( CNN ) -- A prominent Texas attorney and former university trustee faces charges of laundering more than $ 600 million for a Mexican drug cartel . Marco Antonio Delgado , 46 , was in court Thursday to face his charges , according to federal authorities . The attorney , who once was a trustee at the Carnegie Mellon University , was arrested on November 2 at a restaurant in El Paso . `` Delgado is linked to a drug cartel based in Guadalajara , Mexico , and accused of conspiring to launder more than $ 600 million , '' investigators with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations said in a statement . Delgado faces a maximum 20 year prison sentence if convicted , federal authorities said . Delgado had been active in the local community as he was a member of the board at the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and once donated more than $ 20,000 to the organization . Ruth Jacobson , executive director of the symphony , told CNN affiliate KFOX that she was `` surprised and saddened '' by the arrest . Delgado also donated to Carnegie Mellon University setting up the `` Marco Delgado Fellowship for the Advancement of Hispanics in Public Policy and Management , '' according to the website of the Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania based university . The scholarship that started in 2003 awards about $ 5,000 to `` students who are expected to make a significant contribution to the Latino community , '' the website said . His lawyer said Delgado was innocent . `` You know , he is a brother ( fellow ) attorney and I 'm honored to represent him and we 'll go from there , '' lawyer Jose Montes told KFOX .
Delgado was arrested at a Texas restaurant . He faces 20 years in prison if he is convicted . He had set up a scholarship for Latino students .