Texas Fire Union Requesting Outside Audit of Finances
May 16--WESLACO -- Members of the Weslaco Firefighters Association are calling in outside forces for a more thorough audit of finances after an internal investigation revealed more money unaccounted for than the union first realized.
The association launched a probe May 3 into financial discrepancies that pointed to a possible misuse of funds by President Christopher Cuellar. Cuellar quickly took responsibility for more than $1,000 that went to pay his personal cable bill, claiming it was accidental and asking members not to file charges.
The union appointed three members to investigate in more detail and discovered a number of checks paid that have no receipts or other explanation of their payments. Association Vice President Felix Sanchez declined to give the exact total of the discrepancies, but confirmed it is close to $9,000.
"It doesn't mean those checks are not legitimate, it just means there is no paper trail for them," he said. "There were some that were as recent as December/January this year and there are some from last year."
Sanchez said the union had had trouble getting in touch with its former secretary/treasurer, who had been the only person able to write checks. He declined to name that person, but others with knowledge of the union said it was Daniel Villanueva, who resigned from the department in January.
The checks were written to various business organizations. Sanchez said the committee of investigators was trying to find out if they were legitimate organizations but hit a dead end because of lack of records.
The association membership voted at a meeting Tuesday to turn the matter over to a bond company, Sanchez said.
He said the group had a bond via the International Association of Firefighters that covered the union up to $5,000, much like an insurance company. The company is expected to conduct an investigation, repay up to $5,000 of money that has been stolen or lost and then take action to recoup those funds itself.
The International Association of Firefighters had no immediate comment on what its guiding policies and procedures are for such an investigation.
It remains unclear whether any charges will be filed -- against Cuellar or anyone else. Cuellar called the meeting full of unanswered questions and said he was waiting on the results of the ongoing query.
"The guys are angry and they have every right to be," he said.
As far as his own mentality, Cuellar described himself as "nonchalant."
"Because I have no control over what's going to happen," he said. "I admitted to the mistakes I made and there was no (malicious) intent."
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Elizabeth Findell covers PSJA and the Mid-Valley for The Monitor. She can be reached at [email protected], (956) 683-4428 or on Twitter, @efindell.
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