LA JOYA – A former interim executive director of the La Joya Housing Authority was released Friday on a $50,000 unsecured bond.

Frances A. Salinas is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She's accused of participating in a scheme to secure a public relations contract in La Joya, where her father served as mayor.

According to court records, the conditions of her release included maintaining or actively seeking employment; submitting to drug testing; refraining from excessive use of alcohol and participating in substance abuse treatment. Salinas is also prohibited from opening new bank accounts, borrowing money and making other types of financial transactions without prior approval.

“The La Joya Housing Authority has a history of corrupt management and poor oversight by the Board of Commissioners," according to a July 1 letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to housing authority board Chairman John Pena. 

In Aug. 2019, the board's vice chairwoman, Sylvia Garces Valdez, was indicted on a federal bribery charge.

In May 2018, Juan Jose “J.J.” Garza, the former executive director of the housing authority, was sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.