After more than two weeks in jail, McAllen city commissioner posts bond

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — McAllen City Commissioner Rodolfo “Rudy” Castillo posted bond Tuesday after more than two weeks in jail.

Castillo signed the bond paperwork Tuesday morning and was released less than 30 minutes later.

“He looked tired. Exhausted. And ready to go home,” said attorney Rick Salinas of Mission, who represents Castillo.

The East Hidalgo Detention Center in La Villa, where Castillo was detained, had problems with brown recluse spiders, Salinas said.

“So he was telling me a story about one guy that got bit in the chest,” Salinas said.

Castillo and his wife, Bertha, own Oro Ropa Usada, which buys and sells used clothing.

Businesses in South Texas buy millions of pounds of used clothing from Goodwill and other nonprofit organizations across the United States.

Workers sort the clothing, which is known as ropa usada, at large warehouses in McAllen and Hidalgo.

Some is sold at local thrift stores. The majority, however, is exported to Mexico — even though it’s technically illegal.

Mexico prohibits the importation of used clothing without special permission from the government. Most people, though, simply ignore the law.

To avoid problems, some people don’t submit customs paperwork. Others pay corrupt Mexican customs officials for protection.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, began scrutinizing the ropa usada business in 2024.

Agents raided two ropa usada warehouses in Hidalgo and charged several people with money laundering. They also sent informants to ropa usada warehouses in McAllen, where they posed as people without permission to work in the United States.

A federal informant contacted Castillo on Aug. 8.

During a WhatsApp call, Castillo “explicitly stated that he avoids reporting merchandise entry into Mexico to evade detection by authorities,” according to the criminal complaint against him.

Castillo told the informant he bribed members of an elite Mexican law enforcement unit.

“The people who are on the floor, they eat from a different plate,” Castillo said in Spanish, according to the criminal complaint, “implying that individuals in lower positions or struggling operate differently and may accept bribes to make ends meet.”

After the WhatsApp call, Homeland Security Investigations sent an undercover agent to meet with Castillo.

The undercover agent paid Castillo and his wife nearly $21,000 in cash “for the purchase and transport of used clothing into Mexico,” according to the criminal complaint.

During a meeting at Oro Ropa Usada, the undercover agent said “his job was to collect money from Houston and transport it south, earning a 1-2% commission on the total amount transported,” according to the criminal complaint.

The undercover agent’s comment suggested that something illegal might be happening.

People who transport cash for drug cartels frequently receive a percentage of the money. Cartels also launder cash through ropa usada transactions, according to information published by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Castillo and his wife accepted the cash anyway.

A week after Castillo met with the undercover agent, Oro Ropa Usada sent a shipment of used clothing to Mexico.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the clothing and questioned the driver, who said Castillo “had only provided him with Mexican importation documents, which contained blank fields and lacked a commodity description,” according to the criminal complaint.

Homeland Security Investigations arrested Castillo’s wife, searched his house and raided Oro Ropa Usada on Oct 2.

Agents found nearly $160,000 in cash at Castillo’s house. They also seized about $16,500 from Oro Ropa Usada.

Castillo surrendered to federal agents the following morning. He’s charged with laundering money and smuggling goods from the United States.

A judge set Castillo’s bond at $100,000 with a $10,000 cash deposit. His wife, meanwhile, had bond set at $75,000 with a $7,500 cash deposit.

Prosecutors appealed the decision, which kept them in jail.

After reviewing the case, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton required Castillo and his wife to post the full amount.

His wife posted her $75,000 bond on Thursday. It took a few more days for the Castillo family to find another $100,000.

“Everybody came together. It was pretty phenomenal,” Salinas said, adding that 9 to 12 people contributed money for Castillo’s bond. “He’s got so much support.”

Castillo, dressed in wrinkled sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt, signed the paperwork during a hearing on Tuesday morning.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S. Medrano summarized Castillo’s bond conditions.

Castillo is not allowed to speak with his wife about the case. He must report any contact with law enforcement. And he’s required to attend court hearings.

“Do you have any questions?” Medrano asked.

“No, your honor,” Castillo said.

It remains unclear whether Castillo will resign from the City Commission.

“Now that he’s out, I’m going to have to sit with him and see what he wants to do,” Salinas said. “If this particular case interferes with his ability to do what he needs to do — or if there’s some kind of breach in the public's confidence for him — I’d be the one to tell him: Look, listen, let’s take care of this first. Let somebody else who can better serve the community do it.”

Ultimately, the decision is up to Castillo.

“I think that’s going to require him getting a feel for what people want to do,” Salinas said. “And I’m sure that, whatever the response is, I’m sure he’s going to respect it.”