AUSTIN, TEXAS – A 53-year-old Veracruz, Mexico businessman was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday for attempting to bribe a federal judge, officials said.
Francisco Antonio Colorado-Cessa, also known as “Pancho,” will serve his prison term consecutive to his current 20-year federal prison term for his role in a complex scheme to launder millions of dollars in illicit Los Zetas drug trafficking proceeds to purchase, train, breed and race American quarter horses in the United States, authorities said.
According to authorities, these are the fact surrounding this case:
On March 12, 2004, Colorado-Cessa, his son, Francisco Agustin Colorado Cebado, also known as “Panchito,” and his business partner, Ramon Segura Flores, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bribe a federal judge.
All three admitted to conspiring last year to pay a $1.2 million bribe to a federal judge in order to secure a reduced sentence for Colorado-Cessa in the money laundering case.
At no time before or during this investigation was the judge involved in the alleged criminal activity.
“A fair and impartial criminal justice system is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and it is not for sale. The FBI will continue to fiercely protect it against criminals who think they can buy their way to unjust freedom,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs.
On July 22, 2014, Colorado Cebado and Segura Flores were each sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for their roles in the scheme, officials said.
Texas Lawyer reported that Cessa’s lawyer Chris Flood of Houston, explained that his client previously tried to withdraw his guilty plea, but the judge rejected his client’s attempt when he should have accepted it. Flood claimed that the court had no jurisdiction to sentence Cessa.
“Any sentence that would be imposed after a defendant withdraws his plea of guilty is an illegal sentence,” Flood told Texas Lawyer.
Cessa plans to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, said Flood.
But Texas Lawyer also reported that Doug Gardner, an assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, said that he’s pleased with the sentence.
“It sends a signal: Despite the problems in Mexico, U.S. law enforcement is looking out for these types of things. We are not going to tolerate it,” Gardner said
This case was investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation.