Antonio “Tony” Dill, a longtime lobbyist who has worked on campaigns for County Judge Anthony Cobos and other current and former public officials, yesterday became the latest person to plead guilty in connection with the ongoing public corruption scandal in El Paso.
Dill is the eighth person to plead guilty so far in connection with an investigation by the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office that began in 2004. [npt background: public corruption 101]
A statement released today by the U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton’s office said Dill pled guilty Wednesday before federal District Judge Frank Montalvo to charges that could put him in prison for 20 years cost him a fine of $250,000.
Dill, reached by telephone by NPT, declined to comment .
"I can't say anything right now," he said.
The document charging Dill, known as an information, states that he conspired with others to pay cash to a member of the El Paso County Commissioners Court to secure that official’s support and votes on contracts with private vendors seeking the county’s business. A copy of the information is available at the bottom of this article.
In the information, the others are referred to as “known but not charged” and refers to a pricing trip – a term often used in reference to interest rates being set on bonds about to be sold.
In December, former investment bankers Roberto Gerardo Ruiz, a.k.a. “Bobby” Ruiz , former Managing Director for the Dallas, Texas office of Bear Stearns and Christopher Chol-Su Pak, a.k.a. Chris Pak, former Vice President in the Dallas, Texas, office of Bear Stearns pled guilty to charges to conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and scheming to defraud citizens of their right to honest government.
The transactions involved attempts by buy the votes of officials with the city, county, community college and El Paso school district.
In March, former El Paso City Council member and mayoral candidate Raymond Telles, pled guilty to various conspiracy and attempted bribery charges for his efforts to secure business with the Socorro school district and the county for Wall Street's Bear Stearns and others on bond transactions.
Dill could be especially important in terms of the investigation of county officials because he was a longtime lobbyist closely associated with Cobos.
An El Paso lobbyist who asked not to be named predicted two weeks ago that charges against Dill would not be long in coming and likened him to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pled guilty to federal charges two years ago.
“Lobbying has a place in government but guys like Abramoff and Tony Dill and others who will soon be named give our profession a bad name, and they should go to jail,” he said.
He said Dill is close to Cobos, Telles and another lobbyist and former City Council member, Manny Ramirez.
County Commissioner Dan Haggerty said it has been several years since he has seen Dill on business.
“Tony was always at every swinging party,” Haggerty said. “He was a politico, and he showed up everywhere, especially political fundraisers.”
Haggerty said he hasn’t seen Dill representing anyone since the public corruption investigation became public in 2006.
City Rep. Susie Byrd said the last time she heard from Dill was last year on a matter before the City Council involving restrictions against the operation of fireworks stands in the city.
“He was representing a fireworks company, but that contract for representation went to Ram Guzman,” Byrd said.
City Rep. Beto O'Rourke said the last time he dealt with Dill was several years ago when Dill represented an evaporative cooler manufacturer regarding a rebate the Public Service Board was going to offer to people who switched to refrigerated air.
Ramiro Guzman, a prominent El Paso businessman, lobbyist and former member of the El Paso Electric Co. board, was indicted by a federal grand jury in South Texas along with SamCorp’s Steve Sambrano in March.
Both pled not guilty to charges in the indictments that they bribed school district officials on behalf of SamCorp, a major El Paso construction company.
SamCorp, which has also won construction contracts from local school districts and UTEP, closed its doors recently and quit work on its contracts.
The U.S. Attorney's office released this statement in Dill’s case today:
"United States Attorney Johnny Sutton announced that this afternoon Antonio Dill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud El Paso County. More specifically, Dill was charged with committing mail and wire fraud plus depriving citizens of the right to honest services of an elected official.
"Appearing before United States District Judge Frank Montalvo in El Paso, Dill pleaded guilty to a one-count Information filed this afternoon by the United States Attorney’s Office. By pleading guilty, Dill admitted that he conspired with others to pay cash money to an elected member of the El Paso County Commissioner’s Court to secure their support and vote for contracts between the County and various vendors seeking to do business with the County.
"As a result of the plea, Dill faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. No sentencing date has been scheduled. This investigation–conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation–continues. Assistant United States Attorney Debra Kanof is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government."
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