The former mayor of Progreso, Texas, and three others, including his brother and his father, have been sentenced for their roles in a “pay-to-play” public contracting scheme that involved the local school board, the Brownsville Herald reports.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner handed the stiffest sentence down to the father, Jose Vela, 65, jailing him for 10 years for bribery concerning federally-funded programs, adding an additional 31 months for conspiracy. He was also ordered to forfeit $300,000 and pay a $10,000 fine, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation news release.
