Muhammad Choudary, the 78-year-old owner of a towing company in Bexar County, Texas, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges for attempting to bribe the Bexar County Sheriff with $30,000 to secure a county towing contract.. The offer was made during an April 2025 lunch meeting, but the sheriff immediately reported it to the FBI, which set up an undercover operation that recorded subsequent negotiations. Choudary faces up to five years in prison, and his sentencing date is pending.

The $30,000 lunch offer that backfired

According to the U .S. Attorney's Office, Choudary used an associate, Anwar Tahir, as a middleman to arrange an April 16, 2025, lunch meeting with the Bexar County Sheriff. during that meeting, the two men explicitly offered the sheriff $30,000 in exchange for steering the towing contract to Choudary's company. The sheriff reported the bribe attempt to the FBI immediately, as stated by law enforcement officials during a joint press conference on Thursday.

The FBI then inserted an undercover investigator who captured subsequent negotiations on record, leading to the guilty plea. The swift acction by the sheriff turned a potential corruption scheme into an evidence-gathering operation, demonstrating the effectiveness of immediate reporting in public integrity cases.

From $30,000 to $25,000 a year: the evolving bribe proposal

During a later meeting, Tahir, acting on Choudary's behalf, altered the offer to $10,000 cash upfront with annual payments of $25,000 for the life of the contract, as reported by prosecutors. This evolving bribe structure suggests that Choudary and his associate were attempting to refine their pitch to make it more palatable, though the sheriff had already alerted authorities.

The case was investigated jointly by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell. The detailed recording of the negotiations provides strong evidence of intent, reducing the likelihood of a successful defense.

Choudary's ouster from Mission Wrecker Service

Following the guilty plea, Mission Wrecker Service confirmed that Choudary was a business partner but has been removed from the company as an officer and director. According to a social media post by Vernon Oliver, president and director of the company, Choudary's "personal legal issue" does not involve him or the company. Oliver stated he will continue to lead the business to support its employees and customers.

This separation indicates that the company is attempting to distance itself from the criminal conduct, though questions remain about whether the business itself could face scrutiny or liability in the ongoing investigation.

What remains unknown about the second plea deal

The joint press conference also announced a second, related plea deal, but specific details about that case were not fully elaborated in the provided text. The U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation were all involved, but the scope of the broader investigation remains unclear. Was Anwar Tahir also charged? The source does not specify.

Additionally, the exact value of the towing contract Choudary sought is not disclosed, though the fact that he offered $30,000 upfront plus recurring payments suggests it was highly lucrative. The public bidding process initiated in March 2025 for towing and wrecking services for local sheriff and constable offices is now presmably voided, but whether any other irregularities were uncovered remains an open question.