Former Edinburg city councilman pleads guilty to federal bribery charge

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

During a hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Salinas admitted that he attended a meeting in July 2019 between a businessman and Miguel Angel Garza, a political consultant.

Garza told the businessman that Salinas would support a long-term contract with his company — if the businessman paid Garza. The businessman handed over $3,000.

“Guilty,” Salinas said.

Salinas is well-known in Edinburg, where his father served as superintendent of the local school district.

After high school, Salinas followed in his footsteps.

Salinas enrolled at the University of Texas-Pan American, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and applied for a job with the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District.

“I eagerly anticipate carrying on the family tradition of making a difference in the lives of our growing children,” Salinas wrote in his job application, which Edinburg CISD released under the Texas Public Information Act.

Edinburg CISD assigned Salinas to B.L. Garza Middle School, where he coached football, track and soccer teams.

In 2017, after 15 years with the school district, Salinas decided to run for City Council.

Salinas campaigned with Richard Molina, a former Edinburg police officer, and Gilbert Enriquez, a businessman who served on the Edinburg school board.

They won — and started making big changes at City Hall.

“There’s a lot of people that are reaching out now,” Salinas said in November 2017, minutes after his swearing-in ceremony. “But one of my main things, as we were running, is loyalty. And those of you that were with us from the very beginning — that’s what I’m talking about. The loyalty.”

Salinas resigned from his job at Edinburg CISD less than two weeks later.

“Mr. Salinas resigned his employment with the District for personal reasons,” according to a letter placed in his personnel file, which noted that Salinas had received “proficient evaluations.”

Other documents released by the district suggest Salinas resigned after clashing with a former superintendent.

“Ex Superintendent falsely arrested my son,” Salinas wrote in a job application. “We exchanged words, I was suspended. I got a lawyer and resigned to receive a $100,000 buyout from ECISD.”

After he resigned, Salinas became a political consultant.

Salinas managed campaigns, crafted platforms and provided candidates with strategies to “maximize exposure and networking opportunities,” according to his resume, which doesn’t list any clients.

Questions about Salinas surfaced in 2020, when Edinburg received a federal grand jury subpoena for records on members of the City Council and city administrators. The subpoena also requested documents from the Edinburg Economic Development Corp.

In 2021, he decided not to run for re-election.

More questions about Salinas surfaced in 2022, when a grand jury indicted Garza, the political consultant.

Prosecutors said Garza had accepted cash from a businessman and passed the money along to “Public Official A” and “Public Official B,” who served on the City Council. In exchange, Public Official A and Public Official B voted to approve a contract with the businessman’s company.

Documents filed in the case don’t identify Public Official A or Public Official B by name or provide any other details about them.

The scheme began in approximately June 2019, according to the indictment, and stopped in approximately March 2020.

Garza pleaded guilty in 2023. As part of his plea, he confessed to accepting $47,235.

A grand jury indicted Salinas on nearly identical charges in 2024.

Prosecutors also informed a judge that, if Salinas requested a trial, they planned to introduce proof that Salinas had also solicited bribes from an “energy company,” a Houston-based law firm and two insurance agents.

Faced with a laundry list of allegations, Salinas decided to strike a deal with the government.

Salinas pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge and waived his right to appeal. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop another charge against him.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Arthur “Rob” Jones summarized the case against Salinas during a hearing on Wednesday afternoon.

The businessman, who Jones called “Person 1,” owned a company that once had a long-term contract with Edinburg.

That contract, though, had become month-to-month.

Garza told the businessman he would convince Salinas to support a long-term contract — if the businessman paid Garza.

Some of the money would go to Garza, according to Jones, and some would be passed along to members of the City Council.

Salinas and Garza met with the businessman on July 23, 2019, Jones said, to discuss the contract.

During the meeting, the businessman handed Garza an envelope that contained $3,000 in cash.

“Alright,” said U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton. “Is that what happened in your case?”

“Yes, sir,” Salinas said.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 5. Salinas faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.