The former state governor of Chihuahua is back in Mexico where he is set to face a lengthy trial on corruption charges. Police arrested the politician in Florida in 2020 after he spent almost a year on the run.
This week, U.S. authorities and their Mexican counterparts coordinated the extradition of former Chihuahua Governor Cesar Duarte who arrived in Mexico City and has since been moved to Chihuahua. There, he is set to begin going to various legal hearings. According to the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office, Duarte is facing trial on the charges of misappropriation of public funds and engaging in organized criminal activity.
Duarte served as the governor of Chihuahua from 2010 to 2016 representing Mexico’s Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI). At least three other officials from Duarte’s administration have been arrested in connection with the case. As Breitbart Texas reported, Duarte is believed to have fled to the U.S. in 2019 when he became the target of a corruption investigation by state investigators. In 2016, Duarte faced allegations of using state funds to pay for personal loans in Spain. In a civil lawsuit, Spanish creditors tried to have his assets seized for lack of payment.
Duarte is just one of several Mexican former governors who have been arrested or are wanted by either U.S. or Mexican authorities. Former Tamaulipas Governor Tomas Yarrington (PRI) is currently awaiting a sentence in the U.S. following his conviction on money laundering charges. As Breitbart Texas reported, the politician fled to Italy to avoid arrest on multiple charges including drug trafficking for his involvement with the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas.
During his guilty plea in a U.S. federal court, prosecutors dismissed drug trafficking charges. Former Veracruz governor Javier Duarte (PRI) is currently serving time in a Mexican federal prison on embezzlement and organized crime charges. Former Tamaulipas Governor Eugenio Hernandez Flores, also from the PRI is currently in a Mexican prison in Tamaulipas fighting his extradition to Texas where he will also face money laundering charges.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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