Two contractors in PSJA bribery case to plead guilty
McALLEN — Two contractors have agreed to plead guilty to bribing a PSJA school board member in 2002.
Jose “Joe” Lopez and Pedro Armando Gutierrez are expected to officially enter guilty pleas today before U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Hinojosa.
The two were indicted along with PSJA board member Rogelio “Roy” Rodriguez in February 2007.
The indictment was the second of three against PSJA board members since 2005. It alleged the contractors paid Rodriguez to vote favorably on their contracts before the school board.
PSJA school officials and contractors have been under scrutiny since 2003 when the FBI began raiding their homes and offices.
The first indictment against PSJA came in 2005, when former school board member Guadalupe Jaime Santa Maria and contractor Al Cardenas where indicted on bribery charges. The two have since pleaded guilty.
A third indictment, which also included Rodriguez, was handed in June.
Former PSJA superintendent Arturo Guajardo, two other school board members, two contractors and the husband of a school board member were also indicted.
Guajardo and his six co-defendants are expected to go to trial in November.
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Andres R. Martinez covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.
