Puerto Rico Legislator María Milagros Charbonier-Laureano and her husband Orlando Montes-Rivera were handed down stiff prison sentences for their role in a brazen theft, bribery, and kickback scheme that defrauded the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico out of nearly $1.5 million in federal funds.
At the heart of the scheme was a legislative assistant, Frances Acevedo-Ceballos, who was paid a salary of nearly $2,900 on a bi-weekly basis – an inflated amount that was nearly four times her original pay of $800. Of that, Acevedo-Ceballos would kick back a staggering $1,500 to Charbonier-Laureano and Montes-Rivera, who then used the funds for their own personal gain.
The scheme, which ran from early 2017 until July 2020, was uncovered thanks to a lengthy investigation by the FBI. The agency discovered that Charbonier-Laureano had deleted nearly all call log entries, WhatsApp messages, and iMessages from her phone after learning of the investigation. This obstruction of justice charge was one of many that Charbonier-Laureano would face in court.
On January 25, a jury convicted Charbonier-Laureano and Montes-Rivera of one count of conspiracy, two counts of theft, bribery, and kickbacks concerning programs receiving federal funds, six counts of honest services wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering. Charbonier-Laureano was also convicted of obstruction of justice for destroying data on her cell phone.
In total, Charbonier-Laureano was sentenced to eight years in prison, while her husband, Montes-Rivera, was handed down a four-year and nine-month sentence. Acevedo-Ceballos, who pleaded guilty to bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison in February.
The sentencing was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office.
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Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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