Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar is facing five federal felony charges after prosecutors claimed he used taxpayer-funded resources for his personal business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuellar, who is the brother of Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28), has served as sheriff since 2009 and was recently reelected in 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on bond.
The indictment claims Cuellar and his assistant chief, Alejandro Gutierrez of misusing the sheriff’s office money during the pandemic.
Sheriff Martin Cuellar of Webb County, Texas, and his assistant chief, Alejandro Gutierrez, have been indicted in a federal case accusing them of misusing sheriff’s office money during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the article, “The current Webb County sheriff and his assistant
Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar’s brother, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, indicted on federal charges for conspiring to steal taxpayer funds in a COVID era fraud scheme using office resources for a personal disinfecting business and pocketing profits. He turned himself in this… pic.twitter.com/jG7Qgc4SLQ
— PigWar (@PigWar) January 22, 2026
Prosecutors say Cuellar created a for-profit disinfecting company called Disinfect Pro Master in April 2020. They secretly used sheriff’s office staff and supplies instead of their own, according to a Justice Department press release.
The business allegedly won a $500,000 contract to clean local schools and operated “almost entirely with county employees and supplies.”
Each of the men allegedly received about $175,000 in profits, the Justice Department says.
Eric Reed, Cuellar’s defense attorney, denied any wrongdoing on his client’s part.
"The government is going to have to prove their case that whatever misconduct happened by another person was intended by the sheriff and known by him," Reed said, according to KSAT. "And they'll never be able to make that case because he did not know and was not involved."
The indictment of Martin Cuellar should surprise absolutely no one.
— Judge Tano Tijerina (@JudgeTano) January 22, 2026
For years, Webb County and Texas House District 28 have endured what many residents openly refer to as the Cuellar Crime Syndicate where a closed circle of power of last names matter more than the law, and… https://t.co/zBzFrEneK7
In a statement, Cuellar stressed that he “spent 45 years serving the State of Texas and this community with integrity and honor.”
Early in his tenure as sheriff, Cuellar faced a federal civil rights lawsuit over the death of Rafael Solis Sr., who died of asphyxiation while in the sheriff’s custody in February 2009. The medical examiner determined his death was a homicide caused by mechanical and positional asphyxiation due to physical restraints.
The plaintiffs contend that Cuellar failed to properly train and supervise jailers and that there was a pattern of tolerating abuse of detainees. Webb County settled the case for $1 million weeks before trial.
Henry Cuellar has faced his own legal troubles. He was indicted on federal bribery and conspiracy charges. However, President Donald Trump pardoned him.