Former Buda Chamber president pleads to federal charges

On March 5, 2024, former Buda Chamber of Commerce Board president Mina Colin Strother pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in the United States District Court Southern District of Texas.

According to the plea agreement signed by Strother, he agreed to cooperate with the United States to provide all information relating to any criminal activity known to him, “including but not limited to, conspiring to launder proceeds of a criminal activity, namely bribery.”

Strother, a resident of Buda, owns and operates Strother & Company, which is a political consulting company also based in Buda. From the period of February 2016 through at least December 2019, the consultant acted as campaign manager and chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.

According to the plea, Henry, who is described in the agreement as “Co-Conspirator 1,” approached Strother in February 2016 and requested that he meet with “Co-Conspirator 3” also known as consult Florencio “Lecho” Rendon.

At the meeting, Strother says that Rendon asked him to “participate in a project to test and certify a fuel additive … so that it could be sold in the United States.” Strother further alleges that Rendon agreed to pay him $11,000 per month, with the condition that Strother made $10,000 monthly payments to Henry’s spouse, Imelda Cuellar, or “Co-Conspirator 2.”

On Feb. 27, 2016, Rendon emailed Strother, stating he was “interested in retaining your consulting services” and requesting an invoice for “an initial payment of $22,000.”

The plea agreement further lays out payments made from Rendon to Strother on approximately a monthly basis from March 2016 through December 2017, totaling $242,000, $214,890 of which was paid to Henry as set forth by the agreement between Rendon and Strother.

Strother stated that, in the beginning, he believed the project was legitimate. However, neither Rendon nor Imelda “performed any legitimate work on the project.” Therefore, Strother says he eventually stopped making any effort to advance the project. Based on his experience, Strother concluded that the project was “a sham.”

“Strother understood that the true purpose of the payments that he received from Co-Conspirator 3 and passed through to Co-Conspirator 2 was to funnel money to Co-Conspirator 1 without Co-Conspirator 1 having to disclose it in his publicly filed annual financial disclosures,” the plea agreement says. “However, based on the entirety of the circumstances presented to Strother, Strother understood that the funds … were obtained through unlawful activity, namely, bribery.”

Rendon made his final monthly payment to Strother in December 2017. However, in March 2018, Rendon made two additional payments of $7,000 and $5,000. In furtherance of his agreement with Rendon and Henry, on Nov. 15, 2018 and Dec. 14, 2018, Strother made payments of $7,500 each to Imelda.

Strother made two more payments to Imelda, on June 13, 2019 and Dec. 2, 2019, in the amounts of $3,000 and $3,500, respectively. In total, the plea agreement says Strother was paid $261,000, of which he paid $236,390 to Imelda’s company.

“Strother did so with the understanding that the funds Co-Conspirator 1 received from Co Conspirator 3, funneled through Strother, were obtained through unlawful activity, namely, bribery,” the agreement concludes.

“Colin is a good and decent man and has always cooperated with the government,” criminal defense attorney Michael McCrum told the San Antonio Express-News. “He wants nothing more than for truth and justice to see the light of day.”

In addition to the plea agreement Strother signed, Rendon signed a plea of his own.

On April 30, 2024, Henry and Imelda were indicted on charges of accepting bribes from Azerbaijan’s state-run oil and gas company and a Mexican bank.

Strother faces up to five years in prison and a fine of not more than $250,000 or twice the financial gain or loss, whichever is greater. He is set to be sentenced on July 25, 2024.