The case involves Acevedo Vila’s successful 2004 gubernatorial campaign and 2000 and 2002 campaigns for resident commissioner, which is Puerto Rico’s representative in the U.S. Congress.
The indictment unsealed today, which was returned by a grand jury in San Juan Monday, paints a picture of illegal campaign donations that were then covered up. A group of Philadelphia businessmen, for instance, allegedly solicited donations for the governor from family and staff and then illegally repaid those donors. Acevedo Vila then helped those businessmen win contracts for Puerto Rico’s government, the indictment says. The indictment also lays out an alleged scheme to defraud Puerto Rico of $7 million in public campaign funds for candidates who agree to spending caps even though Acevedo Vila and his associates allegedly spent and raised more than allowed and then covered it up,
Acevedo Vila also is charged with accepting personal income “related to his campaigns or official position” that he did not report on his tax return, according to the Department of Justice. The others indicted include Pennsylvania residents Candido Negron Mella, Salvatore Avanzato, Robert Feldman, and Marvin Block. In San Juan, those indicted include Jorge Velasco Mella, Ramon Velasco Escardille, Miguel Nazario Franco, Also indicted were: Acevedo’ Vila’s legal adviser Luisa Inclan Bird, his 2004 finance director Ricardo Colon Padilla, a former staffer from his Washington office Eneidy Coreano Salgado and a former assistant campaign treasurer Edwin Colon Rodriguez.
(Lytle is chief Washington correspondent for the Orlando Sentinel.)
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/puerto_rico_governor_indicted.html
Tags: acevedo-vila, avanzato, corruption, feldman, high-end clothing, Kravchuk, nazario, negron, Philadelphia, puerto rico, velasco
March 27, 2008 at 9:19 pm |
Acevedo, now running for re-election as governor, will not be arrested, Rodriguez said. But at least five others named in the indictment were led in handcuffs into the U.S. federal building in San Juan early Thursday morning. “The governor will be permitted to turn himself in deference to his position,” she said.
Acevedo has called the campaign finance probe a case of political persecution by federal officials, partly for his criticism of a September 2005 FBI raid in which a fugitive militant Puerto Rican independence leader was killed. His allegation has support in Puerto Rico, where many feel a deep-rooted nationalism and hostility toward the U.S. federal government. A Harvard-educated attorney and career politician, Acevedo, 45, served in Washington as the island’s nonvoting delegate to Congress, and was elected governor in 2004 after campaigning on an anti-corruption platform. Acevedo’s party favors maintaining the island’s semiautonomous relationship with the U.S. mainland. His leading opponent in this year’s governor’s race favors making Puerto Rico the 51st state.
Associated Press Writer Lara Jakes Jordan contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080327/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/puerto_rico_governor
The governor and the other defendants, if convicted, face possible prison terms of 3 to 20 years and fines of up to $250,000 on each count, the authorities said. The 27-count indictment accuses the defendants of conspiring to illegally raise money to pay off large debts stemming from Mr. Acevedo’s successful campaigns in 2000 and 2002 to be Puerto Rico’s nonvoting representative in Congress, a position he held from 2001 to 2005, the year he became governor. The reported campaign debt in 2000 was about $545,000, the indictment says.
In the scheme, the indictment asserts, Mr. Acevedo, with the help of other defendants, solicited and then reimbursed illegal campaign contributions from members of Mr. Acevedo’s family and staff, and from the family members and staff of a group of business executives in and around Philadelphia. In an effort to circumvent contribution limits, the governor and his associates disguised the source of the contributions by listing them under other people’s names, the indictment alleges. In return for the Pennsylvania contributions, the indictment says, Mr. Acevedo helped the business executives obtain contracts from Puerto Rican government agencies for themselves and their clients.
During the governor’s successful 2004 gubernatorial bid, the indictment says, Puerto Rican business executives made large and unreported donations to the campaign — as much as $50,000 apiece — by disguising them as payments to the campaign’s public relations and media company. The campaign would paper over the contributions by drawing up fake invoices to make them appear to be payments for legitimate business expenses. The indictment also accuses Mr. Acevedo of spending campaign funds on personal expenses and illegally failing to report it on his income tax returns. Federal officials say that Mr. Acevedo used this money to pay for family vacations in Miami, Orlando and China; to pay for $57,000 worth of “high-end” clothing; and to pay personal credit card bills.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/us/27cnd-puerto.html
Acevedo Vila, 46, in a statement denied wrongdoing and called the indictment politically motivated. He was due to appear in federal court in San Juan today.
Thomas Green, a Washington-based attorney for the governor, said the charges “will be vigorously contested and exposed as senseless.” Green called the case “an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government into the affairs and electoral process” in Puerto Rico and said it was “particularly disconcerting that this indictment comes after three years of investigation, two grand juries and in the middle of an election year.” Acevedo Vila is running for re-election to a second four- year term.
Prosecutors said the governor and his legal adviser solicited and reimbursed contributors for illegal “conduit contributions” made by a donor in the name of someone else. A group of Philadelphia businessmen were also charged with making hidden contributions to the governor. Acevedo Vila also faces tax charges for allegedly concealing payments made to him for family vacations and $57,000 worth of “high-end clothing,” according to the indictment. The indictment, unsealed today, was issued March 24.
Robert Schmidt in Washington at rschmidt5@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: March 27, 2008 12:52 EDT
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a3Dx1Pc9at2w&refer=home
March 27, 2008 at 9:28 pm |
03:01 p.m.
Dispuesto a sustituir a Acevedo Vilá
El ex titular del DACO, Alejandro García Padilla, no descarta asumir la candidatura a la gobernación “si el pueblo popular lo reclama”. Fotogalería.
El director ejecutivo del PPD, Aníbal José Torres, junto al liderato de la colectividad habla sobre las acusaciones federales. (Wanda Liz Vega/END)
Por The Associated Press
PONCE — Tras las acusaciones federales contra el gobernador Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, el ex secretario de Asuntos del Consumidor (DACO), Alejandro García Padilla, no descartó hoy aspirar a la gobernación por el Partido Popular Democrático (PPD) si Aníbal Acevedo Vilá renuncia a la reelección y el pueblo popular lo reclama. García Padilla, candidato a senador por acumulación, señaló que le corresponde al mandatario decidir si renuncia o no a la candidatura. Y de renunciar, debe ser el “pueblo popular” quien escoja a su sustituto.
“Yo tengo hasta este momento un reclamo del pueblo popular de que yo contribuya para el rescate del Senado, tendría que haber un cambio en el reclamo del pueblo popular para que yo cambie mi posición”, respondió García Padilla cuando se le preguntó si estaría disponible para la gobernación.
Las autoridades federales anunciaron hoy la radicación de 19 cargos criminales contra Acevedo Vilá por presuntos donativos ilegales a su campaña política. También acusaron a otras 12 personas vinculadas al Partido Popular Democrático (PPD).
“Yo soy respetuoso del país y el país me ha reclamado que le rescatemos su Legislatura, y eso es a lo que yo me dirijo. Si hubiera un cambio en el reclamo del país, entonces yo consideraría la opinión de mi país”, añadió García Padilla. A su juicio, el Partido Popular Democrático no debe imponer a un sustituto. “Esa una determinación que va hacer el pueblo popular, aquí se trata de una determinación del pueblo popular, ya sea en una asamblea de delegados, una primaria. Como quiera que se haga, tiene que ser una determinación del pueblo popular, este no es un club privado”, manifestó.
Aseguró que a pesar de la difícil situación que representa la acusación contra Acevedo Vilá, el PPD se va a mantener de pie y va a “repechar la jalda”.
http://www.elnuevodia.com/diario/noticia/portada/noticias/dispuesto_a_sustituir_a_acevedo_vila/383774
04:52 p.m.
Aguarda la Cámara
El Cuerpo Legislativo esperará hasta que el Gobernador hable, antes de decidir qué proceso seguir.
Por Sandra Morales Blanes
La mayoría de la Cámara de Representantes acordó hoy en caucus dar espacio al gobernador Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, quien se apresta ofrecer un mensaje al País, antes de decidir sobre cualquier proceso que pudiera iniciarse en su contra por la Asamblea Legislativa como lo es un residenciamiento. Así lo afirmó el presidente de la Cámara, José Aponte, tras concluir una reunión de caucus de los representantes del Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP).
“Tenemos que ser realistas y es que dentro de las expresiones que pueda hacer el Gobernador, tomando los extremos, puede haber una determinación de él que torne académico la evaluación que se pueda hacer en algún momento”, dijo Aponte a periodistas en el Capitolio en clara referencia a la posibilidad, aún no descartada, de que Acevedo Vilá renuncie a la gobernación ante las acusaciones en su contra dadas a conocer hoy.
Aponte dijo que el caucus también pidió espacio para reunirse con el comisionado residente y presidente del PNP, Luis Fortuño, quien tras la noticia tomó un vuelo a Puerto Rico y a las 7:00 p.m. ofrecerá una conferencia de prensa.
http://www.elnuevodia.com/diario/noticia/portada/noticias/aguarda_la_camara/383775
03:42 p.m.
Libres bajo fianza
Vídeo de la conferencia de prensa.
Por Daniel Rivera Vargas
Seis de los acusados en el caso del Gobernador quedaron hoy libres bajo fianza. Los que comparecieron hoy a la vista inicial ante la magistrado Margaret Kravchuk, proveniente del estado de Maine, fueron los siguientes acusados: Ramón Velasco, tesorero de la campaña del comisionado residente Acevedo Vilá, Luisa Inclán, asesora legal de la oficina de Acevedo Vilá y voluntaria en el Departamento de Finanzas en la campaña y aún asesora del Gobernador, Miguel Nazario, también parte de la sección de finanzas de la campaña, Ricardo Colón, director de finanzas del Partido Popular para la campaña del 2004, y Edwin Colón Rodríguez, quien era asistente de la campaña del comisionado residente de Acevedo Vilá, y Jorge Velasco, a cargo de donativos de campaña que obtuvo un trabajo en la oficina del comisionado residente. Todos recibieron fianzas de $100,000, excepto Jorge Velasco a quien se le impusieron $50,000.
A dos de los acusados se les celebró la lectura de cargos en la que se declararon no culpable de los cargos en su contra. Estos fueron Miguel Nazario, imputado de 12 cargos de fraude y Ramón Velasco, de unos 16 cargos, se le imputa conspiración para violar leyes electorales, prestar falsas declaraciones y fraude electrónico.
http://www.elnuevodia.com/diario/noticia/portada/noticias/libres_bajo_fianza/383790
March 27, 2008 at 9:37 pm |
09:57 a.m.
Piden la renuncia
Contralor de Puerto Rico insta a Acevedo Vilá a ceder su cargo al Secretario de Estado para que se ‘enfoque en su defensa’. Escuche el audio.
Por Daniel Rivera Vargas
El contralor de Puerto Rico, Manuel Díaz Saldaña, cuya agencia participó en la investigación contra el gobernador Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, pidió en medio de la conferencia de prensa junto con los jefes de las autoridades federales que el mandatario renuncie a su cargo.
“Ante la seriedad de las acusaciones, entiendo que el Gobernador de Puerto Rico debe renunciar a su cargo y que deje que el Secretario de Estado (Fernando Bonilla) asuma su lugar, porque el Gobernador va a tener que estar enfocado en su defensa”, dijo Díaz Saldaña.
Díaz Saldaña advirtió que los acusados no pueden usar fondos públicos para pagar los abogados o utilizar equipo del Gobierno de Puerto Rico, como computadoras y celulares, para gestiones personales o de su defensa en este caso, tal y como lo establece el Artículo 6, Sección 9 de la Constitución de Puerto Rico.
http://www.elnuevodia.com/diario/noticia/portada/noticias/piden_la_renuncia/383723
March 27, 2008 at 11:23 pm |
March 27, 2008
Puerto Rican Governor Faces 19 Counts
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 7:01 p.m. ET
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila indignantly denied wrongdoing Thursday and gave no sign he would abandon his re-election effort after being charged with campaign finance violations that carry a penalty of 20 years in prison.
Acevedo, a superdelegate to this summer’s Democratic convention, accused U.S. prosecutors of pursuing a politically motivated indictment alleging that the governor and a dozen other people conspired to illegally pay off his campaign debts.
”I am going to defend my rights and protect the dignity of my family and of the people of Puerto Rico who support me,” the governor said in a statement hours after the FBI arrested most of those named in the indictment in San Juan, Philadelphia and Washington area.
Acevedo served in Washington as the island’s nonvoting delegate to Congress then was elected governor in 2004 after campaigning on an anti-corruption platform.
”I want to assure the people of Puerto Rico that I have never solicited nor accepted a contribution in exchange for a government contract, never permitted the illegal use of public funds nor acted illegally,” he said. ”I know very well several of those accused today, and I am convinced that they never accepted a bribe or stole a single cent.”
Acevedo canceled all his public events and remained sequestered all day in the island’s powder-blue colonial governor’s residence with his wife and two children. He said he would turn himself in Friday.
In a brief address on Puerto Rican television Thursday evening, he repeated his denials and accused U.S. authorities of distracting him from trying to revive the island’s struggling economy. ”They want blood not your well being,” he said of federal prosecutors. The governor did not take questions.
His indictment on 19 charges, including conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws, conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and giving false testimony to the FBI, made him the latest U.S. governor to run into legal trouble.
Others include New York’s Gov. Eliot Spitzer, forced to resign after he was accused of soliciting prostitutes, and Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, convicted for corruption in 2006 in what his allies allege was a politically motivated prosecution.
Acevedo’s indictment could create some awkward moments for Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama if they campaign as expected on the island ahead of its June 1 Democratic primary.
The governor is one of the island’s seven superdelegates and has endorsed Obama, but Amy Brundage, a spokesman for the Illinois senator, said Acevedo has no formal campaign role.
In recent months, Acevedo had accused the Justice Department of targeting him, in part for his criticism of a 2005 FBI raid in Puerto Rico during which a fugitive independence militant was killed.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez, who said authorities agreed to let Acevedo surrender ”in deference to his position,” dismissed his allegation that the charges are politically motivated.
”Nobody is above the law. We all lose when electoral processes are compromised,” Rodriguez said. ”For our part, we are not politicians, we do not make political decisions.”
Luis Fraticelli, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Juan office, also rejected the claim of political bias. He said the agency opened the formal investigation three months before the shootout in which Filiberto Ojeda Rios was killed at a farmhouse in western Puerto Rico.
Acevedo, 46, a Harvard-educated attorney and career politician, served in Washington as the island’s nonvoting delegate to Congress in 2000-04, then ran a successful campaign for governor.
The governor’s Popular Democratic Party supports maintaining Puerto Rico’s semiautonomous relationship to the United States. His chief opponent wants the island to become the 51st state.
Claims of political persecution resonate on the island, where many people feel a deep sense of nationalism and a resentment toward the U.S. But in interviews across the capital, most Puerto Ricans appeared to focus their anger on the governor.
”He should pay for what he did,” said Carmen Martinez Burgos, a 77-year-old retiree walking near San Juan’s federal building.
Jorge Menendez, a 62-year-old businessman from the San Juan suburb of Guaynabo, said the indictments should serve as warning to all public officials. ”No one is above the law,” he said.
Fraticelli said the FBI began the investigation after receiving detailed allegations from an undisclosed source about potentially illegal contributions to Acevedo’s campaign to be the island’s nonvoting delegate to Congress.
The information suggested that Acevedo received an unusually large number of campaign contributions from dental clinic employees and other people in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas and that some may have contributed money through others to avoid campaign donation limits, Fraticelli said.
In June 2005, the FBI opened a public corruption investigation and agents ‘’slowly began to uncover an elaborate illegal campaign contribution scheme,” he said.
Authorities eventually determined that after wracking up a $545,000 campaign debt during the 2000 campaign, Acevedo allegedly sought and received illegal contributions to cover the shortfall and bankroll later campaigns, according to the indictment.
Acevedo is also accused of filing false tax returns to conceal cash payments that he received. Authorities say he also used campaign money for personal expenses, including clothing purchases and family trips to Florida, Costa Rica and China.
The 55-page indictment also charges Acevedo personally helped a group of Philadelphia-area businessmen in their efforts to obtain Puerto Rican government contracts after they delivered illegal campaign contributions from their own staff and family members.
Four defendants from Pennsylvania have been accused of conspiracy, including Candido Negron Mella of Glenn Mills, who served as the governor’s U.S. deputy campaign finance chairman. His lawyer declined comment.
Associated Press writers Laura Perez Sanchez, Michael Melia and Yaisha Vargas contributed to this report.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Puerto-Rico-Governor.html
March 28, 2008 at 1:20 am |
Feinstein grills Mukasey about closed corruption unit
By Susan Crabtree
Posted: 03/27/08 05:58 AM [ET]
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Wednesday called on Attorney General Michael Mukasey to explain the decision to eliminate the public corruption unit in Los Angeles that has been investigating Rep. Jerry Lewis’s (R-Calif.) ties to a lobbying firm. The U.S. Attorney for the central district of California in Los Angeles reassigned the 17 lawyers in the public corruption unit and disbanded it earlier this month. The decision has stirred ill will and low morale within the office and raised questions about whether pending and future public corruption cases will be rigorously pursued, according to press accounts.
Attorneys in the Los Angeles office have spent years reviewing an FBI investigation into Lewis’s connection to a lobbying firm and the earmarks its clients received. Lewis has doled out more than a million dollars in attorney fees related to the probe.
Attorneys in the special corruption unit were assigned to other sections of the office and were told that their cases against public officials would be mixed in with other cases. Because cases against public officials require extensive work and result in fewer prosecutions, Feinstein is concerned they would be shunted aside for those that result in more convictions.
In a letter sent to Mukasey Wednesday Feinstein demanded a detailed explanation of why the decision was made, saying it “raises serious questions about the future of public corruption cases and whether they will be vigorously pursued in the central district of California especially given all of the turnover and disruption that has occurred.”
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/feinstein-quizzes-mukasey-about-closed-corruption-unit-2008-03-27.html