SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Lemuel Velilla-Reyes, a state criminal defense attorney, has been found guilty of a brazen attempt to shield a federal fugitive from justice. After a grueling 20-day trial, a federal jury delivered the verdict, finding Velilla-Reyes guilty of one count of concealing a fugitive from arrest, two counts of mail fraud, one count of endeavoring to obstruct, influence and impede the due administration of justice, and one count of tampering with official proceedings. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Daniel R. Domínguez presided over the case.
The indictment, initially filed on September 16, 2014, and expanded on July 9, 2015, to include additional charges, stemmed from Velilla-Reyes’s actions on July 14, 2011. He represented Wilfredo Rodríguez-Rodríguez, known on the streets as “Fredo” and “Cape,” under the alias “Felix Otero-Torres” during state court proceedings related to local drug and weapon charges. What Velilla-Reyes conveniently omitted was that Rodríguez-Rodríguez was already a wanted man – the subject of a federal arrest warrant issued July 14, 2010, in the case U.S. v. José Colón-de Jesus, et. al. (Crim. No. 10-251 (JAF)). He was named as a key leader in a massive 110-defendant drug trafficking conspiracy operating in the housing projects of Bayamón Municipality.
The evidence presented at trial painted a clear picture of calculated deception. Puerto Rico police arrested Rodríguez-Rodríguez in Toa Baja, but he provided the false identity of “Felix Otero-Torres” and carried no identification. Velilla-Reyes then appeared at the police station and in court, continuing to represent him *as* “Felix Otero-Torres,” and actively misled the court regarding his client’s identity. He claimed “Otero-Torres” couldn’t recall his Social Security number or address, requested bail without electronic monitoring, and falsely vouched for his client’s reliability. He had previously represented members of the same drug organization, giving him intimate knowledge of their operations.
Rodríguez-Rodríguez, after being affirmatively identified, skipped bail and failed to appear for subsequent court dates. Velilla-Reyes, despite remaining the attorney of record, abandoned his duty to the court, failing to appear at any of the hearings. This negligence resulted in the $24,000 bond being forfeited and paid by the bonding company. The attorney’s actions weren’t simply a lapse in judgment; they were a deliberate effort to obstruct justice and protect a dangerous criminal.
“Our efforts to eradicate corruption in Puerto Rico’s judicial system will include investigations and prosecutions such as this one,” declared U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “The actions committed by this attorney and his effort to conceal a federal fugitive from arrest through illegal conduct, undermined the public’s trust in the judicial system, which is a cornerstone of our democracy.” The FBI’s Public Corruption Squad spearheaded the investigation, demonstrating a commitment to holding those who abuse their positions accountable.
This case serves as a stark reminder that even those sworn to uphold the law are not above it. Velilla-Reyes’s betrayal of his oath and his attempt to manipulate the system have resulted in a guilty verdict, and a blow against corruption within the Puerto Rican legal landscape. Sentencing details will be announced at a later date, but the message is clear: obstructing justice carries severe consequences.
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Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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