Former Texas trooper imprisoned for to lying to FBI

McALLEN, Texas – A 36-year-old Pharr resident has been sentenced for lying to federal authorities during a drug investigation, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Pablo Talavera Jr., former Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper, pleaded guilty Aug. 28.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Talavera to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard opposing arguments regarding the appropriate sentence. Judge Alvarez imposed a greater sentence due to Talavera’s position as a law enforcement officer when he committed the offense. 

In 2019, law enforcement initiated an investigation targeting an organization responsible for the transportation of multi-kilogram quantities of meth, heroin and cocaine from the Rio Grande Valley to Tennessee. Talavera’s father was the organization’s leader.

The investigation revealed Talavera used his position as a DPS trooper to assist his father by running license plates of vehicles believed to be that of law enforcement. Talavera initially lied to authorities. He ultimately admitted to assisting his father, who is now serving 21 years in federal prison.

Talavera was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the Texas Rangers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Salazar prosecuted the case.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.