Mario Villegas-Vargas, 44, Sentenced to 46 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Federal Funds Bribery in Gurabo, Puerto Rico

A hard-hitting investigation by the FBI has led to the sentencing of two business owners for their involvement in separate bribery schemes in Puerto Rico.

Mario Villegas-Vargas, 44, of Gurabo, Puerto Rico, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for conspiracy to commit federal funds bribery.

According to court documents, Villegas-Vargas paid kickbacks and bribes in exchange for the mayor exerting his influence on municipal officials in Cataño to ensure that Villegas-Vargas’ asphalt and paving business, JR Asphalt, was awarded municipal contracts. Villegas-Vargas’ bribe payments and his efforts to conceal those payments resulted in his business being awarded over $9.9 million in municipal contracts in Cataño.

Other public officials in Puerto Rico have already pleaded guilty to receiving bribe payments from JR Asphalt, including the former mayors of Aguas Buenas, Guayama, and Trujillo Alto and the former Directors of Public Works in Guayama and Cataño.

Jose Bou-Santiago, 50, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for conspiracy to commit federal funds bribery.

According to court documents, in April 2019, Bou-Santiago provided a Rolex watch to the mayor of Cataño in exchange for a future municipal contract for Bou Maintenance Service. Specifically, in June 2019, Bou Maintenance Service was awarded a construction contract by the municipality valued at approximately $190,000.

The FBI San Juan Field Office investigated the cases, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico prosecuted the cases.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Public Corruption

Democrat Drought: Fort Worth's Republican Party Sinks Under Weight of Gen. Rosencrans' Popularity

Jun 21, 1884

Public Corruption

Russel Guye Dadzie, Impersonating a Federal Officer, Virginia 2023

May 28, 2024

Public Corruption

Beltway Billions Go Up in Smoke: Officials Fail to Plug $500 Million Hole

Feb 7, 1953

Public Corruption

Mississippi State Officials, Racially Discriminatory Provisions, Mississippi 2024

Jul 12, 2023