The leader of a Puerto Rico corruption conspiracy pled guilty Thursday.
In exchange for Anaudi Hernández Pérez's plea of guilty to 14 charges, the United States Attorney's Office for Puerto Rico agreed to recommend a prison sentence from 5 years, 10 months to 7 years, 3 months.
In early December the U.S. Attorney's Office had the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrest 10 in a government corruption case. At that time, the office filed a 25-count indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
Among the charges Hernández Pérez pled guilty to were conspiracy to commit federal programs fraud and wire fraud, paying a bribe to an agent of an organization receiving federal funds, and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Hernández Pérez, who had been in charge of campaign finances for the Popular Democratic Party, was at the heart of several government corruption schemes. Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla and the majority of both the Puerto Rico Senate and the House of Representatives are members of the party.
The office claims that after the election of García Padilla in November 2012, Hernández Pérez and several unindicted co-conspirators set up corporations that were de facto under his control and made alliances with other corporations and limited liability companies. He used his connections with high ranking members of the government and with the governor's brother to get the new government to appoint certain people to government positions.
After these people gained these positions, Hernández Pérez gave them valuable things like expensive meals, personal gifts, concert tickets, and the payments of debts. In exchange for their positions and these gifts, these people used their authority to approve contracts and purchase orders for the corporations and limited liability companies connected to Hernández Pérez.
"On many occasions, Hernández Pérez and his co-conspirators provided substandard work on their contractual obligations in that they: a) failed to make the required payments to suppliers, subcontractors and creditors; b) failed to abide by the terms of the contract regarding performance results/follow up as required under the contract; c) failed to competently provide the services they were contracted to perform," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a written statement.
The defendant pled guilty with regards to corrupt practices with the Puerto Rico Administration of Workforce Development, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, and the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
In the plea agreement, the attorney's office made no recommendation about fines or restitution. Hernández Pérez has agreed to forfeit a $4 million home in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. He is free on bail pending a June 24 sentencing hearing.
The judge in this case is not required to follow the attorney's office's recommendations and could sentence Hernández Pérez to a longer sentence.
