The former director of a West Texas nonprofit organization has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for conspiring to embezzle federal funds. A judge also fined Cirilo Lara Madrid $100,000 in the harshest sentence yet in a corruption case involving El Paso public officials and local businessmen.
A federal jury in El Paso had found the former Aliviane chief executive guilty in December of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to embezzle and theft of federal program funds.
Evidence presented at trial showed Madrid and others paid $24,000 in bribes to El Paso County Judge Dolores Briones for her help with a 5-year, $9 million contract to evaluate a health program for mentally disturbed children. Madrid submitted fraudulent reports to reflect the project was meeting its goals.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.