Congressman Backed COVID Grant for Former Employer While Disclosing Unvested Stock Options
Rep. Gabe Vasquez voted to award up to $50,000 in COVID relief to Electronic Caregiver, a firm where he listed stock options on his council disclosures, and now says those options were worthless.
During his tenure as a Las Cruces city councilor, Rep. Gabe Vasquez approved a COVID-relief measure that allocated up to $50,000 to Electronic Caregiver, a provider of remote-patient monitoring devices. His annual council disclosures from 2017 to 2021 listed employee stock options in the same company, which he later asserted were never vested and therefore held no value. Electronic Caregiver’s chief operations officer explained that the options granted in 2012 required a minimum four-year tenure, but Vasquez departed after two years, causing the options to be forfeited.
A spokesperson for Vasquez argued the disclosure was intended as full transparency, even though council policy asks members to list only active financial interests. After one outlet’s inquiry, Vasquez updated his filings to clarify he had no financial stake while in office. The episode emerges as Vasquez seeks re-election in a district that Trump won by a narrow margin in 2024, adding to previous controversies involving his past employment and legal issues.
Why it matters
It raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and transparency for elected officials handling public funds.
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