Under scrutiny: Edinburg politiquero’s indictment raises questions about campaign ties

Earlier this week, Edinburg politiquero Miguel A. Garza went before a federal judge, pleading not guilty to allegations that he participated in a kickback scheme that allegedly involved former Edinburg officials and a business owner. But while the exact nature of his role in the alleged scheme and the identities of his potential co-conspirators remain unknown, the indictment raises questions about his relationships with politicians. From September 2018 to as recently as February 2022, Garza was paid for his work on different political campaigns by four different elected officials — Ruben Ramirez, who is currently running to be the next representative for Texas’ 15th Congressional District, Hidalgo County Commissioner Ellie Torres, who is running for reelection, former Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina and former Edinburg Councilman Jorge “Coach” Salinas.

While Garza made the most money from 2018 through early 2020, elected officials continued to hire him even after FBI agents raided his home the morning of Feb. 24, 2020, a clear signal that he was under investigation. Despite that scrutiny, he went on to receive about $9,600, mostly for “contract labor,” from political campaigns from June 22, 2021 to Feb. 16 of this year. In total, he received $24,100 from campaign work since September 2018. A review of campaign finance reports showed those payments were made either directly to him or through his company, Strong Blue RGV, which he established as a sole proprietorship in March 2019, according to Hidalgo County records. The most recent campaign work for Strong Blue RGV came from the Ruben Ramirez campaign, which made three payments of $500 to Garza’s company for “consultant-field” work. The first payment was made on Jan. 6, the second on Feb. 1 and the third was on Feb. 16, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. In a statement issued Thursday, Ramirez’s campaign said they had cut ties with Garza. “The newly reported details are alarming and the campaign has terminated its relationship with Mike Garza,” the campaign said. “Corruption has no place in government and Ruben is committed to cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse in Congress.” Garza was also hired by the Ellie Torres campaign, which reported a $1,000 payment to Strong Blue RGV for “contract labor” on Nov. 8, 2021.