Murillo Karam, who is the Attorney General of Mexico, said that Gordillo had diverted funds from the National Union of Education Workers, and used it to cover a credit card, among other things.
Elba Esther Gordillo has served as the union leader since 1989, and many have seen her performance as a barrier on the development of education in Mexico. During the recent enactment of the educational reform, Gordillo did not attend the ceremony, which with this she was showing her disapproval and rejection since it was announced.
Murillo Karam said that the funds were taken from workers and deposited into certain accounts of some individuals between 2008 and 2011. The total value in these transactions is estimated to range up to 2 billion pesos that were transferred into the United States and Switzerland. These funds were spent on personal expenses such as buying clothes, acquiring artwork, cosmetic surgery and the purchase of property which features a house in the Coronado area in San Diego, CA with an approximate value of $ 1.7 million dollars.
Elba Esther Gordillo was sent to the women's prison of Santa Martha Acatitla at 10:47p.m. Mexico City local time, and was accompanied by a group with more than 10 vehicles who did not cause any incidents while entering the premises, even though there were some security measures already established.
It could be as early as today when Gordillo will have her first hearing in the Eastern Prison, in the Iztapalapa, Mexico.
Neiman Marcus which is the store where Elba Esther Gordillo spent more than two million dollars on products from the diverted funds, avoided on making a comment on the issue.
Through their Twitter account, the store said that while listening to the complaints from other guests and from people who knew of the case, they said that they could not comment on a matter that was still under investigation.
Brenda.Colon@sandiegored.com
Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com
