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ARGUELLES, FETED BY UTB, LISTED AS A YARRINGTON "PRESTANOMBRES" BY MEXICAN PROSECUTORS
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By Juan Montoya As the noose tightens around fugitive former Tamaulipas governor Tomas Yarrington, those acting as front men for his investments have began to seek protection from prosecution. At least 14 individuals have been identified and said to have lent their names to the former governor to hide the breadth and depth of his investments with money allegedly procured as a result of his association with organized crime. Among those is none other than Matamoros (and now Rancho Viejo) resident Sergio Arguelles. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgca6GcACL8YE-NdAMHEcQ02DVavXurEki7w1k3vRQpet_ORUXwLQQoMYCb4lhf6ieaUVEmuiYdZU1f3KOAZoYroH1JD2XyIM2Fod6WZBnxRb73-m4LnFSyuYztJYulhdX3HdC1ZRzb9nw/s1600/toms-yarrington+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgca6GcACL8YE-NdAMHEcQ02DVavXurEki7w1k3vRQpet_ORUXwLQQoMYCb4lhf6ieaUVEmuiYdZU1f3KOAZoYroH1JD2XyIM2Fod6WZBnxRb73-m4LnFSyuYztJYulhdX3HdC1ZRzb9nw/s320/toms-yarrington+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a>In January, the Mexican Procuradoria General de la Republica (PGR), the equivalent of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, issued a directive restricting the movement out of the country of three former Tamaulipas governors and 43 other people for their alleged connections to organized crime. The list included many prominent former government bureaucrats and not a few businessmen. Among those was Sergio Ramon Arguelles Gutierrez, known as the "King of the Maquilas," one of Matamoros' most prominent businessmen with extensive business and real estate holdings in Brownsville and the Rio Grande Valley, including numerous properties in Rancho Viejo, South Padre Island and McAllen. All that notwithstanding, on March 23, the The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College School of Business honored Arguelles and two other area business leaders with a Business Appreciation Breakfast and recognition. According to the news release by the UTB-TSC School of Business issued at the time, Arguelles, a native of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, attended Texas Southmost College as a young man. He founded his firm, FINSA, 35 years ago to provide Mexicoâ€™s emerging maquiladoras with the manufacturing facilities and services they needed to grow. "Sergio and his son, Sergio ArgÃ¼elles Jr., have led FINSA in the development of 14 Industrial Parks containing 60 million square feet of manufacturing space serving approximately 1,600 firms employing 200,000 people," the public release stated. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVkhNvzdXw54pkGuAIflnLdqzzFi7yIrmdO1VNSYtgNFBLh-y41vmoMj3hC578hprS89IP2n8VCD7uMw_bj1zkZz4xC_OqHuPmGVYFzBH1xN8lHoQvvsALUitGZd3pzawQZ4X_NjP8ec/s1600/arguelles_gutierrez_sergio_clip_image002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVkhNvzdXw54pkGuAIflnLdqzzFi7yIrmdO1VNSYtgNFBLh-y41vmoMj3hC578hprS89IP2n8VCD7uMw_bj1zkZz4xC_OqHuPmGVYFzBH1xN8lHoQvvsALUitGZd3pzawQZ4X_NjP8ec/s320/arguelles_gutierrez_sergio_clip_image002.jpg" width="267" /></a>"The recent acquisition of Rancho Viejo Country Club increases FINSAâ€™s presence in the U.S. ArgÃ¼elles and his family have created FINSA Foundation which provides scholarships to children and young adults in various cities in Mexico," it stated. However, the Mexican public, media, and the PGR are not as charitable as UTB-TSC. "FINSA is not what it used to be," said a Brownsville businessman who does work with the maquilas in Matamoros. "To say that Arguelles is providing work for 200,000 people is ludicrous. How can they honor someone who has been linked to to hidden investments with the proceeds of organized crime? Even Mayor Tony Martinez was there honoring this guy." Various news accounts say that the elder Arguelles is known in narcopolitico circles and that his $4 million purchase of Ranco Viejo, where he lives now, was made with proceeds from questionable sources. Among the sponsors listed on the program are none other than Brownsville's Public Utility Board, the Brownsville Economic Development Corporation (BEDC), Ambiotech, Burton, McCumber and Cortez, Cardenas Development, Fred Rusteberg's International Bank of Commerce (listed in a DEA complaint as one of the banks that funneled millions in drug profits from Matamoros to San Antonio), FINSA, and Gobar Systems, among others. The invocation was delivered by the Rev. Armand Matthew and the greeting and introduction of honorees was given by UTB-TSC President Juliet Garcia. One of those listed as a "prestanombres" by the Mexican PGR was Antonio Pelaez Pier, a businessman who was said to be a front man for the purchase of El Fronton, a private island once owned by organized crime. He has already sought the protection of an an "amparo." The amparo procedure, under Mexican law, has a much broader scope and field of application than the Anglo-Saxon writ of habeas corpus, since it protects not only against illegal arrest but against violation of any human rights granted in the Constitution and it is also a remedy to the encroachment of the Federal authorities on the jurisdiction of the states and vice versa. Nevertheless, when the amparo is requested against unlawful or unconstitutional acts that affect or treat to affect human liberty, the writ of amparo issued by a Mexican Federal Court has a very similar effect to the writ of habeas corpus issued by a U.S. competent Court. The details surrounding Arguelles' involvement as a front man for Yarrington have not been released. However, some of the companies and corporations associated with Yarrington in South Texas are: Cano y Gracia Financial Group; AGM Financial Group; Pesquera Investments; Royalty Homes; Lakeway 2; Grupo Premier; Ramos and Gracia Investments; RGC Development; Cantera-Parway Development Partners; Albens Group Premier International Holding, South PI AJCG; SPI Palace Sudivision Condominium Development; SPI Ling and Marlin Townhome Project, the majority of the properties are located in Brownsvsille and South Padre Island.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-2729346642858843920?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/11/arguelles-feted-by-utb-yarrington.html

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THE BISD SLATE IS REVEALED: IS IT TOO LITTLE TOO LATE?
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By Juan Montoya Even though they never admitted it, we know that Otis Powers, Minerva Pena, Hector Chirinos and Butch Barbosa are running as a slate for the board of the Brownsville Independent School District. We wonder why they didn't just come outright and said it to begin with instead of trying the keep the association hidden. What was it that they feared? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6w9nKB8Tn3EUKz23sW_qnnP-q1iH_7zgJch9Y66nvXrBYrDMZoQ3hVea9CAHwSt3iNlpdJBqrDLQXB1oR2Qq82lbO3cIg8_z8T0dGu-XJ6ndWn3ZJz3XqMD4d8m9DzJHV0Ye90h0p9Y/s1600/bisd1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6w9nKB8Tn3EUKz23sW_qnnP-q1iH_7zgJch9Y66nvXrBYrDMZoQ3hVea9CAHwSt3iNlpdJBqrDLQXB1oR2Qq82lbO3cIg8_z8T0dGu-XJ6ndWn3ZJz3XqMD4d8m9DzJHV0Ye90h0p9Y/s320/bisd1.png" width="320" /></a>It's interesting to see that the uncloaking of the slate came at the end of the early-voting period. As things go, the early mail-in and walk-in vote has determined the result in recent elections. By the time that the discerning reader saw that the ad paid by Barbosa was pushing for the foursome â€" as did the Mary Rey rehash of her political seduction by the wily boogie man Carlos Quintanilla â€" they probably had already voted. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn06JSTnhfEcaq_wZ2v5GflQVrmW1g1n8yr4DXnlBY1_WwxcsvL4q4ItJGKfrQBLBEwjqno4LzqkMFkCd8tSStMuefSv_5kvpiPND8iGjQbuEimJ0Iq-yCeDW1HdrKYudQQmUr-LRG24o/s1600/minnie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn06JSTnhfEcaq_wZ2v5GflQVrmW1g1n8yr4DXnlBY1_WwxcsvL4q4ItJGKfrQBLBEwjqno4LzqkMFkCd8tSStMuefSv_5kvpiPND8iGjQbuEimJ0Iq-yCeDW1HdrKYudQQmUr-LRG24o/s1600/minnie1.jpg" /></a>As a slate, their platform was contradictory, but they promised the electorate that if they become the majority, they will not do what Presas-Garcia, Enrique Escobedo, Minerva PeÃ±a, Lucy Longoria, and Dr. Christina Saavedra have done. Adn they said they would also undo previous decisions by the current majority. For example, they promise â€" dangling an illusionary $14.3 million carrot â€" that they will revisit the HealthSmart lawsuit filed as an election ploy by the former board majority (Rick Zayas, Ruben Cortez, Rolando Aguilar, and Joe Colunga) in the closing days of the 2010 campaign. Zayas and Cortez still lost and the lawsuit died a peaceful death after the new crew took over. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3U0uA_uyGXybsMkWUPiunOvAmrKxY93psyelcdkFO76FbqcUBkcasXanJ6cS62wDqEXozMr6CTIA7CKoA_f9dZH4lobRZf_G60Vf8G2FVZw3vwhHvCHY2007ERtew9l2iV5Ugxuzp4Y/s1600/hector.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3U0uA_uyGXybsMkWUPiunOvAmrKxY93psyelcdkFO76FbqcUBkcasXanJ6cS62wDqEXozMr6CTIA7CKoA_f9dZH4lobRZf_G60Vf8G2FVZw3vwhHvCHY2007ERtew9l2iV5Ugxuzp4Y/s1600/hector.jpg" /></a>One can claim that HealthSmart owner Ted Parker bought the election to get rid of the lawsuit and embellish an intricate conspiracy at the highest levels, but the fact of the matter is that voters were tired of the performance of the old board on favoritism on personnel promotions, construction cost overruns, the firing of a superintendent who was at the helm of BISD when it was named as the recipient of the nationally-coveted Broad Award and CUBE Award that came with $1 million in scholarships for BISD graduates. As the revelations of the cases filed by former Special Needs director Art Rendon, Superintendent Hector Gonzales, and former CFO Antonio Juarez became known in their lawsuits in state and federal court, it was obvious that this group had other priorities other than being "All About Children." The had insurance and construction contracts in mind, favoritism of certain vendors, and the promotion of their relatives and friends to plum jobs in the district. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVENpnyyIA1XClArmlgor5EjaY3NIP8fJPJV4_IYqgm9nRXKvGWYvURNcwvO6owspwDpyy-5fGWYD8717hda5DBqDPUxsdYBATSWo-ar4MU2rdiYlcMH7CLtt0k9eQUVLDcdE3ulB8Po/s1600/otisforsale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVENpnyyIA1XClArmlgor5EjaY3NIP8fJPJV4_IYqgm9nRXKvGWYvURNcwvO6owspwDpyy-5fGWYD8717hda5DBqDPUxsdYBATSWo-ar4MU2rdiYlcMH7CLtt0k9eQUVLDcdE3ulB8Po/s200/otisforsale.jpg" width="167" /></a>One of the candidates for Place 3 â€" Powers â€" is a self-described good ole boy" who has a half-dozen in-laws working for the district, at least three drawing salaries of $100,000 or more. We have seen in the Gonzales case that Powers doesn't take it kindly when an administrator transferred his kin from a principalship to the central office and takes it personally regardless of whether the transfer might have been done for the betterment of the district. His opponent Argelia Miller had a very effective ad that she only ran one time quoting the Gonzales lawsuit. â€" April 2007: Gonzales transferred Mary Tolman from her position as principal of Rivera High School to the Central Office. Trustee Otis Powers was very upset and told Gonzales that this was not right and "this was not going to end there." Powers told Gonzales he shouldn't have transferred her because she was his sister-in-law. Now, if Powers gets elected as it appears he might be, he will again ride herd over Gonzales and Juarez. A critical piece of evidence in the Juarez lawsuit was a recorded conversation admitted into  federal court that revealed that there was a conspiracy to fire the two men and that Powers formed a crucial part of it.There will be blood on the streets if and unrepentant Powers comes on board. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExtbDLWs3Ye0n45KJPvtRQtOhrRujYp_KtNw1ZsR1lWwyjYhlH2FqXjpjTpBgjdrtT4d7UEshKL8_2NoLeBqJ8tEPM3hYKX_MqlYw1AMm9-s6_CXVEAHRapryJWAsGLJG5_wAJeXiAXI/s1600/butch+and+ernie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExtbDLWs3Ye0n45KJPvtRQtOhrRujYp_KtNw1ZsR1lWwyjYhlH2FqXjpjTpBgjdrtT4d7UEshKL8_2NoLeBqJ8tEPM3hYKX_MqlYw1AMm9-s6_CXVEAHRapryJWAsGLJG5_wAJeXiAXI/s200/butch+and+ernie.jpg" width="200" /></a>The timing of another candidate for Place 5, Don Clupper, was also intriguing. Clupper's previous ads were amateurish, contained grammatical errors, repeated words, and a number of embarrassing typos. They were obviously self-produced. We have pointed out before that candidates run the risk of embarrassing themselves when they present their own election pitch. Clupper's previous ads suffered from these deficiencies. The Sunday ad, however, was effective in its brevity and its themes. He compared the education level between Presas-Garcia and Barbosa against his own. Of course, they were found wanting, which was the object of the ad. As we were saying, if Clupper hadn't scrimped and saved on his advertising budget and had hired an experienced ad agency or any number of public relations outfits in town, he might have attracted the attention of the electorate. As it is, he will probably draw enough to make him split the 60 percent of the vote that will be left over from the 40 percent-plus Presas-Garcia adherents in the electorate. Jose Chirinos, for all practical purposes, is running unopposed as is Minerva PeÃ±a. But even if Powers wins and PeÃ±a returns along with Chirinos, without Barbosa they will remain a minority on the board to replace Rolando Aguilar and Colunga. Presas-Garcia may have drawn the ire of the old BISD clique, but her forceful style in having a forensic audit performed and implementing the STEM program at Veterans Memorial High School has drawn admiration for her priorities. That and the releasing of two audits performed on the annual Joe Rodriguez scholarship fundraiser to the DA's Office propelled her to the public's attention. The fact that the former BISD majotity fought tooth and nail to keep them from the public's eye to the point where they sued the Texas Attorney General and fought the Brownsville Herald's attempt to procure them to the tune of thousands of dollars didn;t leave a good taste with local residents. Politics being what they are, these acts alone will probably keep her on the board.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6016803033174468094-2866008620350639924?l=rrunrrun.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-slate-is-revealed-is-it-too-little.html

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Monday, November 5, 2012

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