Adrian Pena Sentenced to Federal Prison

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that in El Paso, 37-year-old Adrian Edward Pena was sentenced to 76 months in federal prison for defrauding El Paso County and the El Paso Independent School District depriving citizens of honest services.

In addition, United States District Judge Frank Montalvo ordered that Pena pay fines amounting to $250,000 and be placed under supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term.

In December 2010, Pena pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud contained in two separate indictments (EP09CR2558 and EP09CR2759) By pleading guilty to the conspiracy charge in the first indictment, Pena admitted that between August 23, 2003, until June 14, 2006, he agreed to remodel a sitting El Paso County commissioner’s residence in return for the commissioner’s support and vote to award a vendor construction contract to his employer. Pena further admitted that instead of remodeling the residence, he paid the commissioner $1,000 in August 2004 and another $9,000 in September 2004 after county commissioners voted to pay a $382,158 invoice submitted by Pena’s employer.

By pleading guilty to the conspiracy charge in the second indictment, Pena admitted that between May 2002 and July 2007, he and his co-defendant, 41-year-old Jose Gallegos, and others conspired to pay a $13,000 bribe to an El Paso Independent School District trustee for his help in securing contracts for subcontractors on EPISD construction projects. Last month, Gallegos received a two-year federal prison term for his role in the fraudulent scheme.

This investigation—conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation—continues. Assistant United States Attorneys William F. Lewis, Jr., and Antonio Franco prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.