Former Edinburg city councilman plans to plead guilty to bribery

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Former Edinburg City Councilman Jorge “Coach” Salinas plans to plead guilty to a federal bribery charge.

Attorney O. Rene Flores of Edinburg, who represents Salinas, informed a federal judge about his client’s decision on Friday.

Salinas plans to plead guilty to federal program bribery, which is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison.

With the case pending, Flores declined to comment.

Jorge Luis Salinas attended Edinburg North High School and enrolled at the University of Texas-Pan American, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English.

After graduation, Salinas started teaching at B.L. Garza Middle School in Edinburg, where he coached several sports teams — and became known as Coach Salinas.

“Growing up in a family of educators that included a principal (father) and three teachers (mother, sister, brother-in-law), I have gained first hand knowledge of what to expect as a member of the district,” Salinas wrote in his job application, which the school district released under the Texas Public Information Act. “I eagerly anticipate carrying on the family tradition of making a difference in the lives of our growing children.”

Salinas joined the City Council in November 2017 as part of a political coalition that included Mayor Richard Molina and City Councilman Gilbert Enriquez.

A major shakeup followed.

Edinburg fired several longtime employees. Others decided to resign. Some filed lawsuits.

Rumors also circulated about corruption at City Hall.

In 2020, the city received a federal grand jury subpoena for information on Salinas and other members of the City Council.

The subpoena also requested “all records and transcriptions” from City Council and Economic Development Corp. meetings from January 2019 to February 2020 “that are not otherwise publicly available.”

In 2021, when his four-year term expired, Salinas decided not to run for re-election.

A federal grand jury indicted Salinas on bribery and racketeering charges in 2024.

The indictment accused Salinas of accepting cash from “Person 1,” who “owned a business operating in Edinburg, Texas and the surrounding area” in exchange for his vote.

Prosecutors didn’t identify Person 1 by name or provide any other details about the business.

Exactly how much Salinas received during the scheme remains unclear, but the indictment listed $47,235 as “property subject to forfeiture.”

Salinas pleaded not guilty.

More details surfaced in July 2024, when prosecutors informed the court that, if Salinas requested a trial, they planned to introduce more proof of his “corrupt intent.”

In the notice, prosecutors accused Salinas and a co-conspirator of soliciting bribes from an energy company, a law firm and two insurance companies.

“The co-conspirator was the conduit through which the bribes would flow,” according to the notice, “and the defendant used him in an apparent attempt to separate himself from the illegal conduct.”

Documents filed in the case don’t identify the co-conspirator, but the charges against Salinas mirror the case against Miguel Angel Garza, a politiquero who pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge in 2023.

Garza confessed to accepting cash from a businessman and passing the money along to “Public Official A” and “Public Official B,” who served on the City Council.

The judge hasn’t set a date for Salinas to plead guilty. His next court appearance is scheduled for September.