By Juan Montoya
On July 7, 2015, delinquent-tax attorneys Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP had the sheriff hold a tax resale at the steps of the Cameron County Courthouse.
There were 16 properties resold that day.
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After the time where the owners are given an opportunity to pay their taxes and reclaim the land, the three main taxing entities, the City of Brownsville, the Brownsville Independent School District, and Cameron Cameron County were asked to accept or reject the bids or offers for the properties.
Among them was one in downtown Brownsville described as 2015-071 - the rear one half (1/2) lot No. 3 in Block One Hundred and fifty-three (153) of the City of Brownsville, together with any or all improvements therein (01-0000-1530-0030-00)
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The street address, according to the Cameron County Appraisal District (CCAD), was 1242 E. Van Buren St. (rear).
The property, measuring 3,000 square feet, is located next to the law offices of Tony Martinez, Horacio Barrera, and Trey Martinez at 1206 E. Van Buren Street. According to the CCAD information on the property, it was valued at 13,500. The bid for the property was for $5,200 in cash.
On November 3, 2015, the City of Brownsville Commission met in executive session with Mayor Tony Martinez presiding, to discuss the sale of the 16 properties with city attorney Mark Sossi, on recommendation by John D. Guevara, the delinquent tax firm representative.
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After executive session, on a motion by commissioner Ricardo Longoria and seconded by commissioner Rose Gowen, the commission voted unanimously to accept the bids for the properties from the buyers. Among those who voted to sell the property for the taxes owed the BISD, the county and the city was Mayor Tony Martinez. In fact, in the tax resale deed carried his signature. (See graphic above)
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On the Tax Resale Deed field with the Cameron County Clerk's Office, the property, assigned Instrument #2015-00046460 was signed over to the buyer by Cameron County Judge Pete Sepulveda, BISD president Minerva Peña, and Tony Martinez, the mayor of the City of Brownsville.
Everything seemed to have been done right except for one thing.
The buyer turned out to be none other than the same Tony Martinez. The Tax Resale Deed (see graphic right) lists the buyer as Antonio Martinez, 1206 E. Van Buren St. who sat in on executive session to consider accepting his own bid for the property.
In fact, in the tape of the commission meeting, Martinez calls for the vote and votes unanimously to accept his own bid. (See graphic below.)
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We have seen the Cameron County Attorney Luis V. Saenz go after other elected officials for much less. As a special prosecutor, he filed charges against former Harlingen city commissioner Kori Marra in March 2011.
Marra was acquitted of one conflict of interest charge and convicted of a second charge in November 2011 in Cameron County Court-at-Law No. 3, forfeiting her seat on the City Commission with less than one year remaining on her term of office. Marra was sentenced in 2011 to 30 days in jail and fined $500.
The charge was that as a city commissioner, she participated in a vote or decision on a matter that had a special economic effect on a business in downtown Harlingen in which she had a substantial interest without first filing an affidavit stating the nature and extent of her interest in the business.
An appeals court overturned that conviction, but Marra lost her seat on the Harlingen city commission and spent time in jail.
Now, we wonder, voting to accept your own bid on a piece of property sold for delinquent taxes and getting it at less than half the assessed value would seem to us to be a slam dunk for Saenz if he decided to look into the matter. But as we've seen in the past in cases involving Marra, Ernie Hernandez, Joe Hernandez, John Chambers, Tony Yzaguirre, and Pete Sepulveda, Saenz is highly selective and prosecutes based on other considerations – some say political – than the equal application of the law toward everyone.
In fact, just two few weeks before Martinez sold himself the property, he invited Saenz to address the city commission on the issue of domestic violence on October 20, 2015.. The ambience can only be described as "chummy."
Will our DA do his job impartially this time around? Or will he allow this type of self-dealing to go unchecked while he sits in his office on the third floor of the courthouse just two blocks away from Martinez's office and the property in question?
On July 7, 2015, delinquent-tax attorneys Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP had the sheriff hold a tax resale at the steps of the Cameron County Courthouse.
There were 16 properties resold that day.
After the time where the owners are given an opportunity to pay their taxes and reclaim the land, the three main taxing entities, the City of Brownsville, the Brownsville Independent School District, and Cameron Cameron County were asked to accept or reject the bids or offers for the properties.Among them was one in downtown Brownsville described as 2015-071 - the rear one half (1/2) lot No. 3 in Block One Hundred and fifty-three (153) of the City of Brownsville, together with any or all improvements therein (01-0000-1530-0030-00)
The street address, according to the Cameron County Appraisal District (CCAD), was 1242 E. Van Buren St. (rear).The property, measuring 3,000 square feet, is located next to the law offices of Tony Martinez, Horacio Barrera, and Trey Martinez at 1206 E. Van Buren Street. According to the CCAD information on the property, it was valued at 13,500. The bid for the property was for $5,200 in cash.
On November 3, 2015, the City of Brownsville Commission met in executive session with Mayor Tony Martinez presiding, to discuss the sale of the 16 properties with city attorney Mark Sossi, on recommendation by John D. Guevara, the delinquent tax firm representative.
After executive session, on a motion by commissioner Ricardo Longoria and seconded by commissioner Rose Gowen, the commission voted unanimously to accept the bids for the properties from the buyers. Among those who voted to sell the property for the taxes owed the BISD, the county and the city was Mayor Tony Martinez. In fact, in the tax resale deed carried his signature. (See graphic above)
On the Tax Resale Deed field with the Cameron County Clerk's Office, the property, assigned Instrument #2015-00046460 was signed over to the buyer by Cameron County Judge Pete Sepulveda, BISD president Minerva Peña, and Tony Martinez, the mayor of the City of Brownsville.
Everything seemed to have been done right except for one thing.
The buyer turned out to be none other than the same Tony Martinez. The Tax Resale Deed (see graphic right) lists the buyer as Antonio Martinez, 1206 E. Van Buren St. who sat in on executive session to consider accepting his own bid for the property.
In fact, in the tape of the commission meeting, Martinez calls for the vote and votes unanimously to accept his own bid. (See graphic below.)
Marra was acquitted of one conflict of interest charge and convicted of a second charge in November 2011 in Cameron County Court-at-Law No. 3, forfeiting her seat on the City Commission with less than one year remaining on her term of office. Marra was sentenced in 2011 to 30 days in jail and fined $500.
The charge was that as a city commissioner, she participated in a vote or decision on a matter that had a special economic effect on a business in downtown Harlingen in which she had a substantial interest without first filing an affidavit stating the nature and extent of her interest in the business.
An appeals court overturned that conviction, but Marra lost her seat on the Harlingen city commission and spent time in jail.
Now, we wonder, voting to accept your own bid on a piece of property sold for delinquent taxes and getting it at less than half the assessed value would seem to us to be a slam dunk for Saenz if he decided to look into the matter. But as we've seen in the past in cases involving Marra, Ernie Hernandez, Joe Hernandez, John Chambers, Tony Yzaguirre, and Pete Sepulveda, Saenz is highly selective and prosecutes based on other considerations – some say political – than the equal application of the law toward everyone.
In fact, just two few weeks before Martinez sold himself the property, he invited Saenz to address the city commission on the issue of domestic violence on October 20, 2015.. The ambience can only be described as "chummy."
Will our DA do his job impartially this time around? Or will he allow this type of self-dealing to go unchecked while he sits in his office on the third floor of the courthouse just two blocks away from Martinez's office and the property in question?