Rudy DelgadoThe Fall of Judge Rudy Delgado: Ex-Jurist to Report to Prison
The State Bar of Texas is moving to disbar ex-Judge Rudy Delgado, who was convicted in a judicial bribery case, and Noe Perez Jr., the attorney who admitted to bribing the judge.
November 18, 2019 at 11:05 AM
4 minute read
As the South Texas ex-judge—and the attorney who bribed him—prepare to report to federal prison Tuesday, they are both facing new attorney discipline cases that seek their disbarment.
The State Bar of Texas' Commission for Lawyer Discipline filed compulsory discipline petitions to disbar former judge Rudy Delgado, who will serve five years in prison, and Edinburg solo practitioner Noe Perez Jr., sentenced to two years.
Compulsory discipline matters, heard by with the Texas Board of Disciplinary Appeals, are a streamlined process to suspend or disbar attorneys who've been convicted of certain crimes.
The bar's Oct. 30 petition in Delgado's discipline case alleged the ex-judge's convictions in the judicial bribery case were both intentional and serious crimes under the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure. Because Delgado is appealing his conviction, the discipline commission asked the disciplinary board to suspend his law license for now. If he loses the appeal, the commission wants him disbarred.
Noe Perez Jr.
Likewise, the discipline commission alleged that Perez's single guilty plea for conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds is an intentional and serious crime under the disciplinary procedure rules. Perez's judgment is already final, and therefore, the commission wants the board to disbar him.
The disciplinary appeals board is scheduled to hear both cases in late January 2020.
Delgado, formerly the judge of Hidalgo County's 93rd District Court, took bribes from Perez in exchange for favorable rulings such as granting personal bonds for release from jail, dismissing charges or dismissing whole cases. Usually, the bribes were for $250, although once it was for $5,500 and another time, the lawyer gave Delgado a truck worth $15,000.
In July, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas found Delgado guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, obstruction of justice, three counts of federal program bribery and three counts of Travel Act violations. He is appealing the convictions.
In September, Delgado was sentenced to five years in prison and Perez was sentenced to two.
Delgado's criminal-defense attorney, Michael McCrum, owner of the McCrum Law Office in San Antonio, wrote in an email that he's not representing Delgado in the attorney discipline case.
"He is appealing the conviction and Judge is scheduled to appear at a federal correctional unit soon to begin serving his sentence. It would appear to me to be a waste of time to proceed on disbarment before the appellate process has run its course," said McCrum.
Edinburg solo practitioner Jesus Contreras, who represents Perez, didn't return a call seeking comment.
McAllen solo practitioner Pat Nitsch is applauding the bar's move to disbar Perez. Nitsch grew upset seeing Perez at the courthouse representing clients, even while Perez awaited sentencing on his guilty plea. He had asked the bar to suspend Perez's law license in the meantime.
"That is good news," Nitsch said. "My belief is they should have done that, with respect to Noe, a long time ago."
Related stories:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Akin, Baker Botts, Vinson & Elkins Are First Texas Big Law Firms to Match Milbank Bonuses
4 minute read
Anticipating a New Era of 'Extreme Vetting,' Big Law Immigration Attys Prep for Demand Surge
6 minute read
Revenue Up at Homegrown Texas Firms Through Q3, Though Demand Slipped Slightly
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Judge Denies Sean Combs Third Bail Bid, Citing Community Safety
- 2Republican FTC Commissioner: 'The Time for Rulemaking by the Biden-Harris FTC Is Over'
- 3NY Appellate Panel Cites Student's Disciplinary History While Sending Negligence Claim Against School District to Trial
- 4A Meta DIG and Its Nvidia Implications
- 5Deception or Coercion? California Supreme Court Grants Review in Jailhouse Confession Case
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
