Why flee to Mexico? are the minute Men coming to spend their money and try and hunt more Americanos?

Local
Celis dismissed from lawsuit

By Denise Malan (Contact)
Originally published 06:04 p.m., January 24, 2008
Updated 06:04 p.m., January 24, 2008

STORY TOOLS

* E-mail story
* Comments
* iPod friendly
* Printer friendly
* Print with Comments

related linksMore Local News

* Former police chief fired in Driscoll
* RTA finds pedestrian hit only rear left wheels
* Birth defects 84 percent higher in Nueces Co.

related linksSHARE THIS STORY
Newsvine Del.icio.us Digg Fark Yahoo! Reddit

CORPUS CHRISTI — Mauricio Celis has been dismissed from a lawsuit by a former client who alleges he represented her without a law license.

Celis' attorney said the dismissal proves that the claim lacked merit. The opposing lawyer said the move was a legal maneuver to allow the claim against Celis to go forward later, because related criminal charges against Celis would pose a hurdle for now.

Celis also filed papers Wednesday seeking the return of property the state took during a Jan. 4 search of his office. The Attorney General's search warrant did not contain sufficient facts to support money laundering allegations, Celis argues in his motion. The Attorney General's office said it would withhold comment until it reviews the motion.

In the case involving the former client, local attorney Thomas J. Henry had filed a suit in October on behalf of Paloma Steele, who hired Celis' firm, CGT Law Group International. The firm negotiated a settlement in the case, and Celis signed the settlement agreement as attorney for Steele, though he later said that was a mistake. Steele sued to recover attorneys' fees in the case, naming CGT, Celis and his partners as defendants.

Criminal defendants can ask courts to abate, or stop, civil cases while criminal charges are pending. Celis, 36, was indicted on four felony criminal charges in November, and he asked the Nueces County court to abate the Steele case.

Henry said dismissing Celis from the case eliminates his standing to stop it, and allows Henry to take testimony from Celis and his partners.

"I am free today, tomorrow, for the next year to sue Mr. Celis on behalf of Ms. Steele," Henry said Thursday. "The nonsuit was nothing more than allowing my client to move forward."

Celis attorney said Henry's move showed there were no grounds for the lawsuit.

"This proves what we've been saying all along," said Lawrence Coffey, representing Celis in the Henry lawsuit. "At the end of this politically motivated witch hunt, there's nothing there. By dropping this lawsuit, Thomas J. Henry has gone a long way toward showing that his entire line of attack against Mr. Celis has ultimately no basis in reason or in the law."

Henry ran television ads starting in September alleging that Celis did not have a law license. Celis has since been sued by the Texas Attorney General's Office and the state Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, alleging he practiced law without a license. A Nueces County grand jury indicted him on charges of perjury, theft, falsely holding oneself out as a lawyer and impersonating a peace officer.

A search warrant signed by District Judge Tom Greenwell, allowing the Attorney General's search of Celis office, contained an affidavit claiming Celis was linked to a known Mexican drug runner and that the firm laundered money. Celis denies any connection to the drug trade and says the attorney general's move was politically motivated.

Celis' motion to recover documents says the warrant did not contain probable cause for the search and seizure, and that documents seized had nothing to do with the stated purpose. He also said the attorney general's office cannot use a search warrant to get documents the district attorney failed to get before Celis' indictment on criminal charges.

"A search warrant is not a post-indictment discovery tool to be used by one law enforcement agency to assist another agency in seizing the defendant's documents," the motion states.

An attorney general's spokesman said Thursday the office had not received the filing and couldn't comment.

View latest stories with comments »
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: We've changed the way comments appear on the site. Click here for more information.

* 1. Keep it clean.Comments that are obscene, vulgar, lewd or sexually-oriented will get the ax. Creative spelling of such terms also will be banned.
* 2. Don't threaten to hurt or kill anyone.
* 3. Be truthful. Don't lie about anyone or anything.
* 4. Be nice. No racism, sexism or any other sort of -ism that degrades another person.
* 6. Keep it local. Do not post direct links to sites outside of Caller.com.
* 7. Police yourselves. Hit the "Suggest Removal" button on offensive comments.
* 8. Share what you know. Give us your eyewitness accounts, background, observations and history.
* 9. Ask questions. What more do you want to know about the story?
* 10. Stay focused. Keep on the story's topic.
* 11.Help us get it right. If you find a factual error or misspelling, email newmedia@caller.com or metrodesk@caller.com, or call 886-3697.

Your Comment Display Options:
Show Flagged Comments Hide Flagged Comments
+ Increase Font Size - Decrease Font Size
Post Your Comments

Post 1 January 24, 2008 at 6:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

sad times bro. sad times

Post 2 January 24, 2008 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

That is the first time I hear drugs mentioned. Celis made his money running cases, not drugs. IMHO It seems anytime a man gets rich quick someone always has to accuse them of "drugs". There are plenty of illegitmate ways to get rich in America still, posing as an attorney is one of them. He does seem to be guilty of that, but not drugs.

Post 3 January 24, 2008 at 8:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The bottom line is that you have no reason to trust him what so ever. I would not accuse him of drugs nor would I be the least bit suprised. Celis deserves to be punished either way.

Post 4 January 24, 2008 at 8:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

post 2

How do know what Celis has been up to when hanging out with a known drug cartel??? How do you honestly know?
Also Celis pretending to be a cop from a nearby county that is a known drug trafficking thoroughfare. Going into the passenger jet business with the known drug cartel guy. The same guy that's listed on a joint bank account as the "Vice President" of the jet company?

Why else would Mauricio Celis be having run ins with guys/strippers at our local strip clubs? Where he would actually bang the apartment door down of this stripper and threaten her?
To also wave a gun to a man in front of a strip joint? Strip clubs are notorious for illegal narcotics.

They say all you have to do is check the police records. All this is documented .....Celis' run ins with the local law enforcement. Previously he had the Nueces County Sheriff (Larry Olivarez) backing him up whenever he professed to be a "5"

Sooo ...what makes so sure he WASN'T running drugs for a profit?

The Firestone/ford debacle is drying up. Celis had to inevitably find other ways to continue making millions of dollars to keep his phony standing in the political sphere.

This guy has been caught and will now pay the price. He's lied about who he is many times. Why do you choose to believe him now? Celis says he has never had anything to do with drugs.

Let me remind you, he also said, I'm an international lawyer. I have a degree and license to practice law. I am also a Deputy Sheriff for Duval County. HE IS NONE OF THE ABOVE! He lied.

Once a liar, always a liar.
IMHO.

Post 5 January 24, 2008 at 9:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Based upon lack of integrity, one could see where TJ Henry and Celis are very much alike. Henry y Celis LLP - "Ambulance 101"

Post 6 January 24, 2008 at 10:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It's just as I thought,Henry is like a jealous Hog. He saw some one
else making money on bogus law suits. Comment #1 is correct. Sad times bro. Sad times

Post 7 January 25, 2008 at 12:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't like Lawyers who advertive the way many do. I find it difficult to trust anyone in the legal profession.
I believe it should be illegal for lawyers and doctors to advertize on TV/Radio.

Post 8 January 25, 2008 at 12:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is only one case which dropped charges probably due to the lingering of the case. I am curious about the rest of the cases.

Post 9 January 25, 2008 at 12:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Practicing law without a liscense is still not cool.

Post 10 January 25, 2008 at 1:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I have my own personal opinions, BUT, for the sake of argument, let's say Post 2 is right; that drugs are not involved. If MauriBoy did in fact make his money from Firestone/Ford lawsuits in Mexico and he is NOT a lawyer, can the defendants who paid millions to MauriBoy and his clients in Mexico sue to get those funds back? Does anyone here know, FOR A FACT, Mexico's laws concerning who can practice law? It seems Firestone/Ford may have reasonable cause to review that decision.

Regardless, I have to agree with Post 4; MauriBoy seems to be just another crook who thought he was too smart to get caught.

Post 11 January 25, 2008 at 6:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

A little research or just a trip down memory lane to the 1980's and IRAN-CONTRA will prove who the real drug dealers are in this Untied States. The ones who fly cocaine in by the metric tons in military aircraft. Remember Oliver North, Noriega, Barry (not Bernie) Seale and their connection to our current President and his predecessor? Please, post 2 is right because nobody can compete with the Federal Govt at running drugs.

Post 12 January 25, 2008 at 8:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Post 11

Thankyou for somehow changing a local criminal into a I hate all Republicans rant.

What your basically saying is your upset with previous Republican administrations, so it's ok for Mauricio Celis to run drugs and launder the money here in our home town of Corpus Christi.

Your awesome! = {

Post 13 January 25, 2008 at 8:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thomas Henry said .."he temporarily dropped the case" so he can testify!

Celis has used this lawsuit to keep Thomas Henry out of the upcoming trial!

Paloma Steele has a year to go back and sue again to reclaim lost settlement money that went into a fake lawyers account.

It seems to me that Thomas Henry did the right thing. Now Henry can be a major player in the prosecution.

And this shows nothing of the sort. Some of you say that this goes to show they do not have strong evidence against Mauricio Celis.

That's really funny. If you have 1000 lawsuits against you and one is cleaned off the list, now you have 999 lawsuits. Sounds like Celis is going to pay the piper, one way or another.

Mauricio will end up fleeing to Mexico. You watch.

Post 14 January 25, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Lawyers, Liars it's all the same. Everyone tries to benefit off the other. It's just the way it is.

Post 15 January 25, 2008 at 5:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thomas J. Henry has proven himself to be one cagey and good lawyer in this move... He now has the trump cards, and they're not all Jokers named Celis! Criminal trials will just give him that much more evidence to take Celis to the cleaners in civil cases...

How do you sleep?

Elle asks Mauricio:"Do you know any thing about hard work"?

Elle(waiting for Mauricio's response): "Say what you need to say"

With JA Canales you could not possibly be accused of ...........

being a second class man....but yet you care ? Por Que? If some chick thinks you are "interested" then you will compensate her for her time.....but you want free chit.....I guess in your case you will forever regret what you thought was free.....I bet Tony the Tiger is way more expensive.

Too bad you were a pinche putho,culero, and if you think you are a 2nd class citizen then you would know better then any one , chi flatho......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Second-class citizen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Legal status of Persons
Concepts

Citizenship
Nationality
Naturalization
Leave to Remain
Immigration
Illegal immigration
Statelessness
Legal designations

Citizen
Native-born citizen
Naturalized citizen
Dual-citizen
Alien
Migrant worker
Refugee
Illegal immigrant
Political prisoner
Stateless person
Administrative detainee
Social politics

Immigration law
Nationality law
Nationalism
Nativism (politics)
Immigration debate
This box: view • talk • edit

Second-class citizen is an informal term used to describe a person who is systematically discriminated against within a state or other political jurisdiction, despite their nominal status as a citizen or legal resident there. While not necessarily slaves, outlaws or criminals, second-class citizens have limited legal rights, civil rights and economic opportunities, and are often subject to mistreatment or neglect at the hands of their putative superiors. Instead of being protected by the law, the law disregards a second-class citizen, or it may actually be used to harass them.

Second-class citizenry is generally regarded as a violation of human rights. Typical impediments facing second-class citizens include, but are not limited to, disenfranchisement (a lack or loss of voting rights), limitations on civil or military service (not including conscription in every case), as well as restrictions on language, religion, education, freedom of movement and association, marriage, housing and property ownership.

The term is generally used as a pejorative or in the context of civil society activism and governments will typically deny the existence of a second class within the polity. As an informal term, second-class citizenship is not objectively measured; however, cases such as the American South under segregation (and apartheid in South Africa), the caste system of India and other countries, and the marginalization of religious and ethnic minorities and women in many countries worldwide, have been historically described as creating second-class citizenry.

By contrast, a resident alien or foreign national may have limited rights within a jurisdiction (such as not being able to vote, and having to register with the government), but is also given the law's protection, and is usually accepted by the local population. A naturalized citizen carries essentially the same rights and responsibilities as any other citizen (a possible exception being ineligibility for certain public offices), and is also legally protected.

"I consider him a friend, and I don't throw my friends overboard."

Watts stands by besieged pal Celis

Web Posted: 11/10/2007 12:10 AM CST

John MacCormack
Express-News

CORPUS CHRISTI — Last Friday, a day after a grand jury here heard evidence against him on several potential felony charges, Mauricio Celis got a congratulatory phone call from an old friend.

"I wished him happy birthday," said Mikal Watts, a friend and political ally of Celis, and until recently a well-funded U.S. Senate hopeful.

Celis, who owns a law firm here, was celebrating his 36th birthday under legal siege. He's fighting civil and criminal allegations that he impersonated a lawyer and a peace officer, and that he stole from a client.

"I think he felt good," Watts said of Celis. "He's had two hearings against the attorney general and won them both, and a grand jury met for three hours and he was not indicted."

Linked by friendship, shared litigation and Democratic Party affairs, the two men from Corpus Christi have both been in the news lately, for very different reasons.

Celis, who does not have a law license anywhere in the United States, claims to be qualified to practice law in Mexico, but this remains under challenge.
Recent coverage
• AG sues man he says faked being a lawyer (Oct. 25, 2007)
• S.A. lawyer leaves race for Senate, citing family (Oct. 24, 2007)

The Texas attorney general's office is trying to shut down his law firm, charging deceptive trade practices. The next hearing on the matter comes Tuesday in Austin.

"He can practice law in Mexico, he is not practicing law in Texas, and he's not sharing in the fees of the firm," said Steve McConnico, Celis' lawyer.

Celis' troubles have been mounting steadily since another Corpus Christi lawyer began running TV ads in late September denouncing him as a fraud.

Then there was the early-morning episode in September in which Celis — clad only in a bathrobe and flashing a badge — tried to take a nude woman into custody outside a convenience store, according to a police report.

Watts, 40, a successful plaintiff's attorney who now lives in San Antonio, made headlines of his own two weeks ago.

On Oct. 23, with the Celis soap opera going full bore, Watts abruptly withdrew from his Senate race after raising and spending nearly $1.6 million.

His explanation that he quit to spend more time with his three children met with sarcastic disbelief by political commentators and insiders. Many speculated that Watts dropped his five-month campaign because of potential embarrassments posed by his friend.

"The general assumption in political circles is that it had to do with the Celis stuff. His family was there the whole time," said Ross Ramsey, editor of Texas Weekly, a political newsletter. "The interesting thing is how far everyone else has jumped away from Celis since these allegations came out. It makes you wonder what's so poisonous about him."

Had Watts met Republican incumbent John Cornyn in the general election, Celis could have been used to bludgeon him, said one Democratic political consultant in Austin who asked not to be named.

"I think Cornyn would have tried to play on the fears of white rural independent Texans. He'd say: 'Here's a guy in bed with a crooked South Texas politician,' which is code for 'Mexican American,'" the consultant said. "And if Celis gets arrested, you run his mug shot while saying, 'Here's Watts' best friend.'"

But Watts' former campaign manager said Celis wasn't the issue.

"Watts isn't afraid of a fight or bad press. We could have dealt with Mauricio. That wasn't the reason we dropped out of a U.S. Senate race. It was all about family," said Christian Archer, who also managed San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger's campaign.

In South Texas, where Celis cultivated a reputation as a political player and rainmaker, the coincidence of his troubles and Watts' withdrawal has fueled the rumor mill.

Among the more interesting items: Watts was said to be the godfather of Celis' eldest son Mikal Celis; Watts and Celis were said to own bars together; and Celis' wealth was said to have come from referring hundreds of cases to Watts for litigation.

Celis didn't return a call this week seeking comment. Watts, in an interview, said he had considered withdrawing more than a month earlier and released a copy of a draft of a letter dated Sept. 20.

The letter cited family issues and is virtually identical to the one Watts issued Oct. 23 when he left the race.

"I've never had more fun in my life. It was like being in trial every day. It was intoxicating," Watts said of the campaign, but he said he was not seeing enough of his children.

"I started to recognize in late August that I had a real problem at home," he said. "You only get to raise your kids once. I didn't want to give that up."

Besides, he said, he's hardly finished as a statewide candidate.

"I'm a young man. I'm 40 years old. There will be a Senate seat up in 2017, the year my youngest graduates from high school," he said.

Watts said he was surprised to learn Celis has a young son named Mikal and expressed astonishment at being mistaken for the child's godfather, saying: "I'm not even Catholic."

He acknowledged that he, Celis and others once were owners of the Havana Club, a bar in Corpus Christi, but said he sold his share years ago.

And, he said, case referrals received from Celis over the years have been few, representing "less than a drop in the ocean" of the thousands of cases his firm has accepted.

"I doubt I had a dozen cases involving Mauricio," Watts said.

Since Celis founded CGT Law Group International in late 2005, the firm has referred only two cases to him, Watts said.

"He's bright. He's generous with his money. He's a good businessman. He's knows politics, and he's very comfortable in Washington, D.C. He's also very well connected inside the Catholic Church," Watts said.

For Celis, the next rounds of struggle come next week when a Nueces County grand jury is expected to resume hearing evidence against him on several possible charges.

Also next week, a court hearing will be held in Austin over a bid by Attorney General Gregg Abbott to shut down Celis' firm over allegations he has been passing himself off as a lawyer.

"I don't know what the poor guy is going through in terms of legal issues. It's important not to judge," Watts said. "I consider him a friend, and I don't throw my friends overboard."

jmaccormack@express-news.net