Nearly six months after being indicted on federal fraud charges, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar is now facing an attempt to remove him from office.
Former Laredo City Council member Alfonso “Poncho” Casso filed the petition to remove Cuellar in Webb County district court last week, citing the federal indictment and other misconduct allegations. Casso’s filing, which was first reported by The Laredo Morning Times, asked the court to suspend the five-term South Texas sheriff from office pending a trial that seeks to permanently remove him from the post.
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Cuellar denied all allegations outlined in the petition and “demands strict proof,” according to a response filed in court on Friday. He already pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, which were unsealed in January.
Casso’s petition largely relies on the five-count indictment, which accuses Cuellar and two…
This category refers to crimes committed by employees or insiders against their own organizations. It is often the most damaging because the perpetrator has authorized access to systems.
- Asset Misappropriation: The most common form, involving the theft of company resources. This ranges from simple “skimming” (taking cash before it’s recorded) to complex schemes involving the theft of inventory or intellectual property.
- Payroll Fraud: Employees may create “ghost employees” on the system, falsify their own timesheets to claim unworked overtime, or divert salary payments to their own accounts.
- Financial Statement Fraud: Management deliberately misrepresents the company’s financial health by inflating revenue or hiding liabilities to attract investors or meet performance bonuses.