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Senator wrestles heirs over nine-figure Texas fortune
Watchdog.org Texas bureau ^ | December 17, 2013 | Jon Cassiday

Posted on 12/21/2013 9:32:51 AM PST by La Lydia

LAREDO, Texas — Out behind the nursing home where Josefina Alexander Gonzalez turned 99 Saturday, there’s a dilapidated green ranch house, its porch cover still held up by rough-hewn tree trunks. To the southeast, you see a lot of tall brush and honey mesquite, a view that hasn’t changed much since the 1940s, when her parents bought a 1,000-acre ranch … any other direction, and you’ll see new construction on her property, as developers cash in on the last large tract of open space inside of Loop 20 in north Laredo, now worth as much as $150 million.

But if you wanted to ask her what she thought of all the changes, you’d have to get past the guard in her room at Laredo Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where she has been stashed by Carlos Zaffirini and his wife, state Sen. Judith Zaffirini. The Zaffirinis are battling Gonzalez’s daughter and grandchildren for control of that fortune. They filed papers last month arguing that Rocio Gonzalez Guerra should forfeit her inheritance.

In two days of hearings last week, a Webb County District Court judge heard the first of dozens of motions that have piled up in three related lawsuits. This account is drawn from the records of those lawsuits….

Rocio Gonzalez Guerra and her two teenage children stand to inherit an intricate cluster of interlocking partnerships, estates and trusts established by Gonzalez and her late and childless sister, Delfina Alexander.

For all those complications, the outlines of the case are plain: Guerra and her children may be the heirs, but the businesses and their funds are controlled by the Zaffirinis and their associates.

That’s why the guard is outside Josefina Gonzalez’s room — so she can’t be served papers in a lawsuit to appoint a guardian for her, a guardian who would wreck the Zaffirinis’ plans.

The Zaffirinis already have control over Delfina Alexander’s estate and a trust she set up in her will, and they claim to have power of attorney over Josefina Gonzalez, although Gonzalez’s bank won’t let them touch her accounts, according to court records, as the papers were signed shortly before she was declared mentally incompetent.

Once she dies, they’ll have unquestioned control over her estate, unless they fare poorly in court...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: carloszaffirini; corruption; democrats; greed; judithzaffirini; texas
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Marvelous object lesson in why not to trust Democratic state legislators. The woman is a thief, plain and simple. Should not be allowed to hold public office.
1 posted on 12/21/2013 9:32:52 AM PST by La Lydia
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To: La Lydia

Isn’t this a charming family story for Christmas, Texas Mexican families trying to cheat each other out of a family fortune....all good Catholic Democrats, of course. At least there hasn’t been anyone shot....yet.


2 posted on 12/21/2013 9:35:25 AM PST by txrefugee
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To: txrefugee

“Texas Mexican?” Is that something like “White Hispanic?”


3 posted on 12/21/2013 9:39:07 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: txrefugee

I didn’t notice whether they are Catholics or Democrats...........I’m assuming they are probably Catholics—but have no reason to believe that they are/are not Democrats.

It’s a very sad story, tho.


4 posted on 12/21/2013 9:40:31 AM PST by basil (2ASisters.org)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

> Carlos Zaffirini and his wife, state Sen. Judith Zaffirini. The Zaffirinis are battling Gonzalez’s daughter and grandchildren for control of that fortune. They filed papers last month arguing that Rocio Gonzalez Guerra should forfeit her inheritance.

This isn’t a matter to be settled in court. The AFTERMATH of the settlement might be. Thanks La Lydia.


5 posted on 12/21/2013 9:43:08 AM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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To: 1rudeboy

““Texas Mexican?” Is that something like “White Hispanic?””

They most closely resemble “Rich White Trash”, as was defined in the song “Is There A Klavern In Your Towm?”


6 posted on 12/21/2013 9:49:13 AM PST by GladesGuru (Islam Delenda Est - Because of what Islam is and because of what Muslims do.)
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To: txrefugee
Isn’t this a charming family story for Christmas, Texas Mexican families trying to cheat each other out of a family fortune....all good Catholic Democrats, of course.

You mean all Democrats. Big difference.

7 posted on 12/21/2013 9:51:05 AM PST by Slyfox (We want our PRE-EXISTING HEALTH INSURANCE back!)
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To: basil

>> have no reason to believe that they are/are not Democrats.

Uh... she’s a state *senator*. “You could look it up.”

http://www.zaffirini.senate.state.tx.us/

(and, yes, she’s a ‘rat.)


8 posted on 12/21/2013 9:52:26 AM PST by Nervous Tick (Without GOD, men get what they deserve.)
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To: txrefugee

Being from an old family from that area myself, I’ll say Zaffirini and some of her kin are a bad bunch, with a bad reputation for years and that is a fact-but most very old “Texas Mexican families”, like my own and this one have mixed with various other ethnic groups that came to what is now Texas-hence the label Texicans-there have not been any who are pure anything for well over 150 years-we are mostly Hispanic, but so mixed with Native American, later European arrivals, Blacks from the South, etc that no label really fits-one of the things that makes that part of south/west Texas-and part of New Mexico, as well-an ethnic stew.

Apparently, nastiness is unlimited in some people-I hope the Zaffirinis get handed their ass in court-preying on original property owners is surely a sin-greed-and against the law...


9 posted on 12/21/2013 9:58:15 AM PST by Texan5 (" You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
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To: 1rudeboy

Since most Hispanics around here are mostly Caucasian/white, you are right-White Hispanic makes just as much sense...


10 posted on 12/21/2013 10:02:35 AM PST by Texan5 (" You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
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To: La Lydia

I knew it had to be a dim…. they will stew ANYTHING they can get their hands on


11 posted on 12/21/2013 10:05:26 AM PST by Nifster
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To: txrefugee
Isn’t this a charming family story for Christmas, Texas Mexican families trying to cheat each other out of a family fortune....all good Catholic Democrats, of course. At least there hasn’t been anyone shot....yet.

Thank you for picking out the truly important points of the story. </sarcasm>

12 posted on 12/21/2013 10:06:36 AM PST by Half Vast Conspiracy (Proportionally, Ft. Hood is to Ft. Worth as Washington Navy Yard is to Arlington, VA.)
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To: La Lydia
Guerra and her children may be the heirs, but the businesses and their funds are controlled by the Zaffirinis and their associates.

I would like to see how they accomplished that.

That’s why the guard is outside Josefina Gonzalez’s room — so she can’t be served papers in a lawsuit to appoint a guardian for her, a guardian who would wreck the Zaffirinis’ plans.

Guards still have to pee. The family knows what they have to do.

the papers were signed shortly before she was declared mentally incompetent.

which means that those papers may be worthless.

Once she dies, they’ll have unquestioned control over her estate, unless they fare poorly in court.

This is a lawyer's dream. They will deplete that estate in a carefully choreographed paper chase over a ten year period.

13 posted on 12/21/2013 10:09:33 AM PST by Uncle Chip
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To: Uncle Chip

The article explains how they accomplished that.


14 posted on 12/21/2013 10:13:57 AM PST by La Lydia
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To: Texan5

Back in the 50s and 60s, I remember D.J.s referring to the “Tex-Mex” sound, referring to certain music.


15 posted on 12/21/2013 10:14:07 AM PST by Graybeard58 (_.. ._. .. _. _._ __ ___ ._. . ___ ..._ ._ ._.. _ .. _. .)
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To: La Lydia

These things happen all the time. And they always get resolved because they must be resolved.


16 posted on 12/21/2013 10:22:16 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

Oh well then. Please excuse the post.


17 posted on 12/21/2013 10:23:51 AM PST by La Lydia
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To: Nervous Tick

Actually, I knew some nice person like you would look it up for me—LOL!

It’s a busy day here-—got a crowd coming for Thanksgiving and the cooking starts today!


18 posted on 12/21/2013 10:32:44 AM PST by basil (2ASisters.org)
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To: Graybeard58

I’ve never figured out just what sound they meant-there still seem to be several that are a mix of C&W, Ranchero, Conjunto, etc. I guess it depends on where you come from.

The Spanish we kids from South/West Texas ranches learned at an early age as a 2nd language-is a regional dialect and is called Tex-Mex-and most ranch dwellers of every race and ethnicity spoke it. When on vacation in the interior of Mexico, my husband and I both had to remember to use “mainstream” Spanish, as well as we were able-every area seems to have its own dialect, and some were downright incomprehensible to us as the same language we spoke...


19 posted on 12/21/2013 10:36:58 AM PST by Texan5 (" You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
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To: La Lydia

This is an object lesson on why Probate Court is better than a Trust.

Atleast the inheritance gets to the heirs in Probate Court minus the fees which are all known upfront.


20 posted on 12/21/2013 10:39:12 AM PST by Uncle Chip
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