{"id":367301,"date":"2026-07-09T20:24:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T20:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/367301\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T20:24:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T20:24:25","slug":"welcome-back-corpus-dolcefino-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/367301\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome Back, Corpus \u2013 Dolcefino Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\tJuly 9, 2026\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tShare this story:
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Who else at Corpus Christi city hall is COMPROMISED? Tonight the City Manager Peter Zanoni is facing allegations he\u2019s too close to a hotel developer suing the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe word of the day in Corpus Christi should be compromised\u201d Wayne Dolcefino told the camera.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor weeks we\u2019ve been exposing the questionable relationships between city officials and hotel developers as part of a wider probe into water contracts\u2026.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow it is the city manager who has some explaining to do\u2026.\u201d Dolcefino told the camera.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a warm welcome back to Corpus Christi city hall.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you didn\u2019t like me. I don\u2019t.\u201d said Hernandez.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this isn\u2019t like going to high school in the 70s.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more like kindergarten.\u201d Dolcefino tells the camera.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know you I don\u2019t even like you.\u201d said Caballero.<\/p>\n

\u201cCity council members acting like they are facing cameras after getting busted or something.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of quick questions councilman 104 why can\u2019t we get your phone records?\u201d said Hernandez.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey councilmember.\u201d said Carolyn Vaughn.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time Carolyn Vaughn shows up at city hall\u2026 security has been ordered to protect her\u2026 I\u2019m told I can\u2019t do interviews here. really?\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t do that here.\u201d said Carolyn Vaughn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care I\u2019m allowed to do this. I\u2019m allowed to talk to you it\u2019s called America\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said you don\u2019t like me.\u201d said Hernandez.<\/p>\n

Hernandez slams the door shut so we can\u2019t follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cKaylynn Paxson drove past her reserved spot just to avoid our camera\u2026 there\u2019s talk she wants to be mayor\u2026\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been ignoring our requests for an interview for weeks.\u201d Dolcefino states.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut do you know what they all have in common?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey all took campaign money from companies tied to hotel developers Ajit David and his business partner Raju Bhagat.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd have helped David and his powerful lawyer Doug Allison promote a scandal that has engulfed this city by the bay ever since\u2026 costing taxpayers more than half a million already.\u201d says Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

They are also behind the council\u2019s plan to remove mayor Paulette Guajardo from office.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been unbelievable.\u201d said Guajardo.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaxson and Vaughn are under investigation by the Texas ethics commission for allegedly accepting an illegal corporate campaign contribution from the hoteliers\u2026\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to talk to you about Texas ethics commission complaints\u2026 Vaughn\u2026\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning no comment.\u201d said Vaughn.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what else they have in common?\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just voted not to spend the money necessary to even apply for up to 120 million in federal grant money for the proposed inner harbor desalination plant.\u201d Dolcefino stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey appear willing to squander the fifty million dollars of your money already spent.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I mention Doug Allison is in the water desal business\u2026 he wears lots of hats.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look like clowns. it\u2019s a clown show and that\u2019s not what i want right\u201d said mark Scott.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city attorney announced his retirement a few days after the assault of our camera\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess it was better than getting fired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe played hide and seek with the city auditor before he announced he was suddenly retiring.\u201d Dolcefino says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do they have in common?<\/p>\n

Ajit David\u2026 Doug Allison.\u201d says Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople rely on you. you know that, Peter Zanoni.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t know about that\u201d said Zanoni.<\/p>\n

\u201cCity manager Peter Zanoni is the highest paid city employee. a little south of half a million dollars\u2026 a sweet deal with 12 weeks\u2019 vacation a year.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cZanoni got his hand slapped after he was caught wining and dining too much during a p card audit.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need horsshack anymore\u2026 it was often entertainment with Ajit David.\u201d said Dolcefino.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally think the relationship they had was too close and i think it is part of the challenge that we face.\u201d said Barerra.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that was before we started looking into a plane that looks a lot like this one.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

We traced a tail number to RGB air services owned by Raju Bhagat and Sid Ridlehuber\u2026 the head of charter bank in corpus.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we confronted Peter Zanoni about a trip he took on that plane.\u201d Dolcefino stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went, I took a trip, right to see one of their projects\u2026 like city managers would, you know customarily do\u201d said Zanoni.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut how did that trip help corpus\u2026 good question.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurns out Raju was having trouble with the city of Austin on the construction of the Fairfield inn here on Rainey Lane in Austin.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a day trip. it was less than a day trip\u201d said Zanoni.<\/p>\n

\u201cZanoni knew the deputy city manager\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s typical that city managers help businesses people that not all their projects are always in the community\u201d said Zanoni.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was clearly brought along to grease the skids. not to profit corpus Christi\u2026 to profit Raju.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cwhat\u2019s your reaction I can\u2019t believe that.\u201d said Guajardo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mayor was not amused.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think voter taxpayers are going to want the city manager flying in developer\u2019s planes to help them in another city\u2026 absolutely not.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not aware of that. this is the first I\u2019m hearing about.\u201d said Guajardo.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you taken trips with any other businessmen that you could tell me about to others\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have but I\u2019m not going to hear about it just so you know\u201d said Zanoni.<\/p>\n

\u201cZanoni was among the city officials who fueled allegations developers of this new Homewood suites hotel committed some kind of crime when they got two million dollars in tax incentives.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

Ajit and Raju wanted their competition to stop.<\/p>\n

Even though they had benefited from millions in tax incentives too.<\/p>\n

They initially brought thing after thing, issue after issue, none of them checked out<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil this\u2026 the date on a FEMA press release was covered up during a presentation.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cDevelopers say Zanoni immediately accused them of a crime in that meeting.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been spun into a narrative the developer pulled a fast one\u2026 altering a government document with an intent to defraud taxpayers\u2026 it was the date on a press release.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, it is categorically untrue.\u201d Ramirez states.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is manufactured controversy,\u201d said Barrera<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has taken up a ton of time and money in a town facing real water issues.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd even though Ajit\u2019s lawsuit is costing taxpayers a ton of money\u2026 councilmembers seem to be on his side\u2026 not yours\u2026 and we\u2019ve started calling them the foolish five.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember their names.\u201d Dolcefino states.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got new emails\u2026 wait till you see who has egg on their face.\u201d said Wayne.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd our waste fraud and abuse complaint alleging Ajit David\u2019s company cheated taxpayers on building permits fees.\u201d said Dolcefino.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like the whole city is compromised. I know what you know and the perception of it is not good.\u201d said Guajardo.<\/p>\n

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