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FEDERAL COURT
PUBLIC EDUCATION
Man tied to Zetas guilty
ZCISD’s new leader Trustees hire former teacher as superintendent THE ZAPATA TIMES
By JASON BUCH & GUILLERMO CONTRERAS SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — A man arrested two years ago hiding out from the notorious Zetas drug gang in a North Side gated community pleaded guilty to money laundering Monday in exchange for a 2 ½ year prison sentence. Antonio Peña Arguelles, 58, a Laredo businessman and rancher who was accused of acting as an intermediary between drug traffickers and Mexican politicians, admitted to laundering dirty money from Mexico in a San Antonio federal court. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia sentenced him to a prison term well below what federal guidelines recommended, and most of which he’s already served. Peña pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to launder money, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. As prosecutor Charlie Strauss prepared to read from a five-page factual basis, part of a plea agreement filed under seal, that outlined Peña’s crimes, defense attorney Gerry Goldstein jumped in to say his client had read the document and agreed to it. “In brief, (the factual basis) shows Mr. Peña accepted money from controlled substances and made deposits on behalf of other persons, and laundered those proceeds,” Strauss said. Goldstein added that the plea agreement also states Peña laundered “proceeds of other illegal conduct.” Neither Goldstein nor Strauss would elaborate after the hearing. Goldstein would only say, “Mr. Peña and his counsel are very satisfied with the outcome.” A court document filed Monday, however, states that Peña laundered the proceeds of drug sales, bribery and theft. Peña, who owns large ranches in northern Mexico and invested in U.S. companies and real estate, is a wellknown figure in Laredo, where he moved in powerful circles and donated to local political campaigns. The case against him is part of a much larger investigation into alleged laundering of drug money and funds stolen from the border state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas from Laredo to the Gulf of Mexico. Prosecutors in Brownsville have charged former Tamaulipas governor Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba with racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering and financial crimes. In a lengthy indictment filed last year, they accused him of organizing state police to collect bribes from drug traffickers, negotiating a peace between two gangs in exchange for a percentage of their business and taking kickbacks
See PLEA PAGE 10A
A former UISD teacher has been hired as superintendent of Zapata County Independent School District. ZCISD trustees voted unanimously late Monday to hire Raul Leonidas Nuques as superintendent of the district, which enrolled about 3,600 students and had about 515 staffers last school year. He replaces Norma
Garcia, who left the district in December. Trustees gave Nuques, director of special education at NUQUES Austin ISD, a three-year employment contract. His first day is set for
April 23. Nuques will be paid an annual base salary of $128,000, according to ZCISD attorney Stephen Trautmann Jr. He’ll also receive each year $7,200 for business expenses and $2,112 for health insurance, Trautmann said. He added that Nuques will get a one-time stipend of $3,500 for moving expenses. On March 6, ZCISD trustees named Nuques as the lone final-
ist for the superintendent position. “My next step and final step is to plan to settle in Zapata,” he said in response to being named the finalist, adding that he used to fish there when he was a student at TAMIU. “Overall it’s a great district. People are very friendly … (and) the board members are open-mind-
See ZCISD PAGE 10A
IMMIGRATION
BORDER FENCE MASS
Photo by Matt York | AP
Cardinal Sean O’Malley leads Mass on Tuesday along the international border wall in Nogales, Ariz. A delegation of Roman Catholic leaders celebrated Mass along the U.S.-Mexico border to raise awareness about immigration and to pray for policy changes.
Catholic bishops aim to highlight immigrants’ plight By BRIAN SKOLOFF ASSOCIATED PRESS
NOGALES, Ariz. — Roman Catholic leaders made a rare visit to the border and celebrated Mass on Tuesday in the shadow of the fence sepa-
rating the U.S. and Mexico, offering Holy Communion through the steel barrier to people on the Mexican side as they sought to bring attention to the plight of immigrants. Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the leader of the Boston Archdio-
cese, led a delegation of bishops from around the country and Mexico in the trip to the border, less than a week after President Barack Obama discussed immigration reform in a meeting with Pope Francis. They toured the border
city of Nogales, walked along a notorious section of the border that was once a popular crossing point for drug and immigrant smugglers, and celebrated Mass just a few
See MASS PAGE 10A
COMMUNITY
Animal shelter cuts days after financial woes By ALDO AMATO THE ZAPATA TIMES
Board members from the Laredo Animal Protective Society unfortunately saw this day coming. The nonprofit animal shelter announced Tuesday that it will now close Sunday through Wednesday because of financial reasons. The contract with the City of Laredo to impound animals, as well as its funding from the city, ended in June 2012. “It is all due to funding,” said LAPS Board Vice President Susie Druker. “This is not shocking but we are in desperate need (of) monetary donations from the community. Our daily operations and expenses are getting higher and we really need the public’s help.” According to the nonprofit’s
“
This is not shocking but we are in desperate need (of) monetary donations from the community.” SUSIE DRUKER, LAPS BOARD VICE PRESIDENT
latest tax form filed in September, the organization’s revenue dropped drastically from one year to the next. In 2012, LAPS saw approximately $428,856 in total revenue, roughly $229,000 less than the year before. Druker said it costs around $2,000 to house an animal for a year, which includes vaccinations, boarding and spay/neuter. “The vaccination costs are astronomical,” she said. “If we
could find 200 people to donate monthly, that would help. I know times are tough but I think we could find at least 100 people. We’ve done fundraisers but we need as much help as we can get.” In April 2013, the organization received a $5,000 donation from the Whataburger Corporation after receiving the most votes during a promotion. LAPS Board President Cathy
Kazen said the shelter does not want to close its doors and said the latest move is to prevent LAPS from cutting staff. “We have five very dedicated employees that pour their heart and soul into the shelter every day,” Kazen said. “We do not plan on losing them. If we cut staff, that cuts down on the amount of animals we can treat.” Besides donating to the organ-
ization, Kazen said spreading awareness about the pet population is something the public could help with each and every day. “There is a huge problem when it comes to overpopulation here in Laredo,” she said. “We are doing everything we can to educate the city and county on overpopulation and stressing to residents to spay and neuter their pets. We no longer let animals go that are not spayed/neutered.” The City of Waco recently adopted a mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. “We’ve been on our own for two years and we’ve been for the most part fine,” Kazen said. “LAPS does more than just house pets. We’re here to educate the public. LAPS is not just the shelter. It’s bigger than that.”