Former Mexican governor gets 9 years for using bribes to buy luxury properties in U.S.

Former Mexican Gov. Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba has been sentenced to nine years in prison for taking more than $3.5 million in illegal bribes that he fraudulently used to buy real estate in the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. announced in a statement. News release.

A district judge sentenced Yarrington, a former governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas and a one-time presidential candidate, to 108 months in prison. The 66-year-old man, who is not a U.S. citizen, is expected to be deported after his incarceration, according to prosecutors.

During his tenure as governor from 1999 to 2005, Yarrington took bribes from individuals and private companies to do business with the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico, prosecutors said.

Yarrington used front men to purchase real estate and luxury goods in the United States to conceal Yarrington’s ownership and illegal bribe money used to purchase them. Among the things he bought were “beachfront condominiums, large properties, commercial developments, airplanes and luxury vehicles,” prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the notorious politician was caught by authorities in Italy in April 2017 while traveling under a fake identity and a fake passport. Yarrington was eventually extradited to the United States in April 2018, where he will remain in custody pending his transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, according to prosecutors.

During his sentencing, the court said Yarrington violated his oath of office, undermined Mexico and promoted criminal activity.

Even if you are the governor of a Mexican state, we will not remain silent when you misuse your position to line your own pockets and violate the laws of the United States. US Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a statement. “Today’s prison sentence for Yarrington is the result of a multi-year, multi-agency international investigation spanning two continents that has brought a corrupt politician to justice.”