Puerto Rico's former governor, Wanda Vazquez-Garced, was arrested Thursday by federal officials on charges of bribery linked to her 2020 gubernatorial campaign. The arrest came after a prolonged investigation into allegations that she engaged in a scheme with multiple individuals, including Venezuelan-Italian bank owner Julio Martin Herrera Velutini and former FBI agent Mark Rossini.
According to the indictment, Vazquez-Garced allegedly agreed to terminate the commissioner of Puerto Rico's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF) and appoint a new consultant in exchange for financial support from Herrera Velutini. This alleged deal was reportedly worth over $300,000 in political consultants' fees.
The investigation revealed that Herrera Velutini had sought to bribe Vazquez-Garced's primary opponent, incumbent Governor Pedro Pierluisi, who succeeded her as governor. In return, Herrera Velutini allegedly offered to fund and support Pierluisi's campaign.
Vazquez-Garced faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the seven charges against her. She is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday to face federal officials.
In a press conference earlier this month, Puerto Rican authorities alleged that Rossini and Herrera Velutini had agreed to financially support Vazquez-Garced's reelection campaign in exchange for her termination as OCIF commissioner and the appointment of a new consultant.
Vazquez-Garced has denied committing any crime, stating that she is innocent and that the allegations are a huge injustice. She took office in August 2019 after weeks of protests led to the resignation of then-Governor Ricardo Rosselló. Before her swearing-in, Vazquez-Garced led Puerto Rico's Justice Department and served as district attorney for over 20 years.
This is not the first scandal to rock Vazquez-Garced. In January 2020, she faced criticism after firing a government official who had called for an independent investigation into how aid was distributed in the aftermath of a series of earthquakes that hit the island.
Governor Pierluisi condemned Vazquez-Garced's arrest, stating that "no one is above the law" and that his administration has zero tolerance for corruption.
According to the indictment, Vazquez-Garced allegedly agreed to terminate the commissioner of Puerto Rico's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF) and appoint a new consultant in exchange for financial support from Herrera Velutini. This alleged deal was reportedly worth over $300,000 in political consultants' fees.
The investigation revealed that Herrera Velutini had sought to bribe Vazquez-Garced's primary opponent, incumbent Governor Pedro Pierluisi, who succeeded her as governor. In return, Herrera Velutini allegedly offered to fund and support Pierluisi's campaign.
Vazquez-Garced faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the seven charges against her. She is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday to face federal officials.
In a press conference earlier this month, Puerto Rican authorities alleged that Rossini and Herrera Velutini had agreed to financially support Vazquez-Garced's reelection campaign in exchange for her termination as OCIF commissioner and the appointment of a new consultant.
Vazquez-Garced has denied committing any crime, stating that she is innocent and that the allegations are a huge injustice. She took office in August 2019 after weeks of protests led to the resignation of then-Governor Ricardo Rosselló. Before her swearing-in, Vazquez-Garced led Puerto Rico's Justice Department and served as district attorney for over 20 years.
This is not the first scandal to rock Vazquez-Garced. In January 2020, she faced criticism after firing a government official who had called for an independent investigation into how aid was distributed in the aftermath of a series of earthquakes that hit the island.
Governor Pierluisi condemned Vazquez-Garced's arrest, stating that "no one is above the law" and that his administration has zero tolerance for corruption.
she was already having some drama with her predecessor before this too... like vazquez-garced has been under scrutiny since 2020 and now this new bombshell drops? 20 years in prison is no joke, that's crazy 
i'm not sure how she's going to spin this one... or if she even can. governor pierluisi sounds pretty solid, though, it's good he's taking a strong stance on corruption 
This is so disheartening. I mean, I knew she had a tough time during her campaign but bribery charges? That's some serious stuff. It's like, how could anyone think it was okay to bribe someone in exchange for their job? And on top of that, it seems like there were multiple people involved in this scheme... 
Pedro Pierluisi is being super calm about the whole thing, but I can see why he'd be upset. 
... Wanda Vazquez-Garced was a big figure in Puerto Rico politics and now she's in trouble? I don't know what to think, but it seems like some people were trying to pull strings behind the scenes 
. Herrera Velutini and Rossini seemed like they were up to no good, trying to bribe Vazquez-Garced and then offer to support her opponent's campaign. That just doesn't sit right with me 
.
. And what about her reputation? It's gonna take a long time to rebuild trust 
, can't believe what's going on in Puerto Rico rn... Politicians think they're above the law, right? 
. The fact that her opponent Pedro Pierluisi got offered a bribe too is just wild 
this is like totally not a surprise to me lol... politician scandals are so common in puerto rico rn 
wanda vazquez-garcia is like the ultimate example of how corruption can spread from top to bottom 
i mean, she's been in power for years and it takes an investigation to finally catch her red-handed 
the fact that someone as powerful as julio martin herrera velutini could try to bribe a governor's opponent just shows you how rotten the system can be 
. It's like, we're supposed to be better than that, you know? And it's even more messed up that she allegedly took money from a guy who was trying to bribe her opponent 
? I mean, we need better leadership and more accountability in our government, not more scandals and cover-ups 
. Anyway, I hope Vazquez-Garced gets the justice she deserves, but at the same time, I wish this wasn't her story 
it's super easy... so anyway, back to this news... 20 years in prison is a long time 
... and what if she didn't do anything wrong? 
she seems like a nice person... I don't get why she's not just saying sorry and moving on 
... and what about the guy who tried to bribe her opponent? Was he caught too? 
️. On a serious note, it's a shame when corruption like this happens in positions of power. It just shows how much more work needs to be done to ensure fairness and transparency in politics 
.