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'''Agustin I. Dovalina, III''' (born 1955), is a former chief of police in [[Laredo]], a border city with [[Mexico]] and the seat of Webb County in south [[Texas]], who served from 1996 until October 22, 2007, amid the revelation of corrupt practices in his department. Four days after his sudden retirement,  Dovalina pleaded guilty in [[U.S. District Court]] to [[extortion]] and the acceptance of $13,000 in [[bribe]]s from the owner of a [[gambling]] establishment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://woai.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=0df39dab-eee5-4f1c-890e-4... - 43k|title=Dovalina pleads guilty as police chief in Laredo|publisher=WOAI Radio in [[San Antonio]]|accessdate=May 12, 2017}}</ref>

'''Agustin I. Dovalina, III''' (born 1955), is a former chief of police in [[Laredo]], a border city with [[Mexico]] and the seat of Webb County in south [[Texas]], who served from 1996 until October 22, 2007, amid the revelation of corrupt practices in his department. Four days after his sudden retirement,  Dovalina pleaded guilty in [[U.S. District Court]] to [[extortion]] and the acceptance of $13,000 in [[bribe]]s from the owner of a [[gambling]] establishment.<ref>"Chief guilty of taking bribes, ''Laredo Morning Times,'' October 26, 2007, p. 1.</ref>

   

   

Dovalina conspired with retired Sergeant Alfonso Santos and former Lieutenant Eloy Rodriguez to extort more than $90,000 from the operators of illegal eight-liner gambling businesses in exchange for protection from police raids.<ref>"Chief guilty of taking bribes, ''Laredo Morning Times'', October 26, 2007, p. 1.</ref> Octavio Salinas, II, the [[attorney]] for Dovalina, blamed the crime on a "financial crisis" which prompted the former chief "into a moment where he lacked judgment." Dovalina actually had a family income approaching $200,000 annually, very large by most standards in Laredo. Meanwhile, Dovalina had a [[heart attack]] and was involved in four fender-bender accidents in his police vehicle, two of which netted tickets. Then, his house burned, and a daughter suffered smoke inhalation. In July 2006, Dovalina underwent an emergency balloon angioplasty to clear a clogged [[artery]] and restore blood flow. According to court documents, Dovalina accepted his first bribe in June 2006, a month prior to his surgery; he took the second $5,000 bribe in September 2006. Dovalina, however, has disputed the amount of the bribes that he admitted to having received. So has Santos, who contends that he received $27,800 for himself and $10,000 for Dovalina, not the $95,000 claimed by the government. Santos and Rodriguez also competed for illegal funds and influence with Dovalina. Rodriguez also claims that he gave Dovalina another $10,000, but Dovalina disputes both of his former associates. The acceptance of the bribes was recorded on videotape.<ref>Julian Aguilar, "Just the facts: Documents show Dovalina's alleged hardship did not exist", ''Laredo Morning Times'', November 25, 2007, pp. 1, 11A</ref>

Dovalina conspired with retired Sergeant Alfonso Santos and former Lieutenant Eloy Rodriguez to extort more than $90,000 from the operators of illegal eight-liner gambling businesses in exchange for protection from police raids.<ref>"Chief guilty of taking bribes, ''Laredo Morning Times'', October 26, 2007, p. 1.</ref> Octavio Salinas, II, the [[attorney]] for Dovalina, blamed the crime on a "financial crisis" which prompted the former chief "into a moment where he lacked judgment." Dovalina actually had a family income approaching $200,000 annually, very large by most standards in Laredo. Meanwhile, Dovalina had a [[heart attack]] and was involved in four fender-bender accidents in his police vehicle, two of which netted tickets. Then, his house burned, and a daughter suffered smoke inhalation. In July 2006, Dovalina underwent an emergency balloon angioplasty to clear a clogged [[artery]] and restore blood flow. According to court documents, Dovalina accepted his first bribe in June 2006, a month prior to his surgery; he took the second $5,000 bribe in September 2006. Dovalina, however, has disputed the amount of the bribes that he admitted to having received. So has Santos, who contends that he received $27,800 for himself and $10,000 for Dovalina, not the $95,000 claimed by the government. Santos and Rodriguez also competed for illegal funds and influence with Dovalina. Rodriguez also claims that he gave Dovalina another $10,000, but Dovalina disputes both of his former associates. The acceptance of the bribes was recorded on videotape.<ref>Julian Aguilar, "Just the facts: Documents show Dovalina's alleged hardship did not exist", ''Laredo Morning Times'', November 25, 2007, pp. 1, 11A</ref>