(C) El Paso Matters.org This story was originally published by El Paso Matters.org and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . 2 Socorro trustees face criminal charges; wife of 1 also charge [1] ['Robert Moore', 'Claudia Lorena Silva', 'More Robert Moore', 'More Claudia Lorena Silva', 'El Paso Matters', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar'] Date: 2024-05-09 Socorro school board members Pablo Barrera and Ricardo “Richard’ Castellano were arrested Thursday on charges that appear to be related to official duties. Castellano’s wife, Gabriela, a former teacher in Socorro Independent School District, also was arrested. The nature of the charges appear to be related to official duties. Ricardo and Gabriela Castellano each face two charges of obstruction or retaliation. Each was released on $4,000 bond. Barrera was booked Thursday on four counts of obstruction or retaliation, two counts of official oppression, one count of improper influence, and one count of coercion of a public servant or voter. He was freed on bonds totaling $6,000, jail records show. Thee Castellanos and Barrera were part of a controversial conversation recorded by the wife of a fellow trustee in which they demeaned school employees. Barrera was recorded boasting, “We’re school board gods” to Ricardo Castellano. The Aug. 10, 2021, recording was made by Gabriela Castellano, and she uploaded the 33-hour audio file to the Socorro computer system as part of a complaint against the principal at the school where she taught. El Paso Matters obtained the audio file through a public records request. The recording triggered a Texas Rangers investigation. The date of offense listed for the Castellanos couple was Aug. 21, 2021, 11 days after the recording. The dates of Barrera’s alleged offenses were May 30, 2022, and July 1, 2022. An official at the District Clerk’s Office said court files for Barrera and the Castellanos were not immediately available, so the specifics of the charges could not immediately be determined. Under Texas law, oppression or retaliation occurs when a person “intentionally or knowingly harms or threatens to harm another by an unlawful act” in retaliation for another action or to prevent or delay the service of a public servant or witness. It is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Official oppression occurs when a public servant, acting under the color of his office, “denies or impedes another in the exercise or enjoyment of any right, privilege, power, or immunity, knowing his conduct is unlawful. It is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Gabriela and Ricardo Castellano, center, watch as Nate Carman speaks after being named the sole superintendent finalist for the Socorro Independent School District on Feb. 21, 2022. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters) Coercion occurs when a public servant uses his or her authority to influence a public servant or voter to violate a known legal duty. It also is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail and $4,000 fine. Improper influence occurs when a person “privately addresses a representation, entreaty, argument, or other communication to any public servant who exercises or will exercise official discretion in an adjudicatory proceeding with an intent to influence the outcome of the proceeding on the basis of considerations other than those authorized by law,” according to Texas statutes. It also is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail and $4,000 fine. Barrera is a retired Border Patrol agent and Ricardo Castellano is a retired El Paso police lieutenant. Both were elected by narrow margins in 2021 in an election that changed the balance on the school board, which had supported Superintendent Jose Espinoza. He resigned shortly after the election. The arrest is the latest problem for the Socorro Independent School District. The Texas Education Agency recently appointed conservators to oversee the administration and school board because of governance issues. The district is in the process of making substantial budget cuts because of deficits, and is searching for a superintendent following the departure of Nate Carman. Barrera’s wife, Angelica Ramirez, was arrested last year on charges of filing a false police report after getting into an argument with the principal and a teacher at Hueco School. [END] --- [1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2024/05/09/sisd-trustee-pablo-barrera-arrested/ Published and (C) by El Paso Matters.org Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/elpasomatters/