SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez was arrested Thursday on bribery prices associated to her 2020 marketing campaign finance, the most recent blow to an island with a protracted historical past of corruption that has introduced recent political turmoil to the U.S. territory.
Vázquez is accused of partaking in a bribery scheme from December 2019 to June 2020 — whereas she was governor — with a number of folks, together with a Venezuelan-Italian financial institution proprietor, a former FBI agent, a financial institution president and a political guide. .
“I’m harmless. I’ve not dedicated any crime,” she advised reporters. “I guarantee you that they’ve executed me a terrific injustice.”
The arrest embarrassed and angered many in Puerto Rico, who imagine the island’s already shaky picture has been additional tarnished, leaving a rising quantity of people that have misplaced religion of their native officers to query whether or not federal authorities are their solely hope. alone to root out the entrenched corruption in authorities. . Concern over earlier instances of corruption led to a delay in federal help to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, because the US authorities applied extra safeguards.
Thursday’s arrest was additionally a blow to Vázquez’s pro-state New Progressive Social gathering, which is pushing to carry a referendum subsequent yr in a bid to turn into the 51st US state.
Vázquez, 62, was the second lady to function governor of Puerto Rico and the primary former governor to face federal prices. The previous governor. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá of the opposition In style Democratic Social gathering was charged with marketing campaign finance violations whereas in workplace and acquitted in 2009. He had been the primary governor of Puerto Rico to be charged with against the law in current historical past .
“For the second time in our historical past, political energy and public workplace are getting used to finance an electoral marketing campaign,” mentioned José Luis Dalmau, president of Acevedo’s occasion. “Using authorities energy to advance political agendas is unacceptable and an affront to democracy in Puerto Rico.”
Vázquez’s guide, recognized as John Blakeman, and the financial institution’s president, recognized as Frances Díaz, have pleaded responsible to taking part within the bribery scheme, in keeping with the US Division of Justice.
In early 2019, the worldwide financial institution owned by Julio Martín Herrera Velutini was being audited by the Workplace of the Commissioner of Monetary Establishments of Puerto Rico attributable to transactions that authorities believed had been suspicious and had not been reported by the financial institution.
Authorities mentioned Herrera and Mark Rossini, the previous FBI agent who offered consulting companies to Herrera, allegedly promised to financially assist Vázquez’s 2020 gubernatorial marketing campaign in alternate for Vázquez firing the commissioner and appointing a brand new one. chosen by Herrera.
Authorities mentioned Vázquez accepted the bribe provide and in February 2020 requested for the commissioner’s resignation. She was then accused of appointing a former guide to Herrera’s financial institution as the brand new commissioner in Could 2020. After the transfer, officers mentioned Herrera and Rossini paid greater than $300,000 to political consultants to assist Vázquez’s marketing campaign.
A flurry of messages exchanged throughout that point between folks concerned within the case included a coronary heart emoji hooked up to the commissioner’s resignation letter and three closed lips emojis when somebody gave the title of Rossi Vázquez, who requested for the title of ” the FBI man.” Moreover, Herrera texted Rossini about needing a marketing campaign supervisor and mentioned he did not need “a monkey from Puerto Rico.”
After Vázquez misplaced the primaries to the present governor. Pedro Pierluisi, authorities mentioned Herrera then allegedly sought to bribe Pierluisi to finish an audit of his financial institution on favorable phrases. Herrera is accused of utilizing intermediaries from April 2021 to August 2021 to supply bribes to Pierluisi’s consultant, who was really performing below orders from the FBI, in keeping with the indictment.
Officers mentioned Herrera then ordered a $25,000 fee to a political motion committee hoping to attempt to bribe Pierluisi.
Stephen Muldrow, the US Lawyer for Puerto Rico, mentioned Pierluisi shouldn’t be concerned within the case.
Vázquez, Herrera and Rossini are every charged with conspiracy, federal bribery schemes and trustworthy companies fraud. If convicted of all prices, they might withstand 20 years in jail, officers mentioned.
In the meantime, Díaz and Blakeman may withstand 5 years in jail, officers mentioned.
Muldrow mentioned officers imagine Herrera is in the UK and Rossini in Spain. It was not clear whether or not the US would search to extradite them.
Rossini resigned from the FBI in November 2008 as a part of a plea deal wherein he pleaded responsible to criminally accessing a delicate FBI database for private functions. Lots of the searches concerned Anthony Pellicano, a infamous superstar non-public eye who was charged in 2006 with wiretapping a number of stars and bribing a police officer.
Attorneys for the opposite suspects charged within the case couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.
In mid-Could, Vázquez’s lawyer advised reporters that he and his shopper had been making ready for attainable prices after the previous governor on the time denied any wrongdoing.
Vázquez was sworn in as governor in August 2019 after former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigned after mass protests. She served till 2021, after shedding the pro-state New Progressive Social gathering main to Pierluisi.
In an announcement Thursday, Pierluisi mentioned his administration will work with federal authorities to assist combat corruption.
“Nobody is above the regulation in Puerto Rico,” he mentioned. “Within the face of this information that actually impacts and damages the belief of our folks, I reiterate that in my administration we’ll proceed to have a typical entrance with the federal authorities in opposition to anybody who commits an improper act, no matter the place it comes from or who could also be implicated. “
Vázquez beforehand served because the island’s justice secretary and a district legal professional for greater than 30 years.
She grew to become governor after the Supreme Courtroom of Puerto Rico dominated that the oath of workplace of Pierluisi – who had been appointed solely as secretary of state – as governor was unconstitutional. Vázquez mentioned on the time that she was not all for operating for workplace and would solely full the almost two years remaining in Rosselló’s time period.
Rosselló had resigned in late July 2019 after tens of 1000’s of Puerto Ricans took to the streets, offended over corruption, mismanagement of public funds and an embarrassing speech wherein he and 11 different males, together with public officers, mocked ladies, gays . and victims of Hurricane Maria, amongst others.
Shortly after being sworn in, Vázquez advised the AP that her priorities had been to combat corruption, safe federal hurricane restoration funds and assist pull Puerto Rico out of a deep financial disaster as the federal government struggled to emerge from chapter.
In the course of the interview, she advised the AP that she had lengthy wished to be in public service: as a lady, she would stand on her balcony and maintain mock trials, all the time discovering the alleged defendants responsible.
