment was obtained by Breitbart News.

During a phone discussion with Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas Daryl Fields, I asked if any of the cases the former District Attorney allegedly dismissed were narcotics cases or if they involved Mexican cartels. Fields was kind enough to send the previously unavailable indictment, but he stated that the U.S. Attorney’s office was currently unable to provide such details regarding the charges in this case. He also revealed the District Attorney was currently out on a $20,000 unsecured bond.

The defendant, former Assistant District Attorney Antonio Reyes, was employed by El Paso County, Texas. The indictment reveals that Reyes allegedly conspired with individuals, known and unknown, to engage in wire fraud and accepting of bribes in the form of cash to dismiss criminal charges against certain unnamed individuals for unspecified crimes.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case, in accordance with their policy of prioritizing the investigation of public corruption on U.S. soil. FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas E. Lindquist stated in a press release: “The arrest of Mr. Reyes demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to the citizens of El Paso that we will vigorously investigate allegations of public corruption in our community and bring those responsible to justice." He added: "The citizens of this community deserve to have a sense of confidence that their tax dollars are being spent efficiently for the public good and not for the private enrichment of those in a position of trust."

Breitbart News will continue to investigate this matter and keep our readers informed of any updates. We have provided the criminal indictment below.

Indictment of Antonio Reyes, Former Assistant District Attorney for El Paso County, Texas

Article and image originally posted on Breitbart.com.