Posted on 01/07/2005 12:40:04 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
PHARR — FBI agents descended upon the entire framework of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district Thursday, searching offices and homes and toting away boxes of documents.
At the administrative building on the corner of Gumwood Street and U.S. Business 83, agents were holed up all day searching the central offices. District officials were not allowed into the building. Locked doors and signs saying business would resume today were the only explanations offered to district employees and other visitors for what was going on inside.
"The FBI told us we would not work today, go home and come back tomorrow," said Deputy Superintendent Manuel Rivera Jr. as he emerged from the central office Thursday morning.
In a statement, the district said officials were not permitted to be present during the search, so the district has no knowledge of which documents or what sort of information the agents were seeking or had taken.
At 2:30 p.m., hours into the raid, there was a mass exodus of agents from the central offices. They walked back to their cars empty-handed and left in vehicles with non-governmental license plates, but with dark-tinted — nearly opaque— windows.
It was about 4:30 p.m. when still more agents emerged, loading approximately 100 crates into a white Isuzu moving van.
Ruben Campos, a member of Grupo Poder — a local watchdog group that keeps tabs on PSJA school district officials — watched as agents walked to and from cars throughout the day.
Campos said he and other members of the group believe the raids may have something to do with construction contracts and the district’s competitive bidding practices.
Among the FBI agents raiding the district’s administrative offices was a former member of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district administrative staff.
Wearing a jacket with the letters "F-B-I" on the back, Martha Rodriguez, a 1982 graduate of PSJA High School, assisted agents as they removed boxes from the school district offices.
It is not clear if Rodriguez’s past with the school district was simply a coincidence.U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby declined to comment on Rodriguez’s participation in the raids or on her role in the investigation. He simply referred to a written statement he released in the afternoon by the U.S. Attorney’s office. The full text of the brief statement reads:
"In response to media inquiries regarding reported law enforcement action taken today at the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD offices, United States Attorney Michael Shelby said:
While acknowledging that federal law enforcement action was taken today at the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD offices and other locations associated with the school district, we are all constrained by law from disclosing any further information at this time. This activity is part of an ongoing investigation. No charges have been filed and no conclusions should be drawn from today’s action."
Shelby said the comments in the press release are based on the law of the United States and the Department of Justice policy.
"It’s very specific as to comments that can be made during the course of an investigation, so that’s why we sent out the press release, so there could at least be some acknowledgement of what was happening," he said. "Beyond that, there’s not any comment."
Several television news reports claimed several of the school board members had been arrested. However, Shelby insisted that information is incorrect.
The U.S. Attorney’s office statement said no charges have been filed — therefore, no arrests could have been made.
"That press release is 100 percent accurate," Shelby said. "They (television news) are mistaken in what they are saying."
THE SUPERINTENDENT
Also raided Thursday was the house of PSJA School Superintendent Arturo Guajardo.
Wearing their trademark blue windbreakers with the FBI logo marked in bright yellow letters, agents removed about two dozen boxes from Guajardo’s home on South Kansas Avenue.
A steady drizzle of light rain did not deter the raids. Federal agents backed two vehicles into the carport at Guajardo’s home and loaded at least 24 document boxes into a trunk and the back seat of the two cars.
Boxes also were loaded into a truck parked in front of the Guajardo home, while one agent photographed the home’s exterior.
Guajardo’s son, Arturo Guajardo Jr., was with his father as agents scoured the home. He moved his truck across the driveway in an attempt to prevent reporters and photographers from watching as agents loaded the boxes into their vehicles.
Guajardo periodically emerged from the house during the search, but would not comment on the raid itself.
"Your cars are creating a hazard on the street," he told the reporters gathered outside his home.
Guajardo did not answer the door at his home Thursday afternoon, just minutes after the FBI agents left the location.
Guajardo did not return phone calls seeking comment for this story.
PHARR HOUSING AUTHORITY
In separate raids, FBI agents shut down the Pharr Housing Authority, where the PSJA school board’s most senior member, Roy Navarro, is executive director.
"They did go to the housing authority and were going through some stuff and making some inquiries," said Pharr Mayor Leo "Polo" Palacios. "An employee told me they came in with a search warrant, took over the office and starting asking him questions like, ‘When did all this construction business begin?’
"And being that Mr. Navarro is with the school board, they probably went there to see if there was anything between the school district and the housing authority," Palacios said. "I don’t know the purpose of the search, since it doesn’t have anything to do with the city of Pharr. Since they had a search warrant, they (FBI) felt they were in custody of the office, so they have full accessibility and I don’t know yet if anyone can go in tomorrow or not."
The FBI also confiscated school files and rifles from Navarro’s home.
Television reports circulated that former school Board Member Ben Cantu’s bookkeeping business on Cage Boulevard had been raided. However, that federal action remains unconfirmed and a secretary at Cantu’s office denied any raids.
Some administrative officials within the school district said Thursday’s raids shocked them.
"We don’t have any idea of what they’re looking for. No earthly idea. Totally clueless," said Dodi Cox, assistant superintendent for administration and school operations. "It’s just a shock because … we don’t have anything to hide because we haven’t done anything."
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Cari Hammerstrom covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4424.
Alma Walzer handles special assignments, investigative reporting and politics for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4422.
Monitor reporter Jennifer Smith contributed to this report.
hey........the feds took my homework
It's a little odd that this all appears to be shrouded in mystery. Shouldn't the feds have a search warrant that explains why they're there and what they're looking for?
It would be so nice if we knew where this is located. I know most of the larger cities in the U.S., but Pharr?
Texas stuff. . .
Okay, I went back and found the keyword.
It's the blue section of Texas down in The Valley.
Pharr county is known for long-time local corruption and it is said that many of the US drug lords have homes and other operations in the area - this could be drug-money laundering related.
article on dead voters voting
Shouldn't have to.
I would have to be brain-dead to not realize that not everyone in the world knows every town in my county, let alone my state, my country and the world.
Anyone who has read James Michener's book on Texas, specifically the chapter about the border areas where he describes how the corruption has crept into the American political system from Mexico, and is turning parts of Texas into a Mexico-like political hell, will find this is all too familiar.
They probably showed it to the school board, who wisely declined to reveal its contents.
South Texas Ping!
Yep! Sounds like someone's in deep dookie!
I'm not sure myself where Pharr is located.
So I guess they busted some students for trying to make meth in the chem lab again... those crazy kids...
Laugh!
"While Your Were Out" on the taxpayers dime?
It's phar,phar down by the border with Mexico...
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