Abel Limas
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Abel Limas was a judge of Texas District 404.[1]
Racketeering scandal
Limas pleaded guilty to taking cash bribes totaling $257,300 over a seven year span. Limas is a former District Court Judge of 404th district of South Texas and a former Brownsville Police Officer.[2]
Court documents cite several cases in which he admitted his rulings were swayed in the favor of paying “criminal defendants, intermediaries, and attorneys in civil cases.”[2] In one such case, an attorney paid $4,500 for an ad litem appointment to a case of a family against an insurance company in which the family was paid 7 million dollars; the attorney received $12,000. In another instance he was paid $1,800 for more lenient probation terms for a man convicted of aggravated robbery.[2]
In a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, US Attorney Jose Moreno said "Our judicial system depends upon the integrity and honesty of our judges to faithfully execute their duty to fairly and impartially administer the law…Limas' greed deprived the citizens of Cameron County of the honest services expected of him as a duly elected official."[3]
Limas' sentencing is to take place in July. He faces up to 20 years in prison.[3]
On April 29, 2011 former state representative Jose "Jim" Solis pled guilty to paying Limas for preferable rulings.[4]
Footnotes
- ↑ 404th District
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Brownsville Herald, "Light shed on Limas cases," April 19, 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 AP Texas News, "Feds: South Texas Judge ran courts to enrich self," April 14, 2011
- ↑ Star-Telegram, "Ex-lawmaker pleads guilty to paying judge for rulings" April 29, 2011 (dead link)
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
