From Dwight comes word that Amado Pardo, Austin Restaurateur, convicted murderer, Democratic fundraiser, and accused heroin dealer has died. Last week I reported that he was in a coma and released to hospice care.
Obviously he won’t stand trial February 11 on the heroin distribution ring charges he was facing (though his wife has already plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance).
Hey, remember Convicted murderer, Democratic fundraiser, and accused heroin dealer Amado Pardo?
He’s been released to hospice care, According to his attorney, he’s “not been mentally responsive since December. ” Hmmmm. Maybe. I’m remembering all those sick gangsters suddenly coming down with an amazing array of ailments in Casino.
Also: “On Thursday, Pardo’s wife Amanda Pardo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She has not yet been sentenced.
Interestingly, a “Tish Pardo” commented on the previous post:
Have you ever heard the saying “don’t judge a person unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes”? You are very quick to judge Mayo apparently you have all of the “facts”. Yes he’s a convicted murderer, do you know the circumstances? Do you care to hear them? He may not have made the best choices, but he was a good man. He did his time for the murder convictions, you know what the problem is with society? They don’t let people change their lives for the better. If you’ve been convicted of a crime you might as well be a leper. Mayo employed people no one else would, he expected them to work to earn their pay, he helped people. Im not saying he’s a saint, but he used his abilities to help others and give back to the community. A convicted felon turned pillar of the community and here you are degrading him and his accomplishments because of his past.Well, his future is on the rocks because of what people think they know, law enforcement has the word of one man/woman and a lot of circumstantial evidence. But go ahead
It’s a very special type of pleading indeed that includes the phrase “Yes, he’s a convicted murderer.” Perhaps Ms. Pardo could comment below on how Amado Pardo is innocent of the heroin distribution charges, despite his wife having plead guilty to the same crime…
Dwight has been all over the story of Amado “Mayo” Pardo, owner of South Austin Mexican restaurant Joviata’s, who just happens to be a two-time convicted murderer (a third murder charge was dropped as part of a plea bargain for the first) and the accused leader of a heroin-dealing ring.
He’s also a noted fundraiser for the Democratic Party.
I have not been able to find any direct political donations at the state or national level for Pardo (and the Travis County website doesn’t seem to have a way to search for individual donations, only rank upon rank of PDFs), but Jovita’s seems to have been the site for numerous liberal and Democratic fundraising events:
There are more, but you get the idea. If these people were just renting Jovita’s as a venue, fine and dandy. But if they were specifically approaching Pardo to hold fundraisers for them, perhaps a bit more due diligence was in order on the part of the Austin Democratic establishment? The Austin Chronicle named him “Mayor of South Austin” in 2009. Here’s their profile of him, also from 2009, in which discusses his reading Marx and his love for Cesar Chavez, but omits his two murder convictions. How could he spend two decades hob-nobbing with Austin’s liberal community and no one bothered to find out that not only did he have two murder raps, but the FBI believes he had been dealing heroin for 25 years?
Of course, Pardo hasn’t been convicted. Instead of a heroin-dealing convicted murderer and liberal activist, he may only be a convicted murderer and liberal activist…