Ex-aide and consultant with ties to U.S. Rep. Cuellar admit guilt and agree to cooperate in investigation

Former top aide to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and consultant plead guilty to money laundering scheme

A former top aide to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and a political and business consultant have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to help the Democrat congressman from Texas launder over $200,000 in bribes, according to court documents unsealed this week.

Colin Strother, Cuellar’s former chief of staff, and Florencia Rendon, a business consultant, struck plea deals in March to cooperate in a federal criminal investigation into Cuellar and his wife. The couple has been charged with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico.

Cuellar, 68, and his wife Imelda Cuellar, 67, have maintained their innocence. They face charges including bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, acting as agents of foreign principals, and money laundering. If convicted, they could face decades in prison and forfeiture of any property linked to the alleged scheme.

Strother, 50, and Rendon, 73, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Strother faces up to five years in prison, while Rendon faces up to 20 years.

According to court documents, Rendon and Cuellar devised a plan in 2015 to funnel money through fake consulting contracts. Rendon would send monthly payments to Strother, who would then transfer money to the Cuellars. From March 2016 to February 2018, Strother transferred nearly $215,000 to the Cuellars.

Cuellar’s attorney, Chris Flood, expressed confidence in his clients’ innocence, stating, “As long as Strother and Rendon tell the truth, we are not worried.” Cuellar and his wife surrendered to authorities last week and were released on bond after an initial court appearance.

The FBI searched Cuellar’s home in Laredo in 2022, but at that time, Cuellar was not the target of the investigation. Cuellar narrowly defeated a progressive challenger in a primary race in 2022.