El Paso Timeline of Corruption Investigation

The City of El Paso has been investigated by the FBI’s public corruption team since 2004. The investigation began at the National Center for Employment of the Disabled (NCED), which is now known as the ReadyOne Industries. The investigation then spread to various school districts, the county and even local businessmen. The investigation began back in the summer of 2004 according to federal documents.

In November of 2005, the United States Senate began an investigation of NCED, for reputed abuses by government contractors. A second investigation is opened of NCED, this one by the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled.

In January of 2006, federal investigators arrive to investigate employment records. They are trying to find out if NCED meets federal labor requirements when using government contracts.

The president and CEO of NCED, Robert Jones, resigns in March of 2006.

Close to 65 agents from the FBI and other agencies raid the offices of NCED on May 9, 2006.

In May of 2007, the FBI searched the offices of County Judge Anthony Cobos, county commissioners Miguel Teran and Luis Sarinana, and Thomason Hospital board member Arturo Duran.

Travis Ketner, the former El Paso County chief of staff, pled guilty to three charges of conspiracy to commit mail or wire fraud and one charge of conspiracy to commit bribery in June of 2007.

Elizabeth Flores, former county commissioner, pled guilty to six charges of mail and wire fraud and also admitted to trading votes for money in July of 2007.

In August of 2008, the former El Paso independent school district board trustee, Salvador Mena Jr., is arrested by the FBI. He is charged with six counts of bribing others and accepting bribes. He would plead not guilty.

A handful of El Paso residents were indicted on RICO and fraud charges in September of 2010 for using bribes and kickbacks to acquire contracts for Access HealthSource.

Robert Jones is sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and has to payback $68 million in restitution in February of 2011. A former NCED board member, Patrick Woods, is also sentenced to three years in prison and has to pay $1.7 million back in restitution.

In August of 2011, Gilbert Sanchez and Luther Jones are sentenced to six years each in prison by United States District Court Judge Frank Montalvo.

Ketner is sentenced by Montalvo in November of 2011 but his sentence is sealed to the public.

In December of 2011, a former associate superintendent for EPISD, Tomas Gabaldon, pled guilty to mail fraud charges. It was alleged by the FBI that Gabaldon accepted bribes that would force him to award a multimillion-dollar Medicare reimbursement contract with the district for the past five years or so. Gabaldon has not been sentenced to prison time yet.