Austin, Texas – A former Austin city official was convicted and ordered to pay restitution for conspiring to misappropriate federal funds and falsify records in an investigation.
Frank Rodriguez, 73, of Dripping Springs, faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but will instead serve three years of probation and was ordered to pay $21,375 in restitution.
He pleaded guilty again in 2022.
Rodriguez was a senior policy advisor for the city and executive director of an Austin-area nonprofit organization.
Court records said Rodriguez and former Austin City Counsel Chairwoman Jill Ramirez made an agreement that they would receive 10 percent of the value of federal grants awarded to the nonprofit they founded. This led to more favorable treatment of nonprofits in contracts and funding by the city.
Between 2015-16, Rodriguez received more than $21,000 from the nonprofit as his “consulting fee.”
In addition to his probation, the judge ruled that Rodriguez must pay that amount in restitution.