U.S. Department of Justice charged Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife Imelda Cuellar on Friday with federal offenses for allegedly receiving $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities.

The bribes were reportedly received between December 2014 and November 2021 from a state-owned oil company in Azerbaijan and a bank based in Mexico City in exchange for influencing legislative activities in their favor.

“Payments were allegedly laundered through false consulting contracts, involving a series of shell companies and intermediaries in ghost companies owned by Imelda Cuellar,” Department of Justice stated in a release.

Charges include conspiracy to commit bribery, violating the rule prohibiting public officials from acting as foreign agents, money laundering, and bribing federal officials.

If convicted, they could face decades in prison and the seizure of any property linked to the alleged scheme.

FBI agents raided the couple’s home and office in Laredo, Texas, in January 2022 as part of a federal investigation into ties between a group of businesspeople and Azerbaijan.

Cuellar, 39, denied the charges, stating: “Both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the citizens of South Texas.“

The payments were initially made through a shell company based in Texas owned by Imelda Cuellar and two of their children. This company reportedly received $25,000 monthly from Azerbaijan’s energy company under a “fake contract.”

He maintained sought legal advice before acting, but prosecutors refused his requests to discuss the case. As the investigation continues, Cuellar has temporarily stepped down from his position on the House Appropriations Subcommittee