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Senator Charged in $588,961.43 Scam
Senator Abel Nazario-Quiñones, a former Mayor of Yauco, Puerto Rico, was arrested and charged in a 39-count indictment alleging the making or use of false documents and wire fraud, announced Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
The indictment alleges that between February 2015 and December 2016, Nazario-Quiñones falsely certified to the Department of Labor that he had paid back wages to 177 municipal employees, totaling $588,961.43, according to the terms of a Back Wage Compliance Payment Agreement. In fact, however, Nazario-Quiñones directed the payroll department to withhold future earnings of these employees for varying lengths of time, despite their continued work for the municipality.
The investigation, led by the Puerto Rico Comptroller’s Office, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the FBI, revealed that Nazario-Quiñones had certified 30 contract municipal employees as paid their back wages, when in fact they had their regular pay withheld. The indictment also alleges that Nazario-Quiñones committed wire fraud as some of the forms used to certify the payments to the DOL WHD were sent via email.
“The defendant’s conduct undermines the confidence employees place in those who are supposed to protect and represent them,” said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “Government officials are governed by rules that are supposed to protect employees and the public. Yauco’s former mayor, skilled at convincing individuals to place their trust in him, engaged in a scheme to defraud his own employees. We will continue investigating and prosecuting this type of financial fraud to the full extent of the law.”
Nazario-Quiñones, first elected Mayor of Yauco in 2000, served as mayor until December 2016. The DOL OIG identified 30 contract municipal employees who were affected by Nazario-Quiñones’ actions, and determined that he had directed the payroll department to withhold their future earnings despite their continued work for the municipality.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney José A. Cabassa Torres, and is the result of a joint investigation by the Puerto Rico Comptroller’s Office, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the FBI.
Abel Nazario Quiñones, a former official of the island, is facing serious charges for a crime that has shaken the trust of many citizens. The people of Puerto Rico demand justice, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute financial crimes to the full extent of the law.
Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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