A federal jury found Hidalgo County resident Veronica O’Caña, 50, guilty Wednesday on charges of bribery, money laundering, and witness tampering. Prosecutors alleged she accepted the bribes to help fund her sister Patricia O’Caña’s campaign for district judge.
Patricia O’Caña was not charged in the case. She currently serves as a Hidalgo County court-at-law judge.
Prosecutors said the scheme began in 2018 when Antonio Gonzalez III, hired by Performance Services Inc., sought a lucrative energy contract with Mission Consolidated ISD. Gonzalez testified that he paid $30,000 to Veronica O’Caña and her brother Jorge O’Caña Jr. in exchange for help securing approval of the project.
According to Gonzalez, Patricia O’Caña, then president of the Mission CISD board, was expected to line up votes for the contract.
Former Mission CISD board member Roy Vela testified that Patricia and Veronica O’Caña asked him to support the energy contract and that he was able to shift board votes in its favor.
Although the board approved the project, the district’s purchasing department ultimately shelved it.
After being contacted by the FBI, Gonzalez cooperated with investigators, recording an incriminating phone call with Veronica O’Caña. Prosecutors also presented checks and multiple text messages during the trial.
Veronica’s brother, Jorge O’Caña Jr., also pleaded guilty to witness tampering in April 2026 after attempting to persuade Gonzalez not to cooperate with federal investigators.
The case is part of a broader investigation in western Hidalgo County for widespread public corruption. ValleyCentral reports that more than 20 people from the area have been arrested over the past decade, including the mayor of Peñitas and two La Joya ISD board members.
Veronica O’Caña is scheduled to be sentenced on October 7, 2026, and faces up to 20 years in prison.
