S. Texas representative indicted on tampering, perjury charges
July 20, 2009
A Travis County grand jury indicted state Rep. Ismael "Kino" Flores on Friday, accusing him of failing to disclose income, gifts and property on his state disclosure forms.
Written by EMILY RAMSHAW, The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN – A Travis County grand jury indicted state Rep. Ismael "Kino" Flores on Friday, accusing him of failing to disclose income, gifts and property on his state disclosure forms.
Flores, a Democrat from Palmview in South Texas, was indicted on 16 counts of tampering with a governmental record and three counts of perjury, accused of failing to report $847,000 in income over the last six years.
During that time, he headed the House committee that oversees gambling and alcohol licensing issues. He was stripped of the chairmanship this year.
Flores' attorney, Ray Minton, said any reporting omissions were purely accidental – not malicious, and certainly not criminal.
"I don't think anybody walking down the street would think he did anything that was evil," he said. "I don't have a week go by without some legislator realizing they have overlooked something. We'll be ready for trial whenever they are."
Flores' most recent financial disclosure form, filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, lists income from employment with the Mission school district and with Flores' business consulting firm, Atlas Consulting. He reported no gifts, no income from legal retainers, and six real estate holdings.
But an investigation by the Travis County district attorney's office and the FBI turned up hundreds of thousands of dollars in other assets.
Investigators say Flores, 50, failed to disclose interests in at least seven properties, including an Austin condo, an Austin home and a waterfront cabin in Cameron County.
They also said he failed to report gifts, including trips on a plane owned by the LaMantia family, wholesale beer distributors who are developing racetracks in South Texas. Nor did he report income his child received from HillCo Partners, an Austin lobbying firm, or an interest in a racehorse another lobbyist gave his child.
HillCo representatives did not return phone calls Friday. They have contributed $13,000 to Flores' campaign since 2007.
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