was also a member of the House Task Force on Drugs and Crime, in which he advocated for tighter border controls to keep out illegal drugs from Mexico. Bustamante called for deficit reduction, but also believed that more money should be spent on education and health care. Investigation and conviction In 1992, Bustamante filed for reelection even as he was investigated for fraud and racketeering. His reelection chances were further hampered by redistricting after the 1990 United States Census, which carved the 28th district out of most of Bustamante's territory and left a heavily Republican section of western San Antonio in the 23rd. Bustamante's Republican opponent, popular newscaster Henry Bonilla, criticized Bustamante for neglecting the needs of his constituents, excessive junketeering, and writing 30 bad checks in the House banking scandal. Although Bill Clinton carried the district, Bustamante lost to Bonilla by a 21-point margin, the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent that year. Bustamante was convicted of accepting bribes and racketeering in 1993 and was sentenced to 42 months in prison. Bustamante was released from prison on February 9, 1998. Personal life Following his release from prison, Bustamante faded from politics. He lived in San Antonio with his wife, Rebecca. Bustamante's son, John, a San Antonio-based patent attorney, was an unsuccessful candidate for Texas's 23rd congressional district in the 2012 elections. Bustamante died following a long illness on November 30, 2021, at the age of 86. See also List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes List of federal political scandals in the United States List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress References External links |- 1935 births 2021 deaths American politicians of Mexican descent County commissioners in Texas County judges in Texas Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress Military personnel from San Antonio People from Dimmit County, Texas Politicians convicted of illegal gratuities under 18 U.S.C. § 201 Politicians convicted of racketeering Texas politicians convicted of crimes United States Army soldiers