Vázquez, her political consultant and the president of an international bank are accused of bribery related to funding her 2020 campaign.
arrested former Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vázquez Garced on Thursday morning on corruption charges. She is the first former governor of the island to face federal charges.
"The alleged bribery scheme rose to the highest levels of the Puerto Rican government, threatening public trust in our electoral processes and institutions of governance," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department's Criminal Division."Theis committed to holding accountable those who wrongly believe there is one rule of law for the powerful and another for the powerless. No one is above the rule of law.
The FBI arrested former Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vázquez on Thursday. Above, Vazquez speaks during a press conference to announce strict new rules for all passengers flying into Puerto Rico to curb coronavirus cases in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on June 30, 2020.Also charged were Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, a 50-year-old Venezuelan-Italian citizen living in London who owns an unidentified international bank operating in San Juan, and bank CEO and President Frances Diaz, 50, of Puerto Rico.
Diaz pleaded guilty in March to bribery-related charges and Blakeman pleaded guilty to conspiring with Velutini and Rossini to bribe Vázquez. Both could face up to five years in prison.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
FBI names new Special Agent in Charge of Cleveland Field OfficeGregory Nelsen has been named the new special agent in charge of the Cleveland Field Office of the FBI, according to a news release from the agency.
Read more »
FBI request for info on Uvalde shooter raises questions about interagency sharingAs part of its Uvalde probe, the FBI made a public information request to the city, emails show — raising questions about how well agencies are sharing information.
Read more »
FBI subpoenaed records detail ex-PUCO chairman Sam Randazzo's influence on energy policyFirstEnergy admitted it bribed ex-top state energy regulator Sam Randazzo to help the company. Records requested by the FBI show his influence.
Read more »