Judge mulls bond for Handy's husband
McALLEN — An Hidalgo County commissioner's spouse will have to spend at least one more day in federal custody, a U.S. magistrate judge ruled Tuesday.
Judge Peter Ormsby postponed a decision on whether to grant bond to Juan Gabriel Espronceda, husband of Precinct 1 Commissioner Sylvia Handy, saying he needed more time to consider the case.
FBI agents arrested Handy and her husband last week on allegations they used taxpayer money to hire two undocumented workers for housekeeping and childcare at their spacious Weslaco home. The commissioner pleaded not guilty to the charges the day of her arrest and was released from custody later that afternoon.
But federal prosecutors argued Tuesday that Espronceda's drug use and lack of U.S. citizenship, as well as divorce proceedings Handy initiated in November, make it unlikely he would show up for future court hearings. They urged the court to keep him in custody pending the resolution of his case.
Should he be convicted, Espronceda would likely lose his legal residency status in this country.
"It would be in his best interest just to leave the country and avoid incarceration," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel C. Rodriguez. "Why not just voluntarily deport yourself?"
Espronceda's attorney - Judith Cantu - maintained, however, that her client had formed his own strong relationships in the community, regardless of his high-profile marriage.
As a permanent resident, he had worked both for the Weslaco school district and as a mechanic for the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office before losing his job with the latter agency in March 2008. Espronceda resigned his position there after testing positive for cocaine.
In the months since, he has established a mechanic shop with his father in Donna, reconciled with his wife and continues to work on his sobriety, Cantu said.
"Mr. Espronceda has no reason to flee," she said. "His wife is here. His children are here. His whole life is here. He's looking forward to vindication."
According to the six-count indictment in the case, the commissioner granted the two illegal immigrant workers jobs in her precinct office under assumed names and allowed them to accrue more than $111,000 in salary, vacation and retirement pay even though they never performed any work for the county.
Espronceda's role, prosecutors said Tuesday, was minor, but he allegedly knew the workers were illegal and how they were being paid. He also signed his name to a jointly filed tax return in which he and Handy claimed they paid one of the immigrants with their own money, FBI Agent Thomas J. Adams testified.
Handy, 52, sat quietly in the courtroom during Tuesday's discussions, in which lawyers obliquely referred to her as "the other defendant" in the case.
Later that afternoon, she made her first appearance at a county government meeting since her arrest last week.
Arriving before any other commissioners, Handy continued her weekly ritual of leading those in attendance in prayer and actively participated in discussions throughout the meeting. No mention was made of her ongoing legal problems.
Two other women also face charges in the case in addition to Handy and Espronceda. Maria de los Angeles Landa de Hernandez, one of the couple's alleged illegal workers, and Eloisa Andrade Uriegas, a McAllen woman who reportedly loaned her identity to Hernandez to apply for a county job, have both entered pleas of not guilty.
All four could face up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted.
Ormsby is expected to take up Espronceda's bond hearing again today.
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Monitor staff writer Jared Janes contributed to this report.
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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.
