Former alderman sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in prison for accepting kickbacks

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A former member of the Edcouch Board of Aldermen was sentenced to one year and one day in prison Tuesday for accepting kickbacks.

During a hearing on Tuesday morning, a federal judge sentenced Rene Adan Flores, 40, of Edcouch to one year and one day in prison.

“It’s frustrating to me when elected officials get into office and they use it as a way to make income,” said Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane.

Flores, who served on the Board of Aldermen from 2016 to 2024, accepted two $1,000 kickbacks from a marketing company.

“It was one of those moments that defines a person. Some people say: F--- you, get out of here,” said attorney Rick Salinas of Mission, who represented Flores. “And some people just, unfortunately, fall on the shady, dark part.”

The investigation started in 2019, when Victor Hugo De La Cruz became the city manager for Edcouch, a tiny town of about 2,700 people in northeast Hidalgo County.

De La Cruz — a former member of the Edcouch-Elsa school board who hosted a high school football talk show — had never worked in local government.

When he applied for the job, De La Cruz said his marketing experience would be an asset to Edcouch.

“As Chief Marketing Director for Pink Ape Media and Advertising,” De La Cruz wrote in his cover letter, “I have developed the experience to deal with marketing budgets and have extensive knowledge in Market Research.”

De La Cruz said he could “apply that knowledge into an administration strategy.”

“I enjoy dealing with people,” De La Cruz wrote in his cover letter, “and work well under pressure.”

Edcouch hired De La Cruz in January 2019. Less than a month later, De La Cruz hired Pink Ape to create a new website for Edcouch.

Pink Ape charged the city $7,500.

At some point, De La Cruz and Flores decided to solicit kickbacks from Pink Ape.

The scheme involved “Person 1,” who owned Pink Ape, according to the indictment.

Documents filed in the case don’t identify Person 1 by name. Pink Ape, however, is owned by Rodrigo Moreno Fernandez, a federal informant.

Details about Moreno’s work for the FBI became public in 2020, when he testified against former Brownsville school board Trustee Sylvia P. Atkinson.

It’s unclear whether De La Cruz knew about Moreno’s work for the federal government.

On July 11, 2019, the city paid $3,000 to Pink Ape for marketing consulting.

Four days after making the payment, De La Cruz contacted Person 1, according to the indictment, and said Flores was “expecting his payment.”

Person 1 paid a $1,000 kickback to Flores.

Edcouch cut another $3,000 check to Pink Ape on Sept. 12, 2019. After the check cleared, Person 1 paid $1,000 to Flores.

A grand jury indicted De La Cruz and Flores in September 2024, nearly five years after the final kickback.

Salinas, the attorney who represented Flores, said the kickbacks had been caught on camera.

“The video doesn’t show a whole lot,” Salinas said. “It’s not the best quality. But you can tell who the characters are.”

Flores, though, didn’t want to see the video.

He knew what happened, Salinas said, and just wanted to put the incident behind him.

Flores cooperated with the government and pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in January.

Faced with a maximum of five years in prison, Flores returned to court Tuesday wearing a black suit and a white shirt.

In a brief statement, Flores requested leniency.

“I think the government was thankful,” Salinas said. “And they were willing to ask the court for a departure based on his cooperation. Based on the fact that he accepted responsibility.”

Crane, the federal judge, sentenced Flores to one year and one day in prison followed by three years on supervised release.

Flores must also pay $2,000 — the amount he received in kickbacks.

“He’s kind of stained his reputation. He’s got this conviction now,” Salinas said. “All over a small amount of money.”