Conferencia de prensa del FBI sobre arresto de la representante María M. Charbonier https://t.co/NmoVRYzUya— Primera Hora (@primerahora) August 17, 2020
NOW: Puerto Rico House of Representatives member @TATACHARBONIER just pleaded not guilty, in federal court, to charges of conspiracy, theft of federal funds, bribery, kickbacks, wire fraud, money laundering, & obstruction of justice. Her bail has been set at $25,000.— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 17, 2020
She is one of the most conservative religious promoters in Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives: @TATACHARBONIER. She led the house ethics committee, & the push to reform the civil code - all while federal prosecutors say she was stealing federal funds.https://t.co/VxYjGCI859— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 17, 2020
NBC News
written by Associated Press
Monday August 17, 2020
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — FBI agents on Monday arrested Puerto Rico Rep. María Milagros Charbonier after the legislator who once presided over the island's House Ethics Committee was charged in a public corruption case that officials say also involved her son, husband and an assistant.
U.S. Attorney Stephen Muldrow said it was a simple scheme in which Charbonier allegedly received some $100,000 in bribes and kickbacks after increasing the pay of her assistant, Frances Acevedo, from $800 every two weeks to nearly $3,000, and then received between $1,000 to $1,500 in return for every paycheck.
“It wasn’t very complicated,” he said of the alleged scheme that lasted three years, adding that Acevedo on one occasion placed the cash promised to Charbonier in the legislator’s glove compartment at her request.
Muldrow also accused Charbonier of deleting phone messages related to the alleged corruption.
Charbonier, who earned $2,500 every two weeks as legislator, faces charges including theft, money laundering and obstruction of justice. She is one of Puerto Rico’s most conservative and religious legislators and once sued in an attempt to ban same-sex marriage on the island. Charbonier has served as representative since her election in 2012 but just lost in Sunday’s primaries. Charbonier also previously served as secretary general for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party.
Also charged in the case is Charbonier’s husband, Orlando Montes Rivera, and her son, Orlando Gabriel Montes. It wasn’t immediately clear if they, along with Acevedo, who became Charbonier’s assistant in 2013, had attorneys.
Charbonier is scheduled to appear in federal court on Monday afternoon. A former spokesman said he no longer worked for her and directed calls to her office, which remain unanswered. Charbonier recently said the FBI interviewed her and had seized her phone.
The arrests come as Puerto Rico struggles through a 13-year economic and financial crisis that in part has been blamed on mismanagement and corruption.
BREAKING: The FBI San Juan arrested an elected public official, this morning, as well as 3 other non public officials.— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 17, 2020
Among the charges: public corruption. The FBI has not identified the suspects. There’s an 11 AM news conference with the United States attorneys’s office.
U.S. federal prosecutors say @TATACHARBONIER & others introduced & voted for a resolution to establish a code of ethics for members of the House of Representatives. She’s accused of violating all ethics by embezzling, & stealing money in order to enrich herself & her family.— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 17, 2020
U.S. federal prosecutors allege that when Puerto Rico house of representatives member @TATACHARBONIER became aware that they had a warrant for her cell phone she deleted nearly the entire call log, all WhatsApp messages and nearly all iMessages on the phone.— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 17, 2020
U.S. federal prosecutors didn’t want arrest @TATACHARBONIER before Sunday’s primary election because they knew it may be seen as influencing the election.— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 17, 2020
Yesterday she lost.
Today they arrested her.
The feds had been sitting on the indictment, which was sealed from public view.
The arrest of @TATACHARBONIER for alleged public corruption in Puerto Rico is ironic.— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 17, 2020
She’s a family values, recent president of the ethics commission, & elected of the House of Representatives (PNP)
Yesterday she lost re-election.
Today she went to jail with her husband & son.
👇 OTHER PR RELATED NEWS 👇
“It’s an embarrassment to our government and our people.”#PuertoRico suspended #Voting at polling places that ran out of ballots, with some officials calling for the resignation of the president of the territory’s #Elections commission. https://t.co/Km7TvdYEOG— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) August 10, 2020
BREAKING: @pedropierluisi, who’s running for Puerto Rico Governor, has appealed to the islands Supreme Court to declare null the resolution preventing the disclosure of the preliminary results of the primaries, yesterday. The court could decide today whether to hear the case.— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 10, 2020
BREAKING: Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court unanimously rules that the votes cast Sunday in the primary election will be counted & the process must got on, plus all voting centers that didn’t receive ballots must reopen, & all voting centers that didn’t open for 8hrs must reopen, too.— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 12, 2020
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 13, 2020
Puerto Rico set for 2nd voting round after botched primaries, but Supreme Court ruling leaves out thwarted voters who did not return to centers that opened late because some people weren’t able to come back or weren’t aware that voting had become possible: https://t.co/q2cETPUHAu— Dánica Coto (@danicacoto) August 13, 2020
The FBI has arrested a 7th person in connection with an ongoing federal fraud probe involving Puerto Rico's former education secretary Julia Keleher, an agency spokesperson says. https://t.co/qU8BKfB5am— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 12, 2020
NBC News
written by Nicole Acevedo
Wednesday August 12, 2020
The FBI has arrested a seventh person in connection with an ongoing federal fraud probe involving Puerto Rico's former education secretary Julia Keleher, an agency spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
Aníbal Jover, the former president of Puerto Rico’s Association of Certified Public Accountants, was arrested by federal agents Tuesday morning, said FBI spokesperson Limary Cruz.
"The case does have a gag order, so I cannot comment any further," Cruz told NBC News.
Authorities say Jover, Keleher, former Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero, businessmen Fernando Scherrer-Caillet and Alberto Velázquez-Piñol as well as education contractors Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza and Mayra Ponce-Mendoza, who are sisters, participated in an alleged fraud scheme involving $15.5 million in federal funding between 2017 and 2019. They all face nearly 100 counts of money laundering, fraud and other related charges.
Jover pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud charges, his attorney Giovanni Canino told reporters outside the federal prosecutor's office in Puerto Rico Wednesday afternoon.
"I'm completely surprised," said Jover as he rushed out of the building.
According to the probe, Jover paid Velázquez-Piñol, a former government subcontractor, to secure contracts for him with the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration, Puerto Rico's national newspaper El Nuevo Día reported.
Keleher, a native of Philadelphia, drew controversy during her two-year tenure as the island's education secretary. She closed hundreds of schools, citing realities of a shrinking student population. She also implemented the island's first charter school, hoping to expand their presence in Puerto Rico.
A federal grand jury last year returned indictments in the case for three contractors, a former government advisor, Keleher and the former director of Puerto Rico’s Health Insurance Administration. The Ponce-Mendoza sisters have already pleaded guilty, while Keleher’s attorneys have said she is innocent.
Keleher, who resigned in April 2019, is accused of giving school property to a private company in exchange for living in a luxury apartment complex for six months on a $1 lease even though an agreement stipulated a $1,500 monthly rent. Keleher then bought the apartment and received a $12,000 bonus in connection with the purchase when such bonuses rarely exceed $5,000, officials said. Her attorneys have said she is not guilty.
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