Mar 26, 2021 - World

Former Mexican governor pleads guilty to money laundering in U.S.

Oriana González

Picture of former Governor Tomas Yarrington of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and former Texas Governor Rick Perry — Former Gov. Tomás Yarrington (L) of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and former Texas Governor Rick Perry (R). Photo: Alicia Wagner Calzada/Getty Images

Former Mexican governor Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba told a federal judge in Texas he accepted $3.5 million in bribes in Mexico and used the money to fraudulently purchase property in the U.S.

The state of play: Yarrington on Thursday pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering and said he accepted the money from individuals and private companies to do business with the state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, while he was governor.

He faces up to 20 years in federal prison, per Reuters.

Background: Yarrington was detained in the U.S. in 2013 for racketeering, drug smuggling and conspiracy to commit money laundering, among other counts. He fled the U.S., was arrested in Italy in 2017 and returned to the U.S. in 2018, AP reports.

The former governor was charged in 2013 with eight counts, including drug trafficking and accepting bribes from the Gulf Cartel to facilitate the shipment of large amounts of cocaine to the U.S.

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Former Mexican governor pleads guilty to money laundering in U.S.

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