A fired South Texas sheriff's commander whose indictment carried federal prosecutors a step closer to his boss has pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe.
Former Hidalgo County sheriff's commander Jose Padilla entered the plea Thursday in federal court in McAllen after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors. In return, drug trafficking and money laundering counts are being dropped.
Padilla admitted taking cash from a suspected drug trafficker in return for performing a variety of tasks for him and keeping him informed of law enforcement activities.
Padilla can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison July 17.
Padilla was second-in-command to longtime Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino, who resigned March 28 and pleaded guilty to money laundering April 14.
