Texas jury finds mayor not guilty in deposit of $26,000 city check to personal account

Texas jury acquits mayor in lost check case

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A jury has acquitted Brownsville’s mayor of theft and other charges surrounding the deposit of a city check into his personal account.

Jurors found Pat Ahumada Jr. not guilty Wednesday of felony theft, abuse of official capacity and misapplication of fiduciary property.

The $26,139 check issued in October 2008 to a New York vendor ended up in the mayor’s personal business account.

Ahumada has denied he stole the check. His attorneys have said the deposit was an accident.

But prosecutors have said Ahumada was desperate for money.

A message left with a spokesman for Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos wasn’t returned Wednesday.

Brownsville is about 275 miles south of San Antonio.