LENCHO RENDON AND JOSEPH RAMIREZ NAMED AS PEOPLE OF INTEREST IN FBI PROBE



JOSEPH RAMIREZ AND LENCHO RENDON NAMED AS PARTIES OF INTEREST BY FBI PROBE INTO THE CORRUPTION AND RACKETEERING SCANDAL OF FORMER JUDGE ABEL LIMAS AND ATTORNEY ROSENTHAL WHO RENDON AND RAMIREZ HAVE BEEN LINKED WITH IN EMAILS

By Homero Villarreal-REPRINT WITH PERMISSION OF EL DEFENZOR MAGAZINE. COPYRIGHT JANUARY 7, 2012

The FBI is investigating Joseph Ramirez and Lencho Rendon among 25 other people of interest who have emails linked to attorney Rosenthal who has been linked to former district Judge Abel Limas (404^th District Court in Brownsville, Texas).  Allegations against Rosenthal, the attorney, linking him to corruption and racketeering and “fixing cases” and giving Limas bribes have been made and indictments handed down.  As of today, FBI has seized thousands of emails and many of who come from Lencho Rendon and Joseph Ramirez who are reportedly closely linked and may have sent cases to Rosenthal who allegedly filed some of the cases with former Judge Abel Limas who then issued favorable rulings for money. Limas pled guilty last year to corruption charges.  This scandal comes at the worst time when the Democratic party is attempting to regain its footing in Nueces County and Joseph Ramirez has reportedly announced to run for Nueces County Democratic Chair.  One Nueces County precinct chair under anonymity commented, “In light of Joseph Ramirez being a target of an FBI probe and a person of interest, I think for the good of the party here in Nueces, he should step down from his run. To make matters worse, his former girlfriend had no kind words about his relationship with her and the way he treated her. All around it is bad news for the party and will bring nothing but trouble down on all of us and the party itself.”

According to the Brownsville Herald today, the federal investigation into the racketeering activities of former 404th state District Judge Abel C. Limas has expanded, and three prominent South Texas men have been brought into the inquiry, public records show.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is interested in the communications, if any, that George Gavito, Lencho Rendon or Dan Robles might have had with former Judge Limas, with Austin-based attorney Marc G. Rosenthal, and with former state Rep. Jim Solis or others.
LENCHO RENDON AND JOSEPH RAMIREZ are on a list of 25 people whose communications are of interest as part of the investigation, records show.
Rendon was the long-time chief of staff of former U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz. Robles also included on the FBI list with nephew of Rendon, Joseph Ramirez, is a former Cameron County Court-at-Law judge.
The fact that federal investigators are interested in RENDON AND RAMIREZ’ communications, among others, is gleaned from the court record in the case against Rosenthal, who is charged in a 13-count indictment alleging racketeering activity, mail fraud, tampering with a witness, tampering with a proceeding and extortion. (see link below)
The charges against Rosenthal stem from the investigation into racketeering activity by former Judge Abel Limas and others. Limas has pleaded guilty to racketeering and extortion respectively in 2011, admitting that he, Limas, received money in exchange for favorable court rulings.
Rosenthal has pleaded not guilty.
LENCHO RENDON AND JOSEPH RAMIREZ are on a list of 25 people that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has expressed an interest in, insofar as possible communications that could shed light on the inquiries.
The list is contained in a motion that Rosenthal’s attorneys filed recently in federal court.
The motion asks U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen to order the U.S. Attorney’s Office to return evidence or to stop the U.S. Attorney’s Office from using records seized from Rosenthal’s law firm, Rosenthal & Watson, P.C.
The motion states that the law firm’s records in question include scores of privileged communications.  The motion states that the U.S. Attorney’s Office seized the entire electronic database of Rosenthal’s firm from a third party.
The motion also addresses a search warrant that the U.S. Attorney’s Office sought regarding email communications to or from, between or among Rosenthal, Limas, Lencho Rendon, Joseph Ramirez and others relating to efforts or plans to bribe judges, including Limas, or paying wit-nesses for statements or testimony of any kind.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office indicated in the application for the search warrant its interest in the cases of the Estate of Alyssa Renee Rodriguez, Hamilton, et al. vs. Cooper Wiring Devices Inc., and Jesus Mario Flores, et al. vs. Esco Marine Inc.
The application for the search warrant also sought emails to, from, between, or among Rosenthal, Limas, Solis, Lencho Rendon, Joseph Ramirez and others including the 25 people.
Robles implicated with Joseph Ramirez and Lencho Rendon, who after retiring as court-at-law judge became a partner with Solis’ law firm, said he had not been aware of the document filed in federal court or that his name appeared on it.
Rendon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The name Joseph Ramirez appears below Rendon’s name on the list. According to the Brownsville Herald, Rendon has a nephew named Joseph Ramirez who has worked with Rendon and on the political campaign of former U.S. Rep. Ortiz.  It is not clear whether the former U.S. congressman will also be investigated by the FBI as he was closed linked to Rendon and Joseph Ramirez.
Ramirez also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the FBI probe or his being named as a person of interest in this racketeering and corrupt practices convictions or probe by El Defenzor. Joseph Ramirez yesterday, launched his run for Democratic chair in Nueces County and has run unsuccessfully for other offices in the past.
Federal Judge Hanen has scheduled a hearing by telephone for Monday regarding all of the emails including those of convicted Judge Limas, Lencho Rendon and Joseph Ramirez.  MORE TO COME.

http://old.brownsvilleherald.com/images/Rosenthal.pdf  (LINK TO ROSENTHAL AND RENDON AND RAMIREZ)

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/attorney-135599-expanded-texas.html