Former Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra lost the bid for congress District 34, but is now setting his sights on taking down a high ranking official.
This time, Guerra has filed a lawsuit against Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., as well as Cameron County and several of its departments.
Guerra said that for the past 10 years, he's been trying to prove that the senator blocked access to a public county road while building or renovating his home, just outside San Benito off of San Carlos Road.
"He needs to follow the law and he needs to move his house,” Guerra said. “If I was to do that, they would go and tear my house down - this is also part of racketeering."
Lucio tells Action 4 News he is familiar with the claims and that the road Guerra if referring to, was just a right-of-way.
The senator said he filed all the necessary paperwork with the county to build near, or on the pathway in question. He’s confident that’s what will be proven in court.
"The lawsuit in my opinion is frivolous,” Lucio said. “It doesn’t have any merit (and) it really goes hand and hand with everything he's done as a public official and as a lawyer. (However,) I welcome the opportunity to go to court and once and for all, put this issue to rest."
Guerra names the county engineering department, water district, and tax office in the lawsuit. He said they all know that Lucio's home is illegally blocking the road, but have done nothing about it because they are afraid to stand up to the senator.
"Eddie Lucio is the godfather of the Valley, do not go and touch Eddie Lucio,” Guerra said. “If people like me do not stand forward, eventually the corruption will cover us and we will be doing exactly what Mexico is doing."
Lucio said Guerra’s intentions are purely to benefit himself and no one else.
"It's a frivolous lawsuit brought on by a disgruntled person, who in my opinion, wants to hurt me politically."
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