𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗚𝗩 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗢𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗭𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗢 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗢 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗔𝗣𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝗡 𝗙.𝗕.𝗜. 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗧?

Rodrigo Moreno Fernandez of Pink Ape Media

It's pretty obvious that politicos in Edcouch have not been keeping current with the local blogosphere.  Had former Edcouch Mayor Pro-Tem Rene Flores and City Manager Victor Hugo De La Cruz been readers of the Brownsville Observer and other local blogs, they'd have known better than to accept "kickbacks" from Rodrigo Moreno Fernandez of Pink Ape Media. 

The pair were allegedly involved in a kickback scheme using $6,000 of public money and $2,000 in kickbacks and were indicted September 24.

The payments were caught on camera as Mr. Moreno is an F.B.I. informant.

Victor Hugo De La Garza,  Victor Hugo De La Cruz

Flores plead guilty.  De La Cruz plead not guilty and is scheduled for trial in February.

Longtime readers of the Brownsville Observer will likely recall that in 2014 Sylvia Atkinson, then a BISD trustee, and TSC trustee Adela Garza were monitored by F.B.I. wiretaps making plans to solicit business from the Brownsville Independent School District.

TSC Board Chair Adela Garza, former BISD Trustee Sylvia Atkinson

A shadow company, "Sunshine Solutions," was formed to launder the money, a company the duo were careful to list with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in Adela Garza's name, since Atkinson, as a member of the BISD Board of Trustees, could not legally profit from a contract with BISD.

Atkinson and Garza held long range plans way beyond BISD, already approaching Rio Hondo ISD with their telehealth company, but, in conversation, mentioning Garland, San Antonio and El Paso.

"I'm the contact, but you have to be the face (of the company,)" Atkinson told Garza.

"This may be wrong, but it's not illegal," said Atkinson.

Despite Garza being the "face" of the company, the two women agreed to split the commission.

Atkinson was eventually charged with receiving a $10,000 bribe from Pink Ape Media's Rodrigo Moreno Fernandez, who was cooperating with the F.B.I.

Atkinson received an 80 month prison sentence for conspiracy, bribery and six counts of Travel Act violations and has now served that term, being released short of the original March 2026 release date.  Garza was not charged.