Ex-Texas judge changes plea, admits to bribery
Criminal Law
A former South Texas judge who originally declared his innocence in a more than $250,000 bribery and extortion investigation hours later changed his plea and confessed to accepting payoffs.
Ex-State District Judge Abel C. Limas was arrested Thursday after the indictment in the racketeering investigation was unsealed.
Limas, 57, initially pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Felix Recio. Later Thursday he appeared before U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen and pleaded guilty in a plea agreement.
A federal grand jury indicted Limas on Tuesday accusing him of soliciting and accepting bribes and extorting as much as $257,000 from people with cases before his court, their attorneys and representatives in exchange for favorable rulings.
The former police officer, who served as a judge from 2001 through 2008, is free on a $50,000 unsecured bond.
Sentencing is set for July 5. The sentence for racketeering ranges from 10 years in prison to life behind bars, plus fines.
The indictment also accuses four attorneys and another person of involvement in the scam. They have not been indicted. The 17-page indictment did not name the lawyers and the person accused of acting as the go-between.
The U.S. attorney's office plans to seek forfeiture of at least $257,000 from Limas, who declined comment after his guilty plea.
Related listings
-
NH police: Woman who posted ad kidnapped, raped
Criminal Law 03/31/2011The New York woman posted a Craigslist ad seeking housing, saying she was looking to make a "fresh start" in New England.What she found instead, police say, was a New Hampshire town official who held her captive in his home for three days and raped h...
-
Man cleared of '72 slaying facing federal charges
Criminal Law 03/28/2011Federal authorities plan to file a sex-offender charge against a 78-year-old man who was recently acquitted of killing a blind woman in upstate New York in 1972.A state prosecutor revealed in court Monday that Willie James Kimble will be arraigned in...
-
Yale killing suspect plans to plead guilty
Criminal Law 03/16/2011An animal research technician charged with killing a Yale University graduate student days before her wedding plans to plead guilty Thursday, his attorney said. Public defender Joseph Lopez said Raymond Clark III, who was charged with strangling 24-y...
New Rochelle, New York Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP, in New Rochelle, New York, immediately. We can answer all your questions and work with you to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at our firm are determined to resolve even the most difficult of cases. We will work closely with you to determine the best course of action to get your claim or case resolved in the most efficient way possible. We will fight for your right to compensation! No one should have to suffer a financial burden from the result of another person’s carelessness. The attorneys at Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP will aggressively fight to ensure that justice is served on your behalf.