A federal judge heard testimony from one of the "phantom employees" in the Sylvia Handy case.
Dressed in a yellow suit, Handy appeared in a continuation of a sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Hinojosa in McAllen at 2 p.m Monday.
The former Hidalgo County Pct. 1 commissioner faces federal prison time after she admitted earlier this year to harboring illegal immigrants and making a false statement on a tax return.
Judge Hinojosa heard testimony from Beatriz Adriana Garcia-Caudillo, an illegal immigrant from Matamoros.
Garcia-Caudillo testified that Handy hired her as a maintenance worker despite the fact that Handy knew Garcia-Caudillo was an illegal immigrant.
Handy allegedly told Garcia-Caudillo's father that Garcia-Caudillo could get the job if Garcia-Caudillo used a legitimate social security number and identification information.
Garcia-Caudillo testified that she used the social security numbers and information for three relatives who were American citizens during the course of her employment with Hidalgo County, which lasted several years.
Authorities learned about the situation in the "phantom employee" scandal.
Garcia-Caudillo testified that Handy asked her to take the blame and that Handy drafted a letter, which she had Garcia-Caudillo retype on a computer.
When that failed, Garcia-Caudillo testified that Handy had her lie to FBI agents.
Judge Hinojosa took a break shortly after 4 p.m. but court testimony is expected to resume with testimony from another phantom employee.
Action 4 News will provide updates as they become available.
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