Former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Arrested on Corruption Charges

Puerto Rico continues its campaign to root out corruption, and the U.S. territory has gone after one of the biggest fish there is. Former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez once held the highest position in the land. Now, however, she was arrested and charged with bribery last Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, Vázquez was charged with bribery linked to the financing of her 2020 gubernatorial campaign. However, she was accused of engaging in a bribery scheme from December 2019 to January 2020 while still serving as the governor. She served as the U.S. territory's governor from 2019 until 2021.

Wanda Vázquez Denies Allegations, Says She Is Innocent

As she was getting arrested, Vázquez told reporters that she is innocent and that she did not commit any crime. Vasquez is accused of engaging in a bribery scheme with several people, including a Venezuelan-Italian bank owner, a former FBI agent, a bank president, and a political consultant, according to the New York Times.

A spokesperson for the former governor declined to comment on her arrest.

While she is only the second woman to serve as the governor of the island, she also made history by being the first former governor to face federal charges. Her arrest is considered a huge blow to her pro-statehood New Progressive Party, which is pushing for a referendum next year to become the 51st state in the United States of America.

The arrest also sparked outrage in Puerto Rico, as many were angered and embarrassed by the former governor's arrest. They believe that Puerto Rico's already-shaky image was further tarnished by her arrest. This has led many to lose more faith in the local government officials and to look more to the U.S. federal government to help battle and root out corruption, according to a report by CNN.

Vázquez Received Over $300,000 During her Re-Election Campaign, Says DOJ

Two of Vázquez's conspirators, consultant John Blakeman and bank president Frances Díaz, have both pleaded guilty. The investigations came when the international bank owned by Julio Martín Herrera Velutini came under the scrutiny of Puerto Rico's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions because of some suspicious transactions. The former FBI agent involved in the scheme was identified as Mark Rossini, who provided consulting services to Herrera.

Rossini allegedly promised financial support to Vázquez's 2020 campaign for governor. This was in exchange for Vázquez dismissing the commissioner and appointing one Herrera chose.

Vázquez reportedly accepted the bribery offer and demanded the resignation of the commissioner. She appointed a new commissioner, who was a former consultant for Herrera's bank soon after. This led to Herrera and Rossini paying over $300,000 to political consultants in support of Vázquez's campaign.

However, Vázquez lost the primary to Pedro Pierluisi, who is serving as the current governor of Puerto Rico. Authorities said that Herrera also tried to bribe Pierluisi to end an audit into his bank. The bank president used intermediaries from April 2021 to August 2021 to bribe a Pierluisi representative. However, the said representative was acting under FBI orders. Pierluisi himself is not involved in the case, according to Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for Puerto Rico.

Vázquez, Herrera, and Rossini have been charged with conspiracy, federal programs bribery, and honest services wire fraud. They could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. Díaz and Blakeman could face five years in prison.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin