Former CMU trustee pleads not guilty to laundering $600M for drug cartel

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A Texas lawyer and former Carnegie Mellon University trustee pleaded not guilty to laundering more than $600 million for a Mexican drug cartel.

Marco Antonio Delgado entered the plea Thursday during a hearing in federal court in El Paso. He asked Judge Norbert Garney to schedule a bond hearing for Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Delgado conspired to launder a cartel’s drug profits from July 2007 through December 2008. The indictment doesn’t say which cartel.

A biography that was recently pulled from the university’s website said Delgado joined Mexican president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto’s campaign in early 2012 and is part of his transition team. Pena’s team denies knowing Delgado.

The university said Delgado provided the biographical information.

WPXI