Hector Javier Villarreal // Smith County Jail Photo
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Texas and U.S. authorities are trying to seize $20 million worth of properties from the former treasurer of the Mexican border state of Coahuila.
Hector Javier Villarreal is wanted on charges of money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity in Bexar County.
Authorities say he bought a strip mall, a 4,000-square-foot home, a storage center and other San Antonio properties with embezzled money.
In Mexico, he's accused of falsifying documents to borrow $222 million on the state's credit -- then shuffling the money to relatives in the United States.
The San Antonio Express-News reports that federal prosecutors filed lawsuits last week seeking forfeiture of a dozen properties.
Authorities also are seeking forfeiture of properties owned by Villarreal's relatives in the Rio Grande Valley.
His whereabouts are unknown.
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