Former Canyon Commissioner Vasquez files for bankruptcy 

Former Canyon County Commissioner Robert Vasquez filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 16.

Vasquez, a disabled U.S. Army veteran, gained national attention in 2005 for filing a lawsuit against four Canyon County agribusiness companies for hiring illegal immigrants. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case, which used anti-racketeering laws to sue the companies, after it was rejected in lower courts. During his time as commissioner, Vasquez also sent a $2 million bill to the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City for assumed costs associated with illegal immigration.

He ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress in 2007 and explored a U.S. Senate bid in 2008.

Bankruptcy papers list $104,000 in assets and $508,000 in liabilities for Vasquez. The liabilities include $138,000 left on the mortgage of his Caldwell home, $29,000 for a 2006 Jeep Cherokee, $85,000 in overpayment of benefits from the Social Security Administration and other consumer debts, according to court documents. Vasquez retains about $90,000 in value on the home. His only income this year is listed as $23,000 in disability payments.

Since February, Vasquez has hosted a talk radio show called “The Patriot Radio Network” on KIDO on Saturday mornings. He formed the “Robert Vasquez Group of Companies” in February 2009 for the show, though court papers say the company is now inactive. KIDO does not list the show on its Web site.

Vasquez did not immediately return messages left for comment.

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