Mexican Consulate in Dallas accused of accepting kickbacks from lawyer

10:30 AM CDT on Friday, May 8, 2009
Associated Press

A group of people who sought advice from the Mexican Consulate in Dallas allege kickbacks and corruption in a scheme to mislead them into retaining the services of two lawyers who bill themselves as the office's general counsel.

Four North Texas residents and a woman living in Monterrey, Mexico, filed a class-action lawsuit in a Dallas County court alleging the consulate referred them to Dallas attorney Pablo Alvarado and his employee, Alvino Guajardo, for legal representation they sometimes didn't need or want.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges Alvarado gave kickbacks, cash and favors to consulate employees in return for exclusively referring lucrative personal injury cases to him.

Alvarado and Guajardo did not immediately return calls and e-mails for comment Thursday.

Although referred to in the lawsuit, the Mexican Consulate in Dallas is not a defendant in the case. Consular spokesman Jesus Contreras said the office could not comment on pending litigation.

Thousands of Mexican citizens living in North Texas seek advice, documents and other services at the consulate in Dallas. But the suit alleges families are not referred to Guajardo and Alvarado because of their qualifications but because of what consular employees receive.

Although several other lawyers perform pro bono work for the consulate, they do not receive the same treatment because they don't "take care" of the consular employees like Guajardo and Alvarado, the suit alleges.

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