Anthony Cobos

Anthony Cobos is a politician from the State of Texas in the United States. He served as the El Paso County Judge from 2007-11 and is a former member of the El Paso City Council. El Paso County, Texas is located on the border of the United States and Mexico.

Cobos was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of a public corruptions probe in 2007, was arrested by the FBI on December 16, 2011, charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and deprivation of honest services, and pleaded guilty to corruption charges on September 3, 2013. He was sentenced on January 3, 2014 to four years in federal prison, to be served in Colorado, and a $10,000 fine.

Cobos was born in El Paso, and raised on a farm near Anthony, New Mexico. He is married to Leticia Juarez Cobos and together they have five children. Cobos has been active in local politics for many years and owns several local businesses.

Cobos was elected to represent District 8 of the El Paso City Council in 2001 and re-elected to a second two-year term in 2003. Cobos was chosen by his colleagues on City Council to serve as Mayor Pro-Tempore (who serves as Mayor when the elected Mayor is out of town or otherwise unable to fulfill his or her duties). Cobos's second term on City Council was marked by his close relationship with Mayor Joe Wardy and his continued fight against the use of certificates of obligation for non-emergency uses.

Cobos' tenure on City Council was also notable for his very close association with the Bowling family, owner of Tropicana Homes. There was a general perception that Cobos frequently advanced the business interests of the Bowling family, even to the extent of actively undermining projects undertaken by rivals in the building industry, such as Ike Monte. Cobos was defeated by Beto O'Rourke in 2005.

In late 2005, Cobos began his campaign for El Paso County Judge. In Texas, the County Judge is an administrative, not a judicial, office. The County Judge serves as the presiding officer of the County Commissioners Court.

A lifelong Democrat, Cobos entered the Democratic primary with five challengers. The most prominent among them was Barbara Perez, a former El Paso County Commissioner and trustee of Socorro Independent School District in El Paso. No Republican candidates filed for election as County Judge, so the Democratic Primary would decide the next El Paso County Judge. The incumbent judge declined to run for re-election.

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