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We reported in March 2024 that whistleblowers Ricardo Castellano, a retired EPPD officer who was then the District 3 Trustee of the Socorro Independent School District, and his wife Gabriela, who worked as a teacher for EPISD, publicly accused SISD of widespread corruption, including $131 million in unauthorized expenditures.
Our YouTube interview with the Castellanos, in which they shared with us their allegations against SISD, got over 3,600 original views. They told us all about the financial malfeasance of SISD officials and claimed they were in fear for their lives because of the knowledge they possessed.
Only six weeks after the interview, on May 9, 2024, both Ricardo Castellano and his wife Gabriela were arrested for felonies for allegedly retaliating against a school district employee due to the employee’s position as a public servant, and obstruction.
On the same day, Pablo Barrera, a United States Marine veteran and the District 5 Trustee of SISD, was arrested by the El Paso Sheriff’s Office on charges of “official oppression” and at least one count of “obstruction or retaliation” after also whistleblowing against SISD. His wife Angie had been arrested the previous year on trumped up charges of making a false police report.
The Castellanos and Barreras were humiliated, defamed, and brutalized by SISD as well as by certain corrupt reporters. Ricardo Castello and Pablo Barrera declined to run for re-election to the SISD Board of Trustees, which was had been taken over by the Texas Education Agency some months earlier.
CHARGES DISMISSED
On January 7 of this year, Ricardo Castellanos’ attorney Mary Stillinger filed a Motion to Quash Indictment in the 171st District Court. The charges were dismissed without prejudice on January 24 with the tacit approval of the District Attorney.
On January 28, Gabriela Castellanos’ attorney Felix Valenzuela filed an almost identical Motion to Quash Indictment in the same court and the charges against her were dismissed on February 2.
Two days earlier, the same court quashed the indictment of Barrera at the behest of his attorney Stillinger and dismissed all charges without prejudice and without opposition from the District Attorney. (The charge against his wife Angie had been dismissed only weeks after her arrest.)
Let us be perfectly clear.
The charges against the Ricardo Castellanos and Pablo Barrera were totally bogus, as were the charges against their wives, and intended to silence their voices in the face of widespread corruption within the school district they were elected to serve.
They are heroes and deserve the thanks of every single taxpayer in SISD.
We congratulate them on their legal victories and hope they will hire a lethal team of civil litigators and turn on their accusers with the full force of the law.
STATEMENT FROM RICARDO CASTELLANO
“This case was the result of retaliation for being whistleblowers against the practices of the Socorro Independent School District and certain members of that district. The practices in question were brought to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Education Agency, the El Paso Sheriff’s Department, as well as the El Paso Police Department. Since our first encounter with the Texas Rangers and the Socorro Independent School District Police on March 9, 2022, our lives have been turned upside down. Our family suffered constant harassment and ridicule through the local media as well as social media. This culminated with our arrest on May 9, 2024 at our residence. Gabriela Castellano was also terminated from her position at the El Paso Independent School District based on these false allegations. The parties involved in this utilized the criminal justice system to silence outspoken whistleblowers. This is a tremendous victory for justice. We will continue to move forward to clear this stain left on us and our family. After four years of malicious actions by others, we look forward to rebuilding our lives.”
STATEMENT FROM PABLO BARRERA
“This prolonged ordeal has finally come to an end. This outcome reaffirms a fundamental principle: when the justice system functions as intended, the truth prevails. The evidence revealed a troubling pattern of false statements, deception, and coordinated efforts by the Texas Rangers, SISD police, and SISD employees to conceal misconduct and corruption. As a former law enforcement officer who wore the badge with integrity, it is deeply disturbing to witness that badge being misused and dishonored. The district, along with the conservators, also misled the public and failed in their duty of transparency and accountability. I took action to bring the truth to light and to protect children, while also standing up for district employees who were affected by these failures. I was elected to serve as the voice of the people, and I fulfilled that responsibility without compromise. Although this chapter has concluded, the pursuit of accountability has not. Additional review, oversight, and consequences remain necessary to ensure this conduct is never repeated.”
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