Why Is Brownsville So Easily Victimized by Con Artists, Charlatans?

Before Google, before various forms of people search, Brownsville seemed to many like the end of the world.  I met people in the 60's who came to the city to reinvent themselves, to run from some embarrassment and make some sort of life. Brownsville can be accommodating like that, just as those who move across the river from the south are tolerated and facilitated.

Some of that "live and let live" easygoingness has to factor into our community's yielding to outsiders who tell us they know what's best for Brownsville, for BISD, for us.  I'm not advocating regional bias or rejection of the opinion of experts from elsewhere, but just saying that if you don't live here, have kids being educated here, don't vote here, what exactly is your stake in trying so hard to influence our community?

Turning things around a bit, is the community you actually live in perfect, without problems that need to be addressed, lacking good candidates that need to be supported?  Why aren't you committing your energies, your comments, your influence into helping your own community?  Perhaps, the reason is that you're known there and not respected or you're a tiny fish in a big pond but long to be a bigger fish in a small pond.

Or maybe it's just easier here and the money's good.  I'm just asking.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas for Carlos Quintanilla~BISD Board Succumbs to Temptation

 

by Jim Barton on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 1:05pm

     Unlike many Americans who could not make their mortgage payments, Carlos Quintanilla will likely not lose his house.  Monies destined for use by the children of the Brownsville Independent School District will be diverted in a clandestine way by the BISD Board of Trustees back to Healthsmart by the dismissal of the $14,000,000 lawsuit the school district had filed to recover two years of discovered overcharges by the provider.   Quintanilla may very well have accomplished his mission, sniffing around the BISD the past couple of years, luring trustees into entanglement, promoting cooperative candidates to replace those not Q-friendly.   If Ted Parker invested in Quintanilla to squelch the lawsuit against Healthsmart, that investment may pay off handsomely.
     In Brownsville, everyone seems to know a trustee, an administrator, an operative influenced by Quintanilla.  What I usually hear is that their friend was conned, duped, drinking the Kool-Aid Quintanilla pours.  That is difficult to believe.  These are grown-up people, professionals, who routinely do background checks on janitorial staff.  Quintanilla is not only a convicted R.I.C.O felon, he looks and acts the part with obvious misrepresentations flying out of his mouth like sparks from a welding rod.  What I believe is that many simply succumbed to temptation, just as those in Mark Twain's fictictious town of Hadleyburg.  I believe the BISD Board of Trustees is rendered ineffectual by an "I will tell on you if you tell on me" mentality, making individual trustees fearful of doing what's right lest their own sins be made public.  Thus, we have paralysis, acquiescence and cowardice displayed.
     Merry Christmas, Carlos!  Sorry kids!
    
     But, alas, there may be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and it may not be an oncoming freight train!  What if, as I've heard, Judge Carlos Cascos is allowed to appoint an interim district attorney should Villalobos finally declare for a higher office?  What if that interim appointee is interested in actually doing the job? 

Can Escobedo and Quintanilla Be Stopped Before BISD Loses $14,000,000?

 

by Jim Barton on Monday, November 28, 2011 at 6:02pm

    
     Just this morning a Dallas court allowed a Temporary Restraining Order with respect to the foreclosure on the home of Carlos Quintanilla until December 12th to allow the court more time to hear the case. 30 Minutes was not enough time for the court to hear the evidence. The court only agreed to this if Quintanilla posted a $1,000 cash bond. This is not unusual as courts bend over backwards to protect the rights of individuals facing the loss of their home.
     How does this affect us in Brownsville?  Con artist Quintanilla, facing foreclosure, liens, bounced checks and other legal problems is desperate for money.  Quintanilla's golden egg may very well be Ted Parker of Healthsmart, an insurance company the BISD is suing for $14,000,000 in overcharges.  How much would it be worth it to Ted Parker if Quintanilla could get trustees elected and administrators appointed who would agree to drop the suit against Healthsmart?  Would Parker pay a million to save fourteen million?

     Trustee Enrique Escobedo, pictured at the top of the article with Quintanilla, is said to be pushing hard for dismissal of the Healthsmart lawsuit.  If he can get the case dismissed in the next few days, it's possible that Quintanilla can get paid and save his home from foreclosure.  The trustees Quintanilla helped elect are Enrique Escobedo, Lucy Longoria and Catalina Presas-Garcia.  Taped evidence also seems to indicate that Quintanilla orchestrated the "firing" or forceout of Superintendent Springston, the termination of Chief Financial Officer Tony Fuller, perhaps because they opposed dropping the suit.
     Escobedo is no stranger to dishonesty.  You may recall the Brownsville Herald story detailing his false claim to a doctorate.  Even after the school in Mexico he claimed issued his doctorate degree stated they had issued him none such and that he was considered a "student", welcome to come back and pursue a degree, he still printed out campaign materials claiming a doctorate.

     Catalina Presas-Garcia may also be part of the core of corruption.  Notice this excerpt from the Brownsville Herald tieing her to Ted Parker:  "BISD board president Catalina Presas-Garcia has chosen a law firm to defend her against a lawsuit by former athletic director Joe Rodriguez — and it’s the same firm that represents Ted Parker, the onetime owner of Healthsmart Benefits Solutions Inc. which BISD is suing for breach of contract."
     Mary S. Rey overheard a conversation between Quintanilla and Lucy Longoria where Quintanilla screamed:  "I made you, bitch!"  So she may also feel some obligation to the convicted racketeer as well.
     We need to do everything in our power to see that the suit is not dismissed at the whims and direction of a con artist who may profit from such a dismissal.  We need FBI involvement, just as the FBI got involved with the Lubbock City Commission involving Healthsmart.  We owe it to the children of Brownsville to not throw away $14,000,000 at a time when funds are limited just to help a con artist and his cronies. 

Carlos Quintanilla, A Victim of Unwarranted Attacks?

 It's helpful to get familiar with the style, the techniques of con artist, flim flam man, convicted RICO racketeer Carlos Quintanilla.  The article below is his feeble attempt to counter our posting of documents detailing some of his financial and legal difficulties.  Actually, his problems are his problems.  They only concern us if it raises his crescendo of desperation to manipulate BISD trustees with respect to the Healthsmart lawsuit.  Our hope is that the trustees act in the best interest of the Cameron County taxpayers, not some convicted racketeer from Dallas who may or may not be working for a healthy commission with respect to the lawsuit. 
      In any event, we wish Mr. Quintanilla's children a wonderful Thanksgiving, regardless of which parent they spend the holiday with or the pre-cooked weight of the turkey. 


Jim

BTW. . . . . . .Nena and I are not members of the Tea Party or any other political party. 

The story below is reposted from Juan Montoya's "El Rrun Rrun" blog. 

 

By Carlos Quintanilla

My friends, my life has been a public record for many many years.
I have fought against monsters and demons and sometimes they get the better of you. I just wanted you to know that I am well, my home is not in danger of being lost, it is in the midst of a very unexpected political fight. I was not able to put two and two together until Jim Barton, (who is proud carrying member of the Tea Party and who has launched a very hateful campaign against me) published it on his blog.
He posted it just because I am who I am.
Read the story, since it has gone on the world wide web, look at the conicidences, question the questions, read the PDF file and my lawsuit and know that we are in for the political fight of our lives, it will not be easy. but we will prevail.
My Children are well and looking forward to cooking that 23 pound Turkey.
Peace be with you. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Carlos.  I want to give you an opportunity to prove that you're not a liar.  I'm inviting you to be a guest columnist for "Mean Mister Brownsville". 

Please prove some of your assertions by providing:

1.  Proof that you made the three trial payments to qualify for a HAMP mortgage.

2.  Provide a Release of Federal Tax Lien document for your home at 421 S. Dwight, Dallas, TX

3.  Provide a copy of the lease you say you have with either Maria Perez or Mary S. Rey for 1205 S. St. Charles, Brownsville, TX

4.  Any evidence that I, Jim Barton, am a member of the Tea Party and the cousin of Rep. Joe Barton

This should be an easy assignment, unless you're lying.

Jim

Quintanilla's Problems Compounded~IRS Tax Lien for $244,659.99

 

by Jim Barton on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 4:38pm

     Some feel that only an alleged payoff for manipulating BISD to drop their suit against Healthsmart could save Quintanilla financially now.  While we can't be totally certain about that, it would not be wise for Escobedo and Presas-Garcia to pursue dropping the suit against Healthsmart at this point.  Facts are just now coming out.  Mary S. Rey indicates that there will be at least a Part 2 to her deposition, some of it involving the Quintanilla-Presas-Garcia relationship.
     BTW, I've not revealed my source in providing the documents about the tax lien and foreclosure.  That person or persons may reveal themselves at a later time.  I simply do not wish to claim credit for this research as I'm merely a conduit.

A SHORT ADDENDUM:

     We've displayed or linked documents that seem to indicate serious legal, tax and mortgage issues for Carlos Quintanilla.  Why is one man's finances or legal issues of any concern to us?  It is because this man is deeply entangled with the Brownsville Independent School District, a huge entity with an annual budget of over $500,000,000.  Carlos is not here out of benevolence, good will, doing research or charity.  He is here for one thing: M-O-N-E-Y.  He has a plan or scam, if you will, in place to profit from BISD.  Theoretically, how much would it be worth Ted Parker if BISD drops its $14,000,000 lawsuit against Healthsmart?  What if someone could manipulate the board, orchestrate hirings and firings to achieve a certain result?  All of this is theoretical, of course, but I'm simply trying to illustrate what COULD be in the works.  Of course, all of this has been said before by other commentators, but it seemed to be appropriate to mention it here.
       Even Quintanilla's home at 421 S. Dwight Ave, Dallas, TX, mentioned above, facing a huge tax lien is of some interest to Brownsville.  Do you remember during the Fly Frontera fiasco, former Mayor Pat Ahumada tried to distance Quintanilla from the airlines deal that was before the city commission?  "He's just the messenger!" Ahumada kept saying.  "He's not part of the company!"  Ahumada stated April 5th at the commission meeting, almost forcing Craig Grove to bring to commission's attention that the corporate headquarter's address on the Fly Frontera website was 421 S. Dwight Ave., Dallas, TX, Quintanilla's home.

Happy Thanksgiving!    Go Cowboys!

Surprise! Surprise! Con Artist Carlos Quintanilla Evidently Uses False Address in Court Deposition

 

by Jim Barton on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 8:23pm

   
     In the November 7, 2011 deposition of Mary S. Rey, a March 2010 court deposition is referenced.  In that deposition Carlos Quintanilla gives his Brownsville residency address as 1205 St. Charles, Brownsville, TX.  When pressed further, he claims to have leased the property from a Maria Perez.  Of course, there are literally thousands of women with the name Maria Perez, but the home at 1205 W. St. Charles, Brownsville, TX is owned by Mary S. Rey.
     This is not the first time an address has come back to bite Quintanilla.  During the Fly Frontera fiasco acted out at the Brownsville City Commission, then Mayor Pat Ahumada tried to put some distance between Fly Frontera Airlines and Carlos Quintanilla.  That was because it was found out that Quintanilla had a RICO felony conviction for racketeering, being convicted of trying to bilk the G. Heileman Brewing Company out of $700,000 in a kickback scheme.  Ahumada kept saying about Quintanilla.  "He's just the messenger.  He's not part of the company!"  Then it was brought out that the company website of Fly Frontera listed their corporate address as 421 S. Dwight, Dallas, TX  75211.  That was Carlos Quintanilla's home address.  So much for distancing the con artist from the con.
     Here's a bit more Quintanilla address funny business.  In a political ad evidently produced by Quintanilla for the DefeatZayasCortezPowers PAC,  the bottom disclosure listed the sender as Mary S. Rey, Treasurer/Designator, P.O. Box 1194, Olmito, TX.  Ms. Rey was not the treasurer of the PAC and she stated under court deposition that she has never owned P.O. Box 1194 in Olmito.