EL PASO, Texas — A former county administrator pleaded guilty to fraud and detailed a corruption scheme in which campaign donations or all-expenses-paid trips could secure lucrative county contracts.
John Travis Ketner, the former chief of staff to El Paso County Judge Anthony Cobos, admitted to federal charges and claims he was hired specifically to solicit bribes from vendors looking to win or keep contracts.
He filed an 18-page document in federal court describing how a campaign donation, cash payment or all-expenses-paid trip to New York could secure a lucrative taxpayer-funded county contract.
The FBI has already raided the offices of Cobos, two county commissioners, and other local officials.
The probe is part of a larger investigation made public last year that has included a local charity and school districts.
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Local authorities not involved in the scandal said they fear that county business will be upended if Ketner's claims lead to numerous indictments.
Ketner pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges last Friday in federal court in San Antonio. It was unclear when he would be sentenced or if he was in custody because U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo has sealed all court records in the case, except for Ketner's description.
Ketner alleges that Cobos, a first-term county judge described only by title in court records, hired him in January at the behest of another local lawyer specifically to solicit bribes from vendors looking to win or keep county contracts.
Meetings to ask for or receive campaign contributions of $1,000 to $2,000 and undisclosed cash payments or trips were held in restaurants, county offices and at least once inside a small office bathroom, Ketner claims.
He also claims the scheme included rigging the computer system that assigns judges to cases in county court as far back as 2004.
Ketner's office and home telephone numbers were disconnected this week and he could not be reached for comment. It is unclear if he has hired an attorney.
Cobos has previously denied any wrongdoing, suggesting that the probe is politically motivated. His lawyer, David Botsford in Austin, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
