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6 Ex-Cops Guilty in Fatal Beating
San Juan, PR – Three former Puerto Rico police officers, Erick Rivera Nazario, Angel Torres Quinones, and Antonio Rodriguez Caraballo, pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges in connection with the fatal beating of 19-year-old Jose Luis Irizarry Perez on Nov. 5, 2008.
According to documents filed in connection with the guilty pleas, former officer Jimmy Rodriguez Vega and Lieutenant Rivera Nazario struck Irizarry Perez with their police batons while former officer David Colon Martinez physically restrained him during an election evening celebration at the Las Colinas housing development in Yauco, Puerto Rico.
Rivera Nazario pleaded guilty to one count of depriving Irizarry Perez of his civil rights by striking him with his police baton. Torres Quinones pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for providing misleading information to the local Puerto Rico prosecutor that initially investigated the matter. Former Sergeant Rodriguez Caraballo pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for making a false statement to the federal grand jury.
This brings the total number of Puerto Rico police officers pleading guilty to charges related to this incident to six, including Colon Martinez and Miguel Negron Vazquez who entered guilty pleas in 2014, and Rodriguez Vega who pleaded guilty in 2013. All six former officers face significant prison time and fines for their convictions.
“This case reflects the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that those officers who violate their oath by using excessive force or obstructing a federal investigation will be held accountable,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran. “While the vast majority of police officers serve with the highest distinction, the federal government stands ready to investigate and prosecute those officers who cross the line and engage in criminal conduct.”
The case was investigated by the San Juan Division of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Gerard Hogan and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Olimpia E. Michel from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico.
Rodriguez Vega and Rivera Nazario each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for their convictions for violating Irizarry Perez’s civil rights. Colon Martinez faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each conviction of making a false statement to the FBI and making a false declaration to the federal grand jury. Negron Vazquez faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his conviction of making a false statement to the FBI. Torres Quinones faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for his conviction for obstruction of justice by providing misleading information to the local prosecutor. Rodriguez Caraballo faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his conviction for making a false declaration to the federal grand jury.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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