ANCA Calls on U.S. Attorney to Designate Armenian Americans as Victims of Cuellar–Azerbaijan Bribery Scheme
— Designation under Crime Victims’ Rights Act would Protect Armenian American Rights
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has formally called upon U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei to recognize Americans of Armenian heritage as victims of Congressman Henry Cuellar’s (D-TX) criminal conspiracy with Azerbaijan — under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (18 U.S.C. § 3771). This designation would permit Armenian American community representatives, including the ANCA, to submit victim impact statements and ensure the harms they suffered are factored into any sentencing or restitution decisions in the case.
In a September 3, 2025 letter to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian underscored that Rep. Cuellar’s alleged corruption deprived Armenian Americans of their constitutional right to petition their government and to participate in the democratic process free of foreign manipulation. The letter details how, according to the Department of Justice indictment, Cuellar conspired with foreign entities to obstruct Armenian American advocacy in Congress in exchange for nearly $600,000 in Azerbaijani bribes funneled through sham contracts. “Congressman Cuellar’s actions harmed Armenian Americans by undermining the free exercise of our constitutional right ‘peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,’ covertly conspiring with a foreign entity to reduce the impact of our advocacy as American citizens on the U.S. legislative process,” explained Hamparian in the letter. It emphasized that Cuellar’s interventions — from blocking humanitarian aid for Artsakh to opposing U.S.-funded demining programs in the region — had tangible and devastating consequences for Armenian communities at home and abroad.
The indictment against Cuellar, unsealed in May 2024, presents extensive evidence of Azerbaijan’s decades-long campaign to corrupt the U.S. political process. It accuses Cuellar and his wife of laundering foreign bribe payments through Texas shell companies, disguising their arrangement with consulting contracts that had little or no legitimate work behind them. In return, Cuellar used his position on the House Appropriations Committee to insert pro-Azerbaijan language into legislation, deliver speeches boosting Baku’s image, and intervene with federal agencies at the direction of Azerbaijani officials. Time and again, he acted to suppress amendments advanced by members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus that would have secured humanitarian relief for Artsakh or strengthened U.S. support for Armenia. Internal communications revealed through the indictment show Azerbaijani diplomats referring to Cuellar as “El Jefe,” acknowledging his central role in advancing their foreign influence operations in Washington.
“Rep. Cuellar not only betrayed the trust of his South Texas constituents – by taking foreign money to obstruct our community’s right to petition our government – he cheated Americans of Armenian heritage from all across our country of our Constitutional right to honest representation,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “By conspiring to rig U.S. foreign policy in favor of authoritarian Azerbaijan, Rep. Cuellar undermined American support for Armenian Christians, enabling Azerbaijan’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. He must be held accountable, and Azerbaijan’s illicit influence operations fully exposed and totally dismantled.”
Judicial proceedings in the Cuellar case continue to unfold. In August 2025, a federal judge dismissed two of the fourteen counts against Rep. Cuellar and his wife, specifically those tied to acting as agents of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, citing new Justice Department guidance narrowing the statute’s application. The remaining twelve charges — including conspiracy, bribery, money laundering, and honest services fraud — remain firmly in place. Cuellar and his wife were initially scheduled to stand trial beginning September 22, 2025, but that date has now been postponed. The trial is set to begin on April 6, 2026, in Houston federal court, with proceedings expected to last approximately five weeks. If convicted, Cuellar faces decades in prison and the forfeiture of assets linked to the scheme.
The ANCA has, over the past three decades, warned of Azerbaijan’s efforts to buy influence in Washington, with Rep. Cuellar serving as a linchpin in these operations. As early as 2013, Cuellar accepted trips to Azerbaijan arranged by intermediaries later convicted of concealing Azerbaijani state sponsorship. From there, his ties to Azerbaijani oil companies deepened into what prosecutors have now laid bare as a years-long bribery scheme. Throughout this period, the ANCA mobilized Armenian Americans nationwide to challenge Cuellar’s legislative maneuvers — fighting his attempts to cut aid to Artsakh, spotlighting his alliances with Baku’s lobbyists, and opposing his pro-Azerbaijan interventions in appropriations bills.
Following the unsealing of the indictment in May 2024, the ANCA launched a nationwide #ExpelCuellar campaign, demanding his immediate removal from Congress. That initiative continues to rally grassroots activists across the country to press their Representatives to vote for Cuellar’s expulsion, to demand a House Ethics Committee investigation into Azerbaijan’s broader foreign influence operations, and to bar Azerbaijani officials and registered foreign agents from access to Capitol Hill until a full accounting of this corruption is delivered. As part of this campaign, Armenian Americans have urged their elected officials to decline all meetings, phone calls, or invitations from Azerbaijani officials until justice is served.
The ANCA emphasized that the request for victim designation under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act is not separate from this larger effort, but rather a vital part of it. By formally recognizing Armenian Americans as victims of Cuellar’s conspiracy, the Department of Justice would be acknowledging the concrete harm inflicted on a community targeted by foreign bribery and corruption. This recognition would allow Armenian Americans to submit victim impact statements, to describe in their own voices how Azerbaijan’s interference robbed them of fair representation, and to ensure those harms are factored into sentencing and restitution.
The ANCA is urging Armenian Americans and friends of Armenia to continue mobilizing in this fight for accountability — both in the courts and in Congress. Community members are encouraged to visit anca.org/expelcuellar to send advocacy letters, stay informed on the latest developments, and share resources with their networks.
“Recognizing Armenian-Americans as victims of Cuellar’s conspiracy is not just symbolic — it’s a concrete step toward justice and accountability,” added Hamparian. “It sends a powerful message: Foreign interference in our democracy will not be tolerated. Only by dismantling Azerbaijan’s illicit influence operations can we restore faith in the integrity of U.S. policy on issues of concern to Americans of Armenian heritage and our many allies across our great nation.”
#####
Photo caption
Rep. Cuellar’s trial is set to begin on April 6, 2026, in Houston federal court. If convicted, the Congressman and his wife face decades in prison and the forfeiture of assets linked to the Azerbaijan bribery scheme.
