Dem congressional nominee Bobby Pulido faces scrutiny over years performing with convicted child sex offender

Two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning singer Bobby Pulido, who is the Democratic nominee in Texas’ 15th Congressional District, is facing scrutiny over past performances with bandmate Frankie Caballero, who is a registered sex offender convicted of indecent contact with an eight-year-old girl. 

The 52-year-old Tejano musician first collaborated with Caballero in 1995, when the accordion player performed on Pulido's mega-hit debut album "Desvelado." In May 2014, Caballero was convicted of a second-degree felony involving indecent contact with an 8-year-old female and was incarcerated, according to the Texas Public Sex Offender website. 

Caballero served four years in prison, according to the New York Post. Following his conviction and prison sentence, he toured again with Pulido between 2018 and 2021, with the two seen performing together in several cities, including Kansas City, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Tucson, per videos shared on YouTube.

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Pulido's campaign manager, Abel Prado, said, "First and foremost, Bobby extends his deepest sympathies and support to all of the victims involved."

"Frankie Caballero has long struggled with addiction issues and Bobby Pulido has acknowledged and attempted to help him with that battle," Prado continued. "When Jimmy Montez Management learned of Caballero’s criminal history in 2021 he was immediately fired and that relationship was severed." 

"Bobby was never made aware of Caballero’s sex offender registration and would never knowingly associate with anyone with that kind of history."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Caballero for comment. 

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Pulido officially announced his Democratic candidacy for Texas' 15th Congressional District in September 2025. He is vying for the seat currently held by Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, a two-term incumbent.

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In a Thursday Instagram post, De La Cruz shared a screenshot of the New York Post's report on the past involvement between Pulido and Caballero along with a statement. 

"My heart goes out to the children who were sexually abused by a close friend and business associate of Bobby Pulido," De La Cruz wrote. "For three decades, he brought a child predator into our neighborhoods with multiple convictions for sexually abusing children in Hidalgo County, including an eight-year-old girl. Despite being caught on tape admitting he knew of this man’s criminality, Mr. Pulido now falsely claims to have been unaware of his crimes. These are not South Texas values. To the families of these children whose suffering Mr. Pulido ignored: I am here for you. Please contact my office."

After announcing his campaign last fall, Pulido sparked controversy over resurfaced posts linking to explicit websites on his personal X account, as well as a post that appeared to show him urinating on President Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

In a 2015 post, Pulido taunted pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who later served a seven-year prison sentence, writing, "Don’t drop the soap a–-hole."

Pulido recently came under fire for appearing in a controversial music video depicting lewd behavior.

In a 2010 music video for his song "Dias de Ayer," Pulido portrayed a character wrapped in a red blanket engaging in indecent acts and appearing to expose himself to a woman seated next to him on a plane.