Story Archive

Another Member of the Felony Party

Mike Montemayor, a commissioner in Webb County, Texas, was arrested by the FBI in a bribery scandal. He resigned after pleading guilty to one count in a plea bargain; he was in office for not quite a year and a half. His lawyer told the court he didn’t deserve the 6-7 years in prison called for by federal sentencing guidelines because he had become an informant for the FBI after his arrest. Federal prosecutors, however, objected. “Montemayor refused to turn over the Apple products and other electronics he had received from the undercover FBI agent,” argued prosecutor Emily Rae Woods. “Montemayor also failed, despite repeated requests by the government, to return property of the FBI, specifically a recording device, which he had kept for months.” And if that wasn’t enough, as an “informant,” Montemayor failed to provide any information that led to any other arrests. He was sentenced to six years and two months in prison, plus a $109,405 fine, and was immediately taken into custody. (RC/San Antonio Express-News, Laredo Morning Times) ...Which suggests a more apt sentencing guideline for politicians: five years in prison for every year they were in office.