Luis de la Garza

Background

De la Garza obtained his bachelor's degree in geology from the Instituto Politécnico Nacional and his master's degree in hydrogeology from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. He subsequently worked for the Mexican government and was responsible for detecting, studying and drilling for water with a team of 600 under his command. At the peak of his career, he married and moved to Houston, Texas. Unable to work within his field of expertise due to a language barrier, de la Garza earned his living performing manual labor. Soon after, he divorced and moved to Dallas, where he became a successful entrepreneur in the restaurant and automobile businesses, and married his current wife Blanca Estrada.

TeleAmerica

In the mid-eighties, de la Garza was invited to host a radio show and developed a new passion for media. In 1994, de la Garza founded TeleAmerica a Spanish speaking television station serving the Hispanic community giving them a venue to openly express their opinion. A couple of years later it became TeleAmerica Spanish Network, broadcasting to different states through independent stations but still under the TeleAmerica logo.

By then, de la Garza had become politically active within the Hispanic community and his Show Foro 44 had made a name for itself. De la Garza conducted interviews with various political figures from the U.S. and Mexico, most notably US President George W. Bush, Mexican Ambassador to the United States Jesús Federico Reyes Heroles, and Mexican President Vicente Fox. The show largely focused on local issues, including education, health, business and regional politics. In December 1999, after seeing the need for an immigration and consumer advocacy advice program, he produced The Roy Petty Show until 2002 when it moved to Univision America. De la Garza became active in American politics, meeting with numerous Senators and Congressmen, peacefully protesting against laws which he viewed as anti-immigrant, and conducting community organizing activities in Mexican neighborhoods.

Awards and other ventures

De la Garza has been the recipient of many community awards. He was twice named one of the most influential media personalities by the advocacy group Hispanic 100. He has also received recognition from the Latino Peace Officers Association, Who’s Talking (issued by The Dallas Morning News as one of the best Talk Shows), the Venegas Foundation, the Arlington Hispanic Advisory Council, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Dallas Police Department.

In 2006, de la Garza began efforts to found a new television station while continuing to host his radio show ConSentido. He also stayed active in business, founding a new organization, RETO Group/Representacion Total, which aimed to strengthen ties between business people in Mexico and the United States in order to create new opportunities for development and investment. Throughout his efforts in business and political advocacy, de la Garza expressed that he aimed to build bridges between Mexicans in Mexico and the United States and that the only way to effect change is to participate, be active, and create opportunities for future generations.

Bank robbery arrest, guilty plea and sentencing

On June 22, 2013, de la Garza was arrested by the FBI and charged with the April 22nd robbery of a Wells Fargo bank in Farmers Branch, Texas, during which the perpetrator covered his face with a mask as he entered the location and demanded money from the tellers at gunpoint. According to The Dallas Morning News, a witness who saw the robber prior to his putting on the mask described the robber's features to police, who created a sketch that was widely distributed. The sketch helped lead police to de la Garza, whom a witness later pointed out from a lineup. Agents from the FBI Bank Robbery Task Force identified de la Garza as the "Mesh Mask Bandit", who was believed to have been involved in nearly 20 bank robberies since December 2012.

De la Garza's wife and people who worked with him expressed shock at the arrest, although others who know him stated that de la Garza had a gambling addiction. In addition, The Dallas Morning News reported that he had legal problems in the past. He pleaded guilty in 2005 to failing to file a corporate tax return and was ordered to pay about $72,000 to the IRS. He also has a case pending against him involving stealing almost $300 worth of goods from a Walmart store in Dallas.

In November 2013, De la Garza pleaded guilty to committing robberies at five banks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area between April 2010 and May 2013. He also confessed to committing more than a dozen other bank robberies since 2010. He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on April 17, 2014, and is currently being held at the Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville, a low-security facility in Texas. He is scheduled for release in 2030.