Court Transfers Case Against Congressman Cuellar to Next Year

• The court dismissed two indictments against Henry Cuellar.
• The court proceedings have been postponed to June 6, 2026.
• Cuellar and his associate still face 12 other indictments.

Houston — The court on Thursday granted a request from federal prosecutors to dismiss two of the 14 indictments against Congressman Henry Cuellar from Texas and his associate in relation to federal charges of bribery and conspiracy. The court also upheld the decision to transfer their ongoing court process, which was set to begin in the spring, to next year.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Department of Justice appealed to the district court of Lee Rosenthal to request the dismissal of two indictments related to alleged violations of a ban on government officials acting as agents for foreign entities.

Federal authorities indicted Cuellar, 69, and his associate Imelda Cuellar for allegedly accepting thousands of dollars for promoting the interests of an energy company controlled by Azerbaijan and a bank in Mexico. Cuellar maintains that he and his associate are innocent.

Prosecutors noted that they are dismissing two indictments following a memorandum from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which highlighted the need to limit indictments "to instances that resemble a more traditional lobbying activity of foreign government entities."

During a hearing via Zoom, Rosenthal indicated that she was prepared to submit evidence regarding the dismissal of the two indictments.

Cuellar and his associate still face 12 indictments, including conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering.

Rosenthal also granted a request from prosecutors and Cuellar's attorneys regarding the transfer of their ongoing court process in Houston. The court process was originally set to begin on February 22. Rosenthal agreed to transfer it to June 6.

Cuellar has served in Congress for over 20 years, and his district stretches from San Antonio to the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas.

Tags: USA/Politics/Crime