Puerto Rico legislator, family indicted for theft, bribery, fraud

SAN JUAN, P.R. (UPI) -- The Department of Justice has indicted Maria Milagros Charbonier-Laureano, a member of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives, her family and one of her associates for running a years-long scheme of theft, bribery and kickbacks to defraud the Commonwealth.
In a 13-count indictment returned Monday, a federal grand jury in Puerto Rico charged Charbonier-Laureano; her husband, Orlando Montes-Rivera; their son, Orlando Gabriel Montes-Charbonier; and her assistant, Frances Acevedo-Ceballos, in the conspiracy.
"When elected officials betray the people's trust in order to enrich themselves at the public's expense, the Justice Department will hold them accountable," Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in a statement.
According to the complaint, the conspiracy ran from early 2017 through to July during which time Charbonier is accused of inflating Acevedo's salary at least twice in an agreement that she, her husband and son would receive a kickback of between $1,000 and $1,500 from every paycheck.
The complaint states that Acevedo was paid $800 semi-weekly from 2014 to early 2017 when Charbonier-Laureano increased her paycheck to $2,100. It was again increased to $2,900 in September, prosecutors said.

Read the full article