Veracruz has become the “Golden Corner”: a magical land where those who come to power, without inheritances or businesses of their own, go from living day to day to amassing million-dollar fortunes in just a few years. And no one represents this spectacular leap better than Roberto Zenyazen Escobar García, now a federal deputy, Morena coordinator, and former Secretary of Education, whose life story begins on the dance floors of Orizaba and ends in luxuries that no public salary could ever cover.
The scandal erupted this Saturday, when his vessel Squalo, valued at one million dollars, was completely burned in the mangrove area of Boca del Río. On board were him, four young women, and the captain; two of them suffered fractures during the rescue. Confirmed reports indicate it was a private party, full of excesses and celebrations, far removed from the austerity his party preaches. But what most outrages people is knowing where all that money comes from, because his origins are well documented and very humble.
💃 HIS TRUE ORIGIN: “TARZAN BOY,” STAR OF ORIZABA’S 4-40 CLUB Those who knew him in the 1990s and early 2000s in the Altas Montañas region remember him perfectly: Roberto Zenyazen Escobar earned a living as a dancer and professional stripper, artistically known as “Tarzan Boy.” His most famous workplace was the 4-40 club, one of Orizaba’s busiest and most popular nightspots, located in the heart of the bar district.
There, night after night, he performed for the public, showing his body and dance moves, earning just enough to get by, with no assets, no properties, and no trace of the wealth he flaunts today. He was just another young man, hardworking but with very limited resources, like anyone else in the region.
From there he made his first leap: he managed to enter as a telesecundaria teacher, a modest job with a low, stable salary, but one that never allows for luxuries. That’s where he began moving in teachers’ politics, seeking contacts, until he found definitive backing: that of then-candidate and later governor Cuitláhuac García Jiménez, who made him his trusted man.
- 🔹 1998–2004: Dancer at 4-40 Club, Orizaba
- 🔹 2005–2012: Telesecundaria teacher, union activism
- 🔹 2013: Local deputy
- 🔹 2018–2024: Secretary of Education of Veracruz
- 🔹 2025–present: Federal Deputy, Morena Coordinator, millionaire
🚤 FROM DANCER TO YACHT OWNER: THE FORTUNE APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE What happened in those years makes his case the ultimate symbol of corruption and illicit enrichment in Veracruz. He never had businesses of his own, family companies, inheritances, or investments. His only source of income was always the public budget: first as a teacher, then as a legislator, and later heading the SEV, a department with billions of pesos annually.
Yet today he owns: ✅ Yacht Squalo: 1 MILLION DOLLARS (over 18 million pesos) ✅ Mansion: In Chachalacas, valued at 100 MILLION PESOS, with private beach access ✅ Ranches and land: Several cattle properties with Spanish-bred horses, each worth more than a public official earns in years ✅ Vehicles: Luxury SUVs, high-end 4x4s, a complete fleet ✅ Other assets: Jewelry, trips, accounts, undeclared investments
The math doesn’t add up, not even close. A state secretary earns around 120,000 pesos a month. Even saving everything, in 6 years he would barely gather 8 million pesos—less than half of what just his yacht cost. How then does he have all this? There are only two explanations: diversion of resources or payment for political favors.
⚠️ THE GOLDEN CORNER: POOR PEOPLE, RICH POLITICIANS This case is not unique—it’s the rule. Veracruz is today one of the poorest states, with the greatest educational lag, destroyed roads, collapsed healthcare, and extreme poverty, but it is also a gold mine for those close to power. They came promising Transformation, to end corruption and be austere, and today they are the new rich: millionaires overnight, without anyone holding them accountable.
While he celebrated aboard his luxury vessel, in the schools he directed for six years there were no books, no teachers, collapsing roofs, and useless services. While he bought pedigree horses, thousands of Veracruz families couldn’t even afford a medical consultation.
❓ QUESTIONS NO ONE ANSWERS The fire aboard the Squalo revealed what everyone suspected but no one proved:
- With what money did he buy that yacht? Who gave it to him or paid for it?
- How did he go from dancing at the 4-40 Club to having a fortune of more than 200 million pesos in 15 years?
- Are these assets the result of diverting money meant for education, health, and public works?
- Why does he have immunity and total protection, even though the evidence of inexplicable enrichment is public and clear?
Today, Zenyazen Escobar remains untouchable, coordinating his colleagues in Congress, defending the government that made him rich, while Veracruz continues to be the Golden Corner for a few, and the corner of abandonment for the vast majority.
His story says it all: here, power is not used to serve. It is used to get rich. And no one makes them pay for it.
Source: mexicodailypost
