Houston, TX-based lobbyist for Qatar reveals campaign donations, contact with Bush School at TAMU

 A Houston, Texas-based lobbyist for Qatar filed an updated disclosure with the United States Justice Department on June 26, 2021, a search of public records revealed. 

The foreign lobbying disclosure document required under FARA, the Foreign Agent Registration Act submitted by Chase Untermeyer brings to light campaign cash donations made to two Texas elected officials and activities undertaken in conjunction with his consulting agreement with the State of Qatar.

Required under FARA a registrant such as Untermeyer must disclose compensation, campaign donations or any thing of value made from his own funds to candidates for elected office. 

For the period 1/1/2021 through 5/31/2021 Untermeyer received $75,000 in fees as a Texas advisor to the State of Qatar.

In May 2021 he made two campaign contributions; $250.00 to Houston councilman Edward Pollard and 500.00 to U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul of Texas. 

The lobbyist for Qatar disclosed his activities undertaken in accordance with his advisory role:

• Ongoing liaison between the Consulate General of Qatar and an effort by MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to obtain Qatari funding for a radiotherapy facility in Gaza,

• Ongoing local liaison for the Qatar Harvey Fund in the execution of its projects in the greater Houston area,

• Liaison between the Embassy of Qatar and principals of the Houston-Harris County Winter Storm Relief Fund in connection with an Embassy donation to the fund, and

• A series of emails and telephone calls offering Qatari subject-matter experts to the following entities: The Baker Institute at Rice University; the Bush School at Texas A&M; the Clements Center at the University of Texas; the Institute for the Study of Western Civilization at Texas Tech University; the Tower Center at Southern Methodist University; the Center for International Studies at the University of St. Thomas; the Kormetsky Center for Excellence at St. Edwards' University; the Asia Society-Texas Center and the World Affairs Councils of Houston, Dallas-Ft Worth, and Austin.

Texas A&M University receives more than $76.2 million each year to operate its branch campus in Qatar, The Washington Post reported. The Post obtained a copy of the contract and budget documents for the campus via a public records request in 2016.

Texas A&M’s campus in Qatar’s “Education City” has awarded 635 degrees in engineering fields since its establishment in 2003. It is one of six U.S. branch campuses funded by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. 

Each of the branches has a specific programmatic focus: Carnegie Mellon’s branch focuses on business and computer science, Cornell University’s on medicine, Georgetown University’s on foreign service, Northwestern University’s on communication and journalism, and Virginia Commonwealth University’s on art and design. The Post estimates that operating expenses for all six of the branches totaled $404.8 million in 2014.

Seeking public records about potential influence by the Qatar government’s funding of certain Texas A&M University programs at its campus in Education City, Al Rayyan, Qatar; earlier this week County Examiner reported a Judicial Watch announcement for the following:

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed petition for review with the Supreme Court of Texas regarding a lawsuit on behalf of its client Zachor Legal Institute under the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA), seeking records about potential influence by the Qatar government’s funding of certain Texas A&M University programs at its campus in Education City, Al Rayyan, Qatar (Zachor Legal Institute, v. Qatar Foundation For Education, Science And Community Development (No. 21-0542)

Zachor Legal Institute is a U.S.-based advocacy group dedicated to combatting the spread of anti-Semitism. Zachor made two requests under the Texas Public Information Act for information about the funding or donations made to Texas A&M by the government of Qatar and agencies and subdivisions of the government of Qatar. Qatar controversially has aligned itself with Islamic terrorists and extremists, which has placed it at odds with the United States, Israel and other U.S. allies in the Middle East.

 

Nevada lawsuit reveals Houston uses same ballot-sorting system as Clark County

Holy Presidential Election, Batman! News organizations across the country are reporting the Trump campaign suffered a huge loss in Nevada; oh really?

Here's a copy of the order from the Clark County, Nevada  lawsuit about the ballot-sorting and signature verification systems purchased in the name of "COVID" to expand the use of mail ballots in the county. 

In his order Judge James Wilson wrote :

Clark County uses an electronic ballot-sorting system, Agilis. No other Nevada county uses Agilis. Some major metropolitan areas including Cook County, Illinois; Salt Lake City, Utah and Houston, Texas use Agilis. Some other Nevada counties use other brands of ballot-sorting systems.

Registrar Gloria decided to purchase Agilis due to the pandemic and the need to more efficiently process ballot signatures. 

One of the Petitioners attorneys questioned Registrar Gloria about Agilis in an earlier case: Corona v Cegavske but never asked Registrar Gloria to stop using Agilis.

Clark County election staff tested Agilis by manually matching signatures. Clark County election staff receives yearly training on signature matching from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The last training was in August 2020.

Judge Wilson Order Clark County Lawsuit by Yvonne Larsen on Scribd

Related: 

California Gov. Newsom slammed by Superior Court Judge; bars use of COVID to change, make state law

Texas: Harris County Commissioners Court to meet Tuesday; vote canvass on agenda

Houston lobbyist for Qatar files supplement, reveals campaign cash donated and more

A Houston, Texas-based lobbyist for Qatar filed an updated disclosure with the United States Justice Department on June 29, 2020, a search of public records revealed. 

The foreign lobbying disclosure document required under FARA, the Foreign Agent Registration Act submitted by Chase Untermeyer brings to light additional campaign cash donations he made to Texas elected officials, candidates for elected office in Texas and activities undertaken in conjunction with his consulting agreement with the State of Qatar.

Required under FARA a registrant such as Untermeyer must disclose campaign cash donations or any thing of value made from his own funds to candidates for elected office. 

In amounts ranging from a high of $1000.00 to Pierce Bush, candidate for Congress to $150.00 to Michael Kubosh, Houston city council member, campaign contributions were made to:

• Raj Salhotra: candidate for Houston city council
• Edward Pollard: candidate for Houston city council (two contributions)
• Matt Barnes, candidate for Houston ISD school board
• Rodney Ellis: Harris County commissioner
• Brenda Stardig: candidate for Harris County commissioner
• Dan Crenshaw: United States Congressman
• Justin Ray: candidate for Texas State Representative

FARA also requires registrants to disclose any activities for or rendered any services to the State of Qatar. Those activities included:

1. Preliminary planning on a trip to North Texas by Ambassador Meshal al-Thani.
2. Preliminary planning on a Texas trip by Mohammed al-Sowaidi, head of the US office of the Qatar Investment Authority. 
3. Advice to Rashid al-Dehaimi, consul general of Qatar in Houston, on charitable contributions. 
4. Proposed names of persons to be invited to Qatar-sponsored events. 
5. Liaison to the staff the Qatar Harvey Fund. 

Detail of phone calls, office visits, fundraisers and meetings on behalf of the State of Qatar included:

• Meeting staff of Texas Congressional members to support funding for the National Endowment on the Humanities
• Breakfast meetings with Ed Pollard, Houston city council candidate to discuss Pollards' campaign and plans once on council and facilitate introductions to Houston auto dealer Alan Helfman
• Remarks givien to the West Houston Teen Summit to support event sponsor State Rep. Jim Murphy
• A call from Rodney Ellis to discuss Qatari aid to Houston
• Discussion over voting methods with State Rep. Sarah Davis
• A conference call with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee about vaccines
• A December 2019 meeting with Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush
• An office visit with Congressman Michael McCaul

For these and other activities on behalf of the State of Qatar, Mr. Untermeyer received $90,000.00 in fees between December 5, 2019 and May 15, 2020.

Read the entire Supplemental Statement here.

ICE Houston deports three illegal aliens wanted for homicide in Mexico

While Harris County, Texas residents were distracted by mandatory mask-wearing orders issued by a child county executive, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Removal Operations in Houston sent three illegal aliens ---adios fellas---back to Mexico where they are all wanted for homicide.

“These individuals fled Mexico to escape prosecution for their alleged crimes and have continued to engage in criminal activity here in the U.S.,” said Paul McBride, acting field office director of ERO Houston.

 "By working together with our foreign law enforcement partners, we have safely returned them to their home country where they will stand trial for their alleged crimes and made our community safer.”

From the ICE press release:


HOUSTON — Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Houston, Texas, removed three fugitives Wednesday wanted for homicide in Mexico.

Alfredo Medina-Martinez, 29, Guillermo Vazquez-Saenz, 51, and Eduardo Antonio Perez Don Juan, 53, all citizens of Mexico, were escorted to the Laredo, Texas, Port of Entry where they were presented to Mexican law enforcement authorities.

Medina-Martinez is wanted by Mexican authorities for homicide. Vazquez-Saenz and Perez Don Juan are wanted for aggravated homicide.

Medina-Martinez has been removed from the U.S. to Mexico on three previous occasions; Jan. 5, 2019; Feb. 27, 2019; and May 10, 2019. He was ordered removed by an immigration judge Dec. 30, 2018. Medina-Martinez was convicted of illegal entry Jan. 2, 2019, and illegal reentry Feb. 26, 2019, and Oct. 15, 2019. He is a documented member of the Mexicles, a Mexican street gang allied with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Vazquez-Saenz, a documented member of the Zetas Drug Cartel, was administratively removed from U.S. to Mexico May 14, 2013. On Jan. 22, 2018, he was encountered by immigration officials after illegally reentering the U.S. An immigration judge ordered him removed from the U.S. to Mexico Aug. 24, 2018. He was convicted of escaping from custody July 15, 2002, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and driving while intoxicated in Collin County (Texas) June 2, 2006.

Perez Don Juan has previously been removed from the U.S. to Mexico on four occasions; April 17, 1999; Oct. 25, 2002; March 25, 2004; and Dec. 10, 2009. He has multiple criminal convictions in the U.S. including a conviction for attempted burglary in Dekalb County (Georgia) June 26, 1998, illegal reentry March 24, 2003, driving while intoxicated in Galveston County (Texas) Nov. 30, 2009, and illegal reentry March 27, 2020.

Read it all here.

Falsely stating to Feds you'll use Hurricane Harvey $$ to repair your home can land you in hot water

Falsely stating to the Feds that you'll use Hurricane Harvey funds to repair your damage when that's not what you did with the $$ will land you in some deep doo-doo.

He pled guilty to using the Presidential Declaration issued in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey to make materially false, fictitious and and fraudulent statements to the Small Business Administration in an applicant for benefits to repair his damaged property.

But alas.

From the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas:

HOUSTON ‐ A Houston area man has entered a guilty plea to money laundering in connection with his scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA), announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. 

Robert Kaitho, 56, entered his guilty plea today before U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen.

Kaitho applied for government assistance in reference to property damage sustained in Hurricane Harvey. In that application, he falsely represented to the SBA that he would use the disbursed funds to rehabilitate or replace the affected property. 

As a result of his misrepresentations, the SBA disbursed a federally-funded disaster loan to Kaitho for $71,100, all of which was deposited into his personal bank account. 

As part of his plea, Kaitho admitted he used the SBA funds to make unauthorized wire transfer payments, in the amounts of $10,000 and $15,000, to a mortgage company. Kaitho also acknowledged he used funds transferred into his account to make a $30,633.00 wire transfer payment to an individual located in Kenya, another unauthorized expenditure.

Judge Hanen accepted the plea today and set sentencing for June 1. At that time, Kaitho faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine. Kaitho was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

Texas State Senator Bettencourt after reading TEA report calling for State takeover of the Houston Independent School District.

Houston, TX - Texas State Senator Paul Bettencourt made the following statement on Friday November 1 after reading the Texas Education Agency report calling for a State takeover of the Houston Independent School District.

From his press release:

The report highlights a wide range of ongoing issues, including flagrant violations of the Open Meetings Act, HISD Trustees intentionally misleading TEA investigators, and ongoing procurement problems as major reasons for the State to step in. The TEA Special Investigative Unit reported to the Commissioner for the accreditation status of HISD to be lowered, a conservator to be appointed, and a Board of Managers to replace the existing HISD Board of Trustees.

"This is a real recognition of the obvious, and what I have been saying for well over a year,” said Senator Bettencourt (R-Houston). “When a school district Board of Trustees continues to have chronically failing schools and board members that are unable to function together under the laws of Texas, the State has an obligation to step in on behalf of the 200,000 students, families, and the Houston community.”

The TEA Report highlighted several particularly troublesome issues that took place at HISD:

1) Board Member Davila threatened a Senior Administrator with their job unless they removed a contract from consideration after the procurement process, because they wanted a Dallas firm to get the work.

2) Board Member Davila met with a Senior HISD Administrator to strategize a way to have bond contracts cancelled and rebid, to steer it to her preferred choice. "Again trustee Davila demonstrates clearly out of bounds behavior, as documented in this report," Senator Bettencourt added.

3) HISD manipulated contract procurement rules through the abuse of Job Order Contracts and multiple change orders. The district not only intentionally split Job Order Contracts to avoid the $500,000 limit, in violation of the law, they approved multiple change orders to projects subsequently increasing the cost of projects showing fraudulent behavior that contributes to a lack of transparency. (see attached)

4) The Board of Trustees violated the Open Meetings Act by meeting in secret to replace the acting Superintendent. (See October 2018 Bettencourt press release: https://bit.ly/34iAhbJ)

5) Some Board Members made deceptive statements to the TEA investigators as part of this investigation through omission or by making inconsistent statements.

6) A Trustee gave non-public information to an HISD vendor in violation of district policy.

Senator Bettencourt continued, “This reported list of gross violations of law and board policy by the HISD Board of Trustees is quite shocking! It is the actions of the Board of Trustees whose secret meetings have made a mockery of the Open Meetings Act, routinely violated ethics rules and procurement procedures, and then doubled down by making misleading statements to the TEA investigators. There are multiple reasons for the TEA Commissioner to replace the Board of Trustees with a Board of Managers.”

Does Texas Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia still want to "Abolish ICE"? Visa overstay sentenced on child pornography charges

An investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force led to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston securing a guilty plea from a Mexican man for the receipt and possession of child pornography. 


Now Houston, Texas residents must ask themselves; "does Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia really want to Abolish ICE?"

On June 24, 2019 Houston Talk Radio personality Ken Webster posted a video of Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia marching in the Houston PRIDE parade holding a banner that read "Abolish ICE" noting:

From the ICE press release:

"ICE is an organization that stops human trafficking and captures people guilty of heinous crimes, including child pornographers, rapists and murderers, but Sylvia would apparently prefer those people walk free, as she's openly advocating to abolish the institution that arrests a countless number of criminals every year."

Fast forward to October 22, 2019 when both U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement ---that would be ICE----- and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston issued dual press releases announcing the guilty plea and sentencing of a non-U.S. citizen on child pornography charges.

 "A 54-year-old Mexican man who illegally remained in the United States after his temporary visa had expired was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Tuesday for receiving and possessing child pornography.  

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. 

Alberto Bernal Garcia, who illegally resided in Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to the criminal charges April 16. He was sentenced to 10 years each for the receipt and possession convictions, respectively. These sentences will run concurrently.  

Garcia legally entered the United States from Mexico on a temporary visa in 1997. However, he overstayed that visa.  Following his release from federal prison, he is expected to face removal proceedings."

Let's see Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia defend her "Abolish ICE" position. 

Oh sure, there's virtually no chance Garcia will be ousted come the November 2020 elections. Representing Texas' 29th Congressional District, although it's solid blue President Donald Trump and other America First Congressional candidates within Harris County Republican circles can blast the movement calling to Abolish ICE and point to Garcia as a local example of an elected official supporting a policy protecting child pornographers from deportation.

Houston businessman sentenced in H2-B foreign worker visa scam

The United States Attorney's office in the Southern District of Texas announced on Wednesday that a Houston businessman was sentenced in federal court on six counts of making false statements and false representations made on government forms to procure foreign workers under the H2-B visa program they did not need.

According to the press release a 45 -year old Houston man named Marco Pesquera pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud Jan. 3, 2019 and on September 4 was sentenced  to 38 months in prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. He was further ordered to forfeit $5 million in a money judgment and his Houston residence.

Three other individuals; Norma Linda Vega, 46 of Houston, Saul Atkinson, 47, of Brownsville, and Gwendolyn Saldivar, 41, of Snellville, Georgia were also charged and have pleaded guilty.

At the time of plea, Pesquera admitted that from approximately 2011 to January of 2018, he and his co-conspirators utilized legitimate and fictitious companies to petition for H-2B visas. Pesquera recruited and paid individuals to petition for visa workers they did not need and then utilized the foreign workers to fulfill labor contracts. 

“Pesquera and his co-conspirators defrauded the DOL’s H-2B program by filing false documentation to obtain visas for more than 1000 foreign workers to work in the U.S illegally,” said Grell. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue those who defraud worker visa programs for their own personal gain.”

Pesquera’s business, Pangea Enterprises Inc., contracted with large industries to provide labor and profited by paying foreign workers an hourly wage well below the contract rate.

Pesquera and his co-defendants utilized false documents that included contracts, tax forms, web sites and fictitious phone numbers and business addresses to facilitate the fraud. 

Pesquera also admitted to obstructing the investigation by creating false documents in response to a federal subpoena.

These sentences come a few weeks after the U.S. Department of Labor announced a California -based employer and their H-2B visa agent in Texas paid back wages stemming from violations of the H2-B visa program and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)