Donna ISD School Board President commits suicide amidst growing FBI investigation of vote buying at last school election
By: Jose G. Landa
Copyright 2013 Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
Donna Independent School District Board of Trustees President, Alfredo Lugo, committed suicide by hanging himself on Wednesday, January 1, 2013, in Donna, Texas, announced Lieutenant Ricardo Suarez of the Donna Police Department.
Donna and Rio Grande Valley residents and public officials were stunned by Lugo’s suicide and saddened family, Donna Independent School District officials and staff, friends, and acquaintances to learn of his tragic death.
Although it is unknown what may have motivated or caused Donna ISD Board President Alfredo Lugo to have committed suicide by hanging himself, the tragic incident came immediately after three political campaign workers were arrested by the FBI for buying votes at the last Donna ISD School Board of Trustees election in November 2012. Diana Castaneda, also known as Diana Balderas, Guadalupe Escamilla, and Rebecca Gonzalez were arrested by the FBI in December 2013 for buying votes from Hidalgo County voters during the Donna ISD School Board of Trustees election held in November 2012. Incumbent Donna ISD Board of Trustees Alfredo Lugo, Michael Flores, Ernesto Lugo, and Nick Castillo were re-elected in November 2012.
Castaneda, Escamilla, and Gonzalez were politiqueras, or political campaign workers, working for certain political candidates in the Donna ISD School Board of Trustees election in November 2012. The federal criminal complaint against the three politiqueras’ women does not name Alfredo Lugo nor any other political candidate or trustees whatsoever. It is unknown whether the growing FBI investigation of the three politiqueras’ women in the last Donna ISD School Board of Trustees election in November 2012 had any influence or caused Donna ISD School Board President Alfredo Lugo to commit suicide by hanging himself.
The federal criminal complaint alleges that Escamilla and Gonzalez paid voters between $5 to $20 for their vote for the political candidates that they were working for in the Donna ISD School Board of Trustees election in November 2012.
Gonzalez told FBI agents that a campaign manager gave her $40 multiple times to pay voters in exchange for their votes and that the candidates themselves had told her to pay voters $5 to $10 per vote. Gonzalez also told FBI agents that she gave a ride to some of the voters to the polling place, according to the federal complaint.
Escamilla told FBI agents that two candidates for the Donna ISD School Board of Trustees election gave her $100 to pay voters for their votes for them and that she also offered the voters food, cigarrettes, and the money, according to the federal complaint.
Castaneda told FBI agents that she accepted payment from a candidate and campaign manager in the 2012 primary and general elections to bribe about 10 voters. Castaneda also told the federal agents that she even drove some of the voters to go buy drugs after they had voted, according to the federal complaint.
As of this date, no political candidate has been specifically named in the federal complaints nor arrested or charged. However, the FBI voter fraud investigation in the Rio Grande Valley is active and ongoing.
The FBI investigation into the buying of votes and/or the purchase of political votes through bribery of voters by means of using political campaign workers, or politiqueras, has raised many eyebrows and concerns in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas.
May Alfredo Lugo rest in peace.
