Man arrested on federal witness tampering charge, allegedly said ‘not to snitch on us’

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man who allegedly interfered with a federal investigation was arrested Thursday in Hidalgo.

Carlos Gerardo Perez Muñoz — a Mexican citizen in his mid-50s — is accused of tampering with a federal witness.

“The allegations are exceedingly vague, and the conduct of Mr. Perez consisted solely of lawful conduct,” said attorney Jose “Pepe” Garza Sr. of McAllen, who represents Perez. “There were no actual threats or any intentions to prevent any person from testifying truthfully.”

Concerns about Perez surfaced on July 24, when a government witness contacted Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The witness said “he/she had been threatened by a former colleague,” according to the criminal complaint.

Perez approached the witness at a ropa usada warehouse and struck up a conversation.

“According to the government witness, PEREZ claimed he had learned through a friend employed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that he/she (witness) had been referred for inspection and questioned by federal agents in connection with the ongoing federal investigation,” according to the criminal complaint.

Perez told the witness not to “talk to them,” according to the criminal complaint, and mentioned that he knew where the witness lived.

The witness also said Perez “claimed to have already spoken with another government witness involved in the same investigation.”

Homeland Security Investigations attempted to contact the second witness but couldn’t reach them.

The complaint doesn’t include any information about the federal investigation Perez allegedly interfered with.

Several details in the complaint, however, suggest the case against Perez may be linked to an investigation that involves ropa usada warehouses in Hidalgo.

The federal agent who signed the complaint against Perez and the prosecutor who approved the paperwork both worked on the ropa usada investigation.

Agents raided four ropa usada warehouses in March as part of a money laundering case with links to Celaya, Guanajuato.

After the raids, Homeland Security Investigations arrested six people on money laundering, smuggling and immigration charges. Four of the six people are named Perez.

It’s unclear if they’re related to Carlos Perez, the man charged in the witness tampering case.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped Perez on Thursday, when he attempted to cross the Hidalgo bridge.

Officers contacted Homeland Security Investigations, which questioned Perez about the witnesses.

Perez admitted to speaking with both witnesses, according to the criminal complaint. He also “admitted to encountering the government witness at the warehouse and acknowledged telling her ‘Not to snitch on us.’”

Homeland Security Investigations charged Perez with tampering with a witness, victim or informant. If convicted, Perez faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.