Overview

• The tribunal upheld an eight-year, seven-month and 15-day sentence plus a 116,141-peso fine for illicit exercise of public service.
• Prosecutors found that Zárate Medina removed and falsified four cadastral files to illegally transfer properties, including those of the late Dr. Gerardo Ricárdez, to front companies.
• The operation, known as the “Cártel del Despojo,” implicated notaries and former officials during Governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa’s administration.
• His partner and his father, notary Jorge Zárate Martínez, have both been accused in the fraud network, with the latter arrested in March 2024.
• Six separate investigations for abuse of authority, influence peddling, forgery and extortion remain active as courts determine restitution for victims.