Ricardo Rangel
| Ricardo Rangel, Sr. | |
| In office 2002 – 2014 | |
| Born | March 13, 1966 Laredo, Webb County, Texas |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Hispanic-American |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Richardo Rangel, Jr. |
Ricardo Rangel, Sr. (born March 13, 1966)[1]
is the Democratic former justice of the peace for Webb County, Precinct 2, Place 2, based in Laredo, a largely Hispanic city of some 250,000 population on the Mexican border in south Texas. Rangel (pronounced RAN HELL) was first elected to the bench in 2002 and was reelected in 2006.
One of five justices of the peace in Webb County.Rangel previously worked as a warrant officer, jailer, deputy sheriff, tax warrant officer, and a court security officer or the Webb County Sheriff's Department in Laredo.[2]
Criminal convictions
In 2012, a federal investigation established that on or about March 25, Rangel, while performing his duties as a JP, did knowingly and unlawfully accept $250 not due to him or to his office from Juan Enriquez Rodriguez (born May 5, 1979), then a bail bondsman. In turn, Rangel granted a $1,000 surety bail bond on an individual who had been arrested and charged with DWI. [3]
On September 4, 2014, Rangel pleaded guilty of conspiracy and extortion under color of official right. Enrique Rodriguez entered his guilty plea on December 17, 2014. He could have faced twenty years in the federal penitentiary. He checked into a Houston rehabilitation facility to be treated for alcohol addiction the day after his plea. This was a condition of his bond. He also resigned his JP position.[4]
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña, based in Laredo, ordered Rangel, to serve thirty-seven months in federal prison ; Rodriguez received a 13-month-term. Both were ordered to serve three years of supervised release following completion of their sentences. The court found Rangel had received multiple bribes and was a public official in a high-level decision making or sensitive position at the time he committed the crime and that Rodriguez had paid multiple bribes to have Rangel reduce bonds of criminal defendants. Rangel and Rodriguez were also ordered to pay fines in the amount of $5,000 and $15,000, respectfully.
Rangel was released from the Bureau of Prisons on June 23, 2017. He served less than two years.[5] On July 13, 2017, less than months since his release from prison, Rangel was seriously injured in an automobile crash on Interstate 35 eleven miles south of Cotulla in LaSalle County. He was airlifted to San Antonio with life-threatening injuries.[6] He did recover from the accident.
Earlier, Rangel was twice cited for driving while intoxicated, once on November 27, 1999, prior to his JP service, and again in a February 15, 2007, while he was driving on Texas Highway 359.[2] The first DWI resulted in a plea bargain. by which Rangel admitted guilt to public intoxication. In the second case, Rangel was pulled over for a defective taillight. He failed a field sobriety test and refused a Breathalyzer at the Webb County jail, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The refusal to take the Breathalyzer test, which is designed to measure the level of alcohol in the body brought a six-month revocation of the individual's driver's license. Rangel's attorney, Alonzo Ramos of Laredo, said that the JP did not fail the sobriety test but relayed an "apology" from Rangel to "his constituents and the people of Webb County." Ramos denied that his client was under the influence of alcohol when he was stopped by police and added that Rangel is "just waiting for day in court."[2]
A second-offense DWI is a Class A misdemeanor in Texas and usually nets a fine of up to $4,000 and a jail term of up to twelve months. A first-time offender faces the Class B misdemeanor charge, which usually means a $2,000 fine and up to six months in the county jail. Rangel was the second JP in Laredo to have been arrested for DWI in the five-month period prior to February 2007. Democratic JP Hector Liendo in Precinct 1 was arrested for DWI and being in possession of an open alcoholic container in September 2006. Liendo managed to survive the political fallout from the DWI and retires from the JP court on January 1, 2021.
References
- ↑ Ricardo Rangel. Mylife.com. Retrieved on February 24, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Richardo Rangel. Wikibin.org. Retrieved on February 24, 2020.
- ↑ Former JP and Bail Bondsman Sentenced on Federal Extortion Charges. United States Department of Justice (August 28, 2015). Retrieved on February 24, 2020.
- ↑ Kolten Parker (September 11, 2014). South Texas judge facing 20 years in bribery case, checks into rehab. The San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved on February 24, 2020.
- ↑ Inmate Locator: Ricardo Rangel (No. 73645-379. U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on February 24, 2020.
- ↑ Cesar Rodriguez (July 14, 2017). Son: Former Webb County judge critically injured in fatal crash "not out of danger yet". The Laredo Morning Times. Retrieved on February 24, 2020.
