Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Bribery Scandal: Former FBI Agent Turns Self In

The bribery case surrounding former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez is moving forward after former FBI agent Mark Rossini turned himself in. Rossini is involved in the bribery scandal surrounding the former governor of the U.S. territory and was also indicted along with Vázquez and several others.

Rossini turned himself into federal authorities in Puerto Rico last Tuesday. They have now charged Rossini with conspiracy, federal program bribery, and honest services wire fraud, according to the Associated Press.

During a brief court appearance, he entered a "not guilty" plea. This led to the judge authorizing the former FBI agent to be able to live on the U.S. mainland. However, the ruling also stated that he could not live in Spain where he is reportedly getting his cancer treatment. The judge did allow Mr. Rossini to travel to Spain for treatment.

His attorneys could not be reached for comment. However, federal officials have been seeking Rossini since former Governor Vázquez was arrested last week. He was staying in Spain for his cancer treatment before traveling back to Puerto Rico to turn himself in.

Who is Mark Rossini?

Rossini served as an agent for the FBI from 1991 to 2008, according to US News. However, he was caught up in a different scandal after he pleaded guilty to accessing a sensitive FBI database for personal purposes.

Most of his searches involved infamous private detective Anthony Pellicano, who was charged with illegally wiretapping celebrities and bribing a police officer. This led to Rossini resigning as part of his plea deal.

Rossini provided consulting services in the years that followed. This led him to lending his services to an Italian-Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, the founder of Bancrédito International Bank & Trust.

Herrera-Velutini is one of the people caught up in the bribery scandal, as he promised to support Vázquez's 2020 gubernatorial election campaign in exchange for her dismissing the commissioner of Puerto Rico's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions. This allowed Herrera Velutini to then choose and place a suitable replacement friendly to his interests.

The Italian-Venezuelan banker is also facing charges of conspiracy, bribery, and fraud.

Julio Herrera Velutini's Bank Being Liquidated

The Washington Post notes that he is believed to currently be in the United Kingdom. Suspicious financial transactions led to his bank getting scrutinized by authorities.

According to reports, Vázquez accepted the bribe offer and demanded the resignation of the commissioner. After Herrera Velutini had a new commissioner installed. he paid over $300,000 to political consultants in support of Vázquez's campaign.

Unfortunately for the three, Vázquez lost her reelection bid to current Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi. The banker also tried bribing Pierluisi to end an audit into his bank, but his representative who met with the bank president's intermediaries were acting under FBI orders.

Now, Herrera Velutini's Bancrédito International Bank & Trust, which was one of the oldest international banks operating in Puerto Rico, is now voluntarily being liquidated.

Commissioner Natalia Zequeira said in a statement that it began as a routine examination in 2019. Now, it has reached its final chapter. She added that the process could take up to six months, but her office will work to ensure it will fulfill its obligations to all clients. The bank was also ordered to pay $250,000 in sanctions.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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