A woman accused of playing a role in a scheme to bribe a Mission Consolidated Independent School District board trustee is on trial in McAllen.

Veronica Inez O’Caña faces charges of money laundering, bribery, and witness tampering. Prosecutors say she was part of a plot to bribe a Mission CISD board member to influence the board to award a contract to energy savings company Performance Services Inc.

O’Caña’s brother, Jorge O’Caña, was also charged in connection with the scheme.

The trial got underway Monday afternoon at the McAllen federal courthouse, where two witnesses took the stand: Cynthia Barrera, secretary to the Mission CISD superintendent, and Jaime Lopez, the district's assistant superintendent for finance.

Barrera went over school board minutes from Feb. 1, 2018, showing an agenda item passed 6 to 1 in favor of Performance Services Inc. Prosecutors highlighted how Patricia O’Caña-Olivarez, Jorge and Veronica’s sister, was serving as board president at the time.

Lopez then took the stand and confirmed the district receives nearly $24 million in federal funding.

Two other men, Chirag Patel and Antonio Gonzalez III, previously pleaded guilty in a related case in April 2022.

Gonzalez, a consultant for PSI, admitted to using his phone to carry out a bribery scheme aimed at getting Mission CISD to award an energy savings contract to the company, according to court records. He was a partner in the LED lighting company and hoped to land a subcontract through the deal.

Patel admitted to paying at least $143,567 to a man named Andres Morales, knowing the money was likely going to public officials. He ran a solar panel company that received a subcontract from PSI tied to a contract with Agua Special Utility District.

Both Patel and Gonzalez said they acted on their own free will and knew what they were doing was illegal.

The trial continues Tuesday morning.

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