A federal judge on Thursday granted the Justice Department‘s request to drop two of 14 charges against Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife, both of whom were indicted last year on conspiracy and bribery charges regarding alleged ties to Azerbaijan and Mexico.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal also pushed back the couple’s trial from Sept. 22 to April 6, 2026, after the prosecution and defense requested the delay. The trial in Houston is expected to last five weeks, according to prosecutors.
The two counts that were dismissed pertained to Cuellar’s alleged violation of the federal prohibition on public officials acting as foreign agents. The dismissal comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a February memo limiting criminal charges filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The lawmaker and his wife are accused of accepting $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-owned gas and oil company and a bank in Mexico City, per the May 2024 indictment. In exchange for the bribes, Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his seat on Capitol Hill to influence U.S. foreign policy benefiting Azerbaijan and to pressure officials in the executive branch regarding measures that would advance the Mexican bank’s interests.
Cuellar and his wife have maintained their innocence. The defendants still face 12 charges for conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering.
Notably, the April 2026 trial date is set to arrive one month after the Texas primary election and one month before the runoff. Cuellar, who has held on to his House seat since 2005, is running for reelection next year.
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Former GOP Rep. Mayra Flores is challenging the embattled Democratic incumbent. Flores ran against Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) in the past two election cycles but lost both races.
Cuellar’s trial faced a previous delay last year in the months leading up to the 2024 election. If the new date holds, the trial will now take place nearly two years after he and his wife were first charged.