Texas Democrat candidate toured for years with accordionist convicted for indecent conduct with a child

A Democrat candidate who is running to flip a U.S. House seat in Texas once toured with an accordionist who had been convicted for indecent conduct with a child.

Bobby Pulido won two Latin Grammys as a Tejano music performer, but a New York Post report found that he performed many concerts with a child sex offender who also played the accordion.

'Despite being caught on tape admitting he knew of this man's criminality and praising him as recently as November, Mr. Pulido now falsely claims to have been unaware of his crimes.'

Frankie Caballero was sentenced to four years in prison for the second-degree felony with an 8-year-old girl in 2014.

The Post documented that Pulido performed with Caballero at concerts in Kansas City, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Tucson, and other places between 2018 and 2021.

In addition, the accordionist still identifies himself as the accordion player for Pulido on Facebook.

Pulido's campaign manager, Abel Prado, told the Post that Pulido did not know about the child sex crime conviction.

"Bobby was never made aware of Caballero's sex offender registration and would never knowingly associate with anyone with that kind of history," Prado said. "Bobby extends his deepest sympathies and support to all of the victims involved."

The report also notes that the court records of the conviction in 2014 were not public because the victim was a minor, but the charge, sex registry status, and the sentence are all available on an official website for the Texas Dept. of Public Safety.

Booking records at the Hidalgo County Sheriff's website indicate that Caballero was booked on four counts related to indecent sexual contact with a child.

Pulido's Republican opponent, Rep. Monica De La Cruz (Texas), released a statement accusing the musician of being less than truthful about what he knew.

"My heart goes out to the children who were sexually abused by a close friend and professional associate of Bobby Pulido. For three decades, Mr. Pulido brought a child predator into our neighborhoods with multiple convictions for sexually abusing children in Hidalgo County, including an 8-year-old girl," reads the statement from De La Cruz.

"Despite being caught on tape admitting he knew of this man's criminality and praising him as recently as November, Mr. Pulido now falsely claims to have been unaware of his crimes," she added. "These are not South Texas values. As both a mother and a congresswoman, I want the families of these sexually abused children whose suffering Mr. Pulido ignored to know that I am here for you."

She went on to ask the victims' families to contact her office for federal resources of support.

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Prado also said that Pulido learned about Caballero's criminal history in 2021 and immediately fired him.

De La Cruz trounced her Democrat opponent in the 2024 election by more than 14 points. President Donald Trump also won the district easily.

Prior to the revelations about his touring with a child sex offender, Pulido tried to gain media attention by asking 15-year-old Latinas to invite him to their birthday parties.

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