Friends and family will be flanking San Antonio State Senator Carlos Uresti, who will be facing federal fraud charges in a case that gets underway today at the federal courthouse, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"He feels good about it. We all feel good about it," Sen. Uresti's brother, State Representative Tomas Uresti says. "Carlos has nothing to worry about. He's going to prove them all wrong."
Sen Uresti (D-SA) faces decades in prison if found guilty for his role in what federal prosecutors say was a Ponzi scheme.
The focus is on a now-bankrupt fracking company called FourWinds Logistics. They went belly up when the oil and gas industry south of San Antonio plummeted.
It's alleged that Sen. Uresti lied to investors about the health of the company when, in reality, old investors were paid with new investors money. Federal prosecutors also plan to argue that Sen. Uresti failed to disclose to investors that he was getting a share of each investment.
Defense attorney Michael McCrum told 1200 WOAI news, they're eager to tell their side of the story.
"We're feeling real confident. We're looking forward to getting the evidence out."The federal trial is expected to last several weeks.
One of the key witness for the prosecution will be Denise Cantu. She's a former client of Sen. Uresti, who was awarded thousands in a wrongful death lawsuit. The bulk of that cash was invested in FourWinds and she apparently lost almost everything.
Defense attorneys plan to present a wave of witnesses who will testify about the fracking boom in the Eagleford Shale formation, which rode a wave of highs and lows, and was eventually devastated by plummeting oil values. Just now, the region is starting to come out of the slump.
If found guilty, Sen. Uresti could lose his seat in the state legislature and his license to practice law.
Rep. Tomas Uresti is confident his brother will prove everybody wrong.
"We're a very strong family. We don’t fear anything. Carlos doesn’t have anything to worry about."