DA's Office ok'd to proceed in prosecution of de Leon
The Texas 13th Court of Appeals has given the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office the green light to proceed in its prosecution of former District Attorney Yolanda de Leon.
The court issued an opinion Thursday stating de Leon did not demonstrate that she was entitled to her writ of mandamus, which asked that District Attorney Armando Villalobos and his office not be allowed to take her case to trial.
Although de Leon’s trial was scheduled to begin in November, it was delayed after defense attorneys Israel Cano III and Mervyn M. Mosbacker Jr. requested a legal opinion from the appellate court.
De Leon faces criminal charges of perjury and tampering with governmental records, in connection with allegations she released confidential government information when Peter Zavaletta challenged Villalobos for the DA seat.
Neither de Leon nor her attorneys could be reached for comment late Friday. De Leon has an unlisted telephone number and Cano no longer represents her, The Brownsville Herald was told. There was no answer at the Mosbacker residence.
"The district attorney is extremely happy with the decision of the 13th Court of Appeals," said Chief First Assistant Charles E. Mattingly Jr. in a press release. "Their decision was just and rooted in the law. Our office will not be intimidated nor will it be restricted from prosecuting any indicted individuals in Cameron County, no matter who they may have been or how important they think they are."
The district attorney’s office will be seeking a new trial date in the immediate future, officials said.
Note: An earlier version of this story accidentially excluded the word "indicted" in a quote by Chief First Assistant Charles E. Mattingly Jr. The correction is noted in this version.
