Bertha Olga Gómez Fong, the wife of former Chihuahua Governor César Duarte, was arrested by immigration authorities in Texas last week.
El País claims that her incarceration is due to her immigration status in the US, but she could also be deported to Mexico, where she faces prosecution for allegedly participating in corruption cases related to her husband.
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According to ICE records, Fong is being held at the El Paso Processing Center, and there is no word on whether she will be extradited.
Six years ago, the Mexican outlet According to La Jornada, a federal judge issued an arrest order for Fong for her alleged involvement with Duarte. She requested an injunction to prevent any attempt to arrest and extradite her to Mexico, as she was already living in Miami, Florida, when Duarte was extradited in July 2020 on charges of embezzlement and criminal association.
During her husband’s tenure as governor of Chihuahua, Fong served as honorary director of the state’s Integral Family Development agency, a position that opened the door to allegations of institutional mismanagement, a pattern found in several Mexican states and towns.
After serving as president from 2010 to 2016, Duarte was charged with money laundering, among other things. He was arrested in Chihuahua by Mexico’s attorney general’s Office in December while on restricted parole, while facing more corruption charges.
El País reported that federal prosecutors believe he laundered about 73 million pesos ($4.2 million) between 2011 and 2014.
Following his December arrest, Duarte was transferred to the Altiplano prison, one of Mexico’s most guarded facilities.
In another of the more than 20 cases he faces, Chihuahua prosecutors accused him of diverting 6 billion pesos, or more than $300 million, despite his claims of innocence and that he was politically targeted by his successor, Javier Corral, who governed the state from 2016 to 2021, an allegation Corral denies.
Border Report also revealed in December that the former governor is being investigated for allegedly erecting an illegal dam for private use, withholding 700,000 cubic meters of water from Chihuahua farmers. The dam has now been destroyed.
