The principals of a company which started in Reynosa and is trying to break into the school district cafeteria business in South Texas and several local elected officials has drawn the interest of the FBI.
From what we have been able to put together, the company which has made a profitable business providing cafeteria food for numerous maquilas along the Mexican side of the river with their main office in Reynosa thought it had paid for an introduction to the Brownsville Independent School District through Ruben O'Bell who purported to represent the office of Sen. Eddie Lucio and through Brownsville Independent School District board member Dr. Sylvia Atkinson.
That company - AGM Food LLC - established an office in 2018 along Ruben Torres Blvd. and was trying to find out how to do business in South Texas, preferably with local school districts. Sources say that it was exploring setting up a food processing plant somewhere in the valley to do business.
For the past 10 years AGM had provided an average of 50,000 meals daily and prides itself in providing "better ingredients, more choices and quicker service." So why not set up a food processing service on this side of the river and try to break into the business?
Toward that end, the principals were advised to seek the assistance of Sen. Eddie Lucio. Somehow or other, the go-between was O'Bell, the administrative assistant of his son State Rep. Eddie Lucio III.
From here on it gets murky, but apparently, the vendors were also told that they needed to pay-to-play - one source said that the amount over that time had mounted to some $30,000 - and that a school board member, Atkinson's name is the most mentioned - was somehow involved in the transaction.
The scam became unraveled when the AGM's principals were told that they would be able to meet with Sen. Lucio at the Lucio Middle School and that they would be able to observe the cafeteria operation and get an introduction to the administration and staff.
But imagine their surprise when they showed up and found out that the senator was there for Sen Eddie Lucio Appreciation Day and that the administrators and cafeteria staff knew nothing of the alleged business meeting and introduction. Additionally, their suspicions were aroused when they found out AGM was not listed as a vendor with Region One, a requirement to do business with its member school districts.
The situation apparently roused the suspicion of school staff and administrators still gun shy because of the district's experience with the BISD's purchase of spoiled barbacoa from Valco in 2016, a company from Mexico that had been selling meat processed in Mexico to school districts in Region One in violation of U.S. Dept. of Agriculture prohibition of spending federal funds to pay foreign vendors.
On the day before he was to be questioned by the FBI, BISD Food and Nutrition Service director Silverio Capsitran Jr., 43, was found dead in his pickup outside his apartment Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. He had a gunshot wound to the head and the gun was in the vehicle.
Despite the fact that Lucio personally led the vendors to the Lucio Middle School cafeteria, the barbacoa background, apparently, led someone in the BISD to alert the FBI of a something similar could behappening with AGM. When the FBI agents came knocking, the alarmed principals of AGM lawyered up with attorney Trey Garza.
Garza, who refused to comment citing attorney-client confidentiality, would only say that the Asst. U.S. Atty. and FBI supervisory agents had cleared his clients of any wrongdoing.
"I have been assured that my clients did nothing wrong and were not listed as persons on interest in any crime," Garza said. "That's all I can tell you."
Atkinson, who is usually very prompt to return media inquiries, did not return calls and text messages on the subject. It is unknown whether the FBI agents have interviewed O'Bell and Atkinson into what is beginning to shape up into an apparent pay-to-play scam on the would-be BISD vendor.
Was Lucio aware of the activity going on and the payments made in his name to gain an "'introduction" and do business with the district? And was he, by personally leading the vendor to the cafeteria, play a knowing and willing role in the matter?