Former city manager pleads guilty in Edcouch bribery case

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McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Former Edcouch City Manager Victor Hugo De La Cruz pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge on Thursday.

During a hearing on Thursday morning, De La Cruz admitted that he arranged for a marketing company to pay kickbacks to a member of the Edcouch Board of Aldermen.

“It’s very unfortunate. He’s sorry he got involved,” said attorney Santos Maldonado of Edinburg, who represents De La Cruz. “But that’s how the chips fall, under the circumstances. And he recognizes he did wrong.”

Victor Hugo De La Cruz, 57, of Weslaco is well known in Hidalgo County.

De La Cruz served on the Edcouch-Elsa school board from 2012 to 2016 and hosted a live call-in show during football games.

He also worked for Pink Ape Media Consulting, a Brownsville-based marketing company.

In 2018, when Edcouch needed a new city manager, De La Cruz decided to switch careers.

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

De La Cruz suggested his experience in marketing would be an asset to Edcouch.

“I enjoy dealing with people and work well under pressure,” De La Cruz wrote in the letter. “I know the area of the Rio Grande Valley and understand the community as it pertains to administration.”

Edcouch hired De La Cruz in January 2019.

Less than a month later, Edcouch agreed to pay $7,500 to Pink Ape for photography, social media services and website development.

Pink Ape also paid kickbacks to Mayor Pro-Tem Rene Flores.

De La Cruz and Flores met with “Person 1,” who owned Pink Ape, in July 2019, according to the indictment against them, which doesn’t identify Person 1 by name.

They agreed that Edcouch would make payments to Pink Ape. In exchange, “Person 1” would pay kickbacks to Flores.

De La Cruz faciliated the kickbacks.

On July 11, 2019, the city paid $3,000 to Pink Ape, according to documents released under the Texas Public Information Act.

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

Person 1 paid $1,000 to Flores.

On Sept. 12, 2019, the city paid another $3,000 to Pink Ape.

De La Cruz and Flores met with Person 1 on Sept. 24, 2019, to pick up another $1,000.

Neither the indictment nor the plea agreement contains details about what happened that day. Something about the meeting, though, concerned De La Cruz.

“In response to apparent law enforcement activity that day, DE LA CRUZ called Person 1 after the kickback was paid,” according to the plea agreement, “and requested a follow up meeting with DE LA CRUZ and FLORES.”