Former Cameron County District Attorney found guilty of racketeering by federal jury
By: Jose G. Landa
An Exclusive Eagle Pass Business Journal News Story/Copyright 2013
Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos was found guilty of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and five counts of extortion by a federal jury on Friday, May 24, 2013, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division, in Brownsville, Texas. Former District Attorney Villalobos, however, was acquitted of two counts of extortion by the same federal jury. Villalobos was found guilty on seven of nine federal counts and remains free on a $50,000 bond until his sentencing hearing on August 26th before U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen.
Villalobos was originally indicted as a result of a federal investigation regarding former state 404th District Judge Abel C. Limas accepting bribes from attorneys for favorable treatment of their clients and access to his court in the Rio Grande Valley. Villalobos served as Cameron County District Attorney for two terms from 2005 to 2012 and later ran unsuccessfully for Congress.
Former Cameron County District Attorney Villalobos was convicted on one extortion count involving $200,000 that his former law partner Eduardo “Eddie” Lucio received from a murder case regarding Amit Livingston, who was tried and found guilty of murder on February 13, 2007 in former state District Judge Abel C. Limas’ court but Judge Limas released him on a 60 days pass to allow him to handle his personal business before serving his sentence and Livingston fled and failed to turn himself in to the Texas Department of Corrections, becoming a fugitive. Livingston’s $500,000 cash bond was released and used as settlement funds in a wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by the victim’s family which Villalobo’s former law partner, Eduardo “Eddie” Lucio, represented and received a $200,000 attorneys fees and kicked back $80,000 to Villalobos.
Villalobos also was convicted by the federal jury of another count of extortion of paying former state District Judge Abel C. Limas between $9,600 to $9,700 from looking into Livingston’s failure to report to prison after being granted a 60 days release, as well as five other counts.
Villalobos’ attorney, Joel M. Androphy, stated that his client was a victim and would be filing post-trial motions to set aside the jury verdict and, if necessary, file an appeal of his conviction to the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
