Third person pleads guilty in connection with bribery case against Rep. Cuellar

A third person has pleaded guilty in connection with an investigation into Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, who have been charged with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities, court filings this week revealed.

A third person has pleaded guilty in connection with an investigation into Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, who have been charged with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities, court filings this week revealed. Irada Akhoundova pleaded guilty in federal court in Texas earlier this month to one count of acting as an unregistered foreign agent. She is the third person known to have entered into a plea agreement related to the case. Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, and his wife, Imelda, are facing several charges, including conspiracy, bribery, money laundering and violating a ban on public officials acting as foreign agents. According to their indictment, the bribery scheme involved Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank, and the couple used the proceeds to pay taxes, satisfy debts and spend tens of thousands of dollars at restaurants and retail stores. Court records indicate that the case against Akhoundova is related to the investigation into Cuellar and his wife, and that Akhoundova will “fully cooperate with the United States” as part of her plea agreement. CNN has reached out to Akhoundova’s attorney for comment. Her sentencing is set for September 18. Mina Colin Strother, Cuellar’s former campaign manager and former chief of staff, and Florencio “Lencho” Rendon, a political consultant and businessman from San Antonio, also have entered into cooperation agreements. They agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.