Nearly six months after being indicted on federal fraud charges, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar is now facing a legal effort aimed at his removal from office.
Alfonso “Poncho” Casso, a former Laredo City Council member, initiated the petition for Cuellar’s removal in Webb County district court last week. Casso’s petition cites the sheriff’s federal indictment, along with other allegations of misconduct. The document, first highlighted by The Laredo Morning Times, requests that the court suspend the five-term sheriff while a trial is conducted to determine whether he should be permanently removed from his position.
In response, Cuellar has denied all allegations mentioned in the petition and has demanded “strict proof,” according to court documents filed on Friday. He has already pleaded not guilty to the federal charges that were made public in January.
Casso’s petition heavily references the five-count indictment, which claims that Cuellar, alongside two others, misappropriated funds from the Webb County sheriff’s office during the COVID-19 pandemic. The indictment alleges they established a private disinfecting business in April 2020 that primarily utilized county employees and resources. This business was contracted for $500,000 to clean schools in Laredo, and Cuellar reportedly received approximately $175,000 from this operation, which he allegedly used to purchase local property, according to federal prosecutors.
Rick Rodriguez, Cuellar’s former deputy involved in the business, has already pleaded guilty to related charges. If Cuellar is convicted, he could face up to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy and theft of federal funds, in addition to another 10 years for money laundering.
Beyond the indictment, Casso’s filing also accuses Cuellar of mismanagement within the county jail, as well as violations of the Texas Whistleblower Act, the Texas Elections Code, and procurement laws. “He has been compromised and has no credibility managing the Webb County Sheriff’s Office or County Jail,” the petition states.
Cuellar is the brother of U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat who was indicted in May 2024 on charges of bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy connected to his dealings with an Azerbaijan-run oil-and-gas company and a Mexican bank. Former President Donald Trump pardoned the representative in December but later criticized him for his decision to run again as a Democrat for a 12th term.
