• June 8, 2007: John Travis Ketner, former chief of staff for County Judge Anthony Cobos, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. In the process, he implicated 16 others, including county officials, individuals and companies in a court document known as an "information." The document describes how county officials allegedly sought bribes from vendors, received secret campaign donations, met in a bathroom and in restaurants, and broke into a computer in an attempt to rig court cases. Among those thought to have been implicated are Cobos, County Commissioners Miguel Terán and Luis Sariñana, District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez and former County Commissioner Betti Flores.

  • July 6, 2007: Flores pleaded guilty to six counts of conspiracy to commit mail or wire fraud by trading her votes as county commissioner for money. She is the only one identified in documents associated with Ketner's guilty plea who has been charged with any wrongdoing. The other unnamed co-conspirators linked to Ketner's case have denied any wrongdoing.

  • Aug. 17, 2007: Bernardo Lucero Jr., vice president of Lucero/Melendez Architects, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to make false statements to obtain credit. He was accused of influencing an unnamed El Paso Independent School District trustee by securing a $25,000 loan for the trustee using illegal practices. The unnamed trustee is believed to be Sal Mena, who resigned from the board in August. Mena, who has denied the allegations, has not been charged or arrested.

  • Nov. 28, 2007: Former EPISD trustee Carlos "Coach" Cordova pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and the deprivation of honest services. Cordova was accused of exchanging his vote on the school board for money. The vendors or Cordova's uncharged co-conspirators were not identified in public documents outlining his charges.

  • Dec. 21, 2007: Roberto Gerardo Ruiz, better known as Bobby Ruiz, former managing director for the Dallas office of Bear Stearns, pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to commit mail, wire fraud and a scheme to defraud the citizens of their right to the honest services of elected officials of the El Paso Independent School District, the El Paso Community College District, the city of El Paso and members of El Paso County Commissioners Court by seeking to bribe elected members of those boards and councils to secure their votes for certain vendors seeking to do business with the various public entities.

  • Dec. 21, 2007: Christopher Chol-Su Pak, also known as Chris Pak, former vice president of the Dallas office of Bear Stearns, pleaded guilty to engaging in a scheme to bribe an elected El Paso County commissioner in an effort to secure his vote for a specific vendor seeking to do business with the County of El"Paso.

  • None of those who have pleaded guilty have been sentenced, and jail records do not show any of them having ever been arrested. All four pleaded guilty using a federal "information" document.