By 
Story by TIM SULLIVAN
A federal appeals court has upheld the corruption convictions and sentences against former Hidalgo County commissioner A.C. Cuellar and one-time Weslaco businessman Ricardo Quintanilla stemming from their roles in the widespread and multi-million dollar bribery scheme surrounding the rehabilitation of the Weslaco water treatment plant.
In a decision issued last Friday, and first reported by CBS 4 News, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that each issue raised by appeal attorneys was either forfeited, or not meritorious, or both.
Cuellar and Quintanilla were convicted in January of last year on charges of bribery, money laundering, and fraud. Federal prosecutors say Cuellar accepted about $1 million in bribes in a multi-level scheme to steer lucrative contracts for the water plant rehab project to politically-favored engineering firms.
The 70-year-old Cuellar is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. Quintanilla was sentenced to 16-1/2 years.
