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Judge Abel Limas pleads guilty to racketeering charge
Former 404th state District Judge Abel C. Limas pleaded guilty to a charge of racketeering after he was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday.
Limas appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio Thursday who set a $50,000 unsecured bond.
"I feel bad for him and his family and the community of lawyers. It is never good to have one of our own indicted, especially by the feds," said attorney John Blaylock.
The racketeering charge indicates Limas profitted from some illegal act.
"Racketeering means you are in a combination with other people and you profit from some illegal act," Blaylock said.
Indictment
According to the 17-page federal indictment, Limas used the office of district judge and his position to generate money from himself and others associated with him through bribery and extortion, favoritism, improper influence, personal self-enrichment, self-dealing, concealment, and conflict of interest.
The indictment also states, four attorneys paid Limas in return for favorable judicial treatment while another person was one of Limas’ associates and served as the middleman between Limas and criminal defendants with cases pending in Limas’ court, who sought on their own initiative or through solicitation and extortion, to receive favorable treatment in their cases.
The five people are not identified in the indictment.
He served two terms as state district judge from 2000 through the end of 2008.
Limas was licensed to practice law in Texas in 1986. He also is a former police officer. Of his terms as state district judge, Limas said that he presided over more than 270 jury trials.
The former state district judge was ousted by Elia Cornejo-Lopez, who was Cameron County Court-at-Law judge, in the 2008 March Democratic Party election.
For more on this story read Friday’s Brownsville Herald.
