Two Plead Not Guilty to Texas School-Bond Bribery Charges

DALLAS - Two business executives from El Paso entered not guilty pleas to federal charges that they bribed members of a Lower Rio Grande Valley school district in return for contracts on bond-financed projects.

Steven Sambrano, president of the El Paso construction company SamCorp, and Ramiro Guzman, a consultant for SamCorp and a board member for El Paso Electric, entered pleas Wednesday in U.S. District Court in McAllen. Both were released on their own recognizance.

Sambrano and Guzman gave items of value to officials of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District so "that bids of SamCorp would receive favorable consideration," according to the indictment.

The indictments are part of a continuing federal investigation that has roiled the poor school district on the Texas-Mexico border.

Three school board members and the superintendent of the district were arrested on federal extortion conspiracy charges last year, court records show. According to the indictment of the board members, an unnamed El Paso-based company provided tickets and hotel rooms for San Antonio Spurs and Houston Astros games, the Oscar de la Hoya versus "Sugar" Shane Mosley fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and an NCAA basketball "Final Four" tournament in San Antonio in 2003 and 2004.

The El Paso company was listed as one of seven "unindicted contractors" in the 22-count indictment.

SamCorp was hired to build two elementary schools and a maintenance building for the school district, and Guzman was hired by SamCorp to be a consultant for business in the Rio Grande Valley.

"From in or about August 2000 up through and including on or about November 2004, defendant Guzman purchased and caused the purchase of items of value for and to the benefit of various public officials at PSJA-ISD," the indictment states. "Defendant Sambrano caused reimbursements to be made out of SamCorp accounts to defendant Guzman for items of value purchased for and to the benefit of various public officials as PSJA-ISD."

SamCorp worked on the $23 million renovation and expansion of the El Paso convention center, construction of the $7.7 million University of Texas at El Paso academic services building, construction of the $13.7 million state office building and parking garage in El Paso, and construction of several area schools, including the recently completed Aoy Elementary School in South El Paso.

Guzman was chairman of the Ysleta Independent School District's bond committee and was previously part owner of a beer distributorship and the Red Bull energy distributorship. He was also coordinator of concerts and special events.

The previous indictment of the PSJA school board members said the unnamed company used an intermediary and gave about $127,000 to one of the board members of the district.

The company also paid $6,500 for two board members, the school superintendent, and others to attend the De la Hoya fight, and more then $14,000 for one board member and others to attend the Final Four basketball tournament in San Antonio, according to the indictment.

PSJA district officials arrested in 2007 were the district's superintendent Arturo Guajardo, and school board members Raul "Big Roy" Navarro, Rogelio "Little Roy" Rodriguez, and Evangelina "Vangie" De Leon.

Last September, architect Jose "Joe" Lopez pleaded guilty to federal charges in an alleged bribery scheme involving Rodriguez.

Lopez, supervisor of school construction projects, pleaded guilty to extortion involving a $15,000 payment to Rodriguez. Contractor Pedro Armando Gutierrez pleaded guilty last year to a conspiracy count involving payments to Rodriguez for contracts that went to his masonry company.

 

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