A Texas Democrat bragged on a resurfaced video about helping a longtime bandmate with a long criminal history — and later convicted of indecency with a child by contact — out of jail.”
Latin American songwriter and Democrat Texas congressional candidate Bobby Pulido claimed in a 2019 interview that he once got former bandmate Frankie Callabero out of jail, according to the New York Post. Callabero was previously convicted in 2014 of indecency with a child by contact for an incident involving an eight-year-old girl.
Callabero played the accordion for Pulido’s 1995 breakthrough debut album and song “Desvelado.” The two toured together on stage for years, including after Callabero’s 2014 conviction that earned him four years in jail and status as a registered sex offender. Pulido continued to tour with Callabero from 2018 to 2021. (RELATED: Democrats Urge Swalwell To Drop Out After Ex-Staffer Accuses Him Of Sexual Assault)
Pulido’s campaign manager, Abel Prado, told Fox News Digital in April that “Bobby was never made aware of Caballero’s sex offender registration and would never knowingly associate with anyone with that kind of history. Bobby extends his deepest sympathies and support to all of the victims involved.”
But a video from 2019 — five years after Callabero was convicted of indecency with a child by contact — shows Pulido joking about Callabero’s jail sentence, saying, “He can do anything with the accordion. […] But get this, they locked him up.” The translation of the original Spanish interview was obtained by the New York Post.
“I remember when I started out, I went to get him out of jail,” Pulido said, referencing Callabero.
Callabero posted bail several times after arrests in 1999 and 2000. “Desvelado” came out just months after Callabero was released on a personal recognizance bond in a 1994 sexual assault case, according to court documents referenced by the New York Post. Callabero was held only 10 days at the time for the charges of sexual assault.
Callabero’s 1994 sexual assault charge was dismissed by county prosecutors in 2000.
A former Hidalgo County prosecutor told the New York Post the original release bond for an assault crime “only could have happened with the blessing of the DA’s office.” Pulido’s great-uncle Rene Guerra served as Hidalgo County district attorney from 1982 to 2014, and his name appears on the court papers requesting the dismissal, according to the New York Post.
Guerra “could not recall details of the case but said either he or the first assistant prosecutor in his office would have had to approve the dismissal,” the New York Post reported.
Callabero’s many charges include possession of cocaine, driving while intoxicated, the 1994 assault, indecent sexual contact with a minor, and assault of a family member by strangulation in 2020, for which he was later indicted by a grand jury.
Pulido did not specify which of Callabero’s charges he was referring to in the 2019 video.
Pulido’s social media history includes several posts containing explicit images and links to pornography sites, the Daily Caller previously reported. A 2010 music video also showed Pulido masturbating under a blanket and exposing himself to a female on what appears to be a private jet. (RELATED: Graham Platner Reportedly Sent Sexually Explicit Texts And Maintains Kik Account)
MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 06: Bobby Pulido performs in Univisions Mira Quien Baila! on October 6, 2012 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images)
Prado acknowledged the Texas Democrat knew of Callabero’s drug problems, adding that Pulido’s comments were meant to refer to his continued professional relationship with Callabero. “Bobby Pulido did not post [Caballero’s] bail,” Prado said.
“When Jimmy Montez Management learned of Caballero’s criminal history in 2021, he was immediately fired, and that relationship was severed,” Prado added.
Pulido will face incumbent Republican Texas Rep. Monica De La Cruz in the November general election.
Pulido’s campaign did not respond immediately to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.