The former Hidalgo County assistant district attorney learned her fate Thursday after admitting to lying to federal agents about a bribery scheme involving her brother.

Cynthia Alanis was sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to making a false statement. Alanis was arrested on February 2020 in connection to a bribery plot at two detention facilities.

Her brother, Roel Alanis, was arrested on April 2019 and accused of paying employees from the Willacy County Regional Detention Center and the El Valle Detention Center for detainee roster lists from the El Valle Detention Center and the Port Isabel Detention Center-Los Fresno.

Those rosters contained names, dates of birth, country of origin and other information of detainees. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, Roel Alanis and his sister – Cynthia Alanis – received the lists and would visit those detainees or would have others drop in to try and get them to hire his law firm to fight their case.

Cynthia Alanis pled guilty to her charge in February and was facing five years in federal prison and fine of up to $250,000. The fine was waived during her Thursday sentencing.

Roel Alanis pled guilty to six counts of bribery and one charge of conspiracy to commit bribery in April. His sentencing set for August. 

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