On August 21, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Reinaldo Vargas-Rodriguez, the former mayor of Humacao, Puerto Rico, has been sentenced to three years and one month in prison for his role in a bribery scheme.
Vargas-Rodriguez served as the mayor of Humacao from 2021 until 2022, holding a prominent position of authority in the municipality. According to the government, during this period, Vargas-Rodriguez became involved in a bribery conspiracy, where he allegedly received cash payments from two businessmen in exchange for awarding municipal contracts. These contracts covered services such as waste disposal, asphalt and paving, and debris removal.
The allegations state that starting in 2021, Vargas-Rodriguez participated in a scheme to accept and solicit cash bribes from the two businessmen in return for granting them favorable municipal contracts and paying off outstanding invoices. The former mayor was found to have received at least $27,000 in cash bribes from January 2021 through July 2021.
In addition to Reinaldo Vargas-Rodriguez, the Public Integrity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico have recently obtained convictions against other former public officials and contractors in the District of Puerto Rico for soliciting and accepting bribes related to municipal contracts.
The attorneys at Chilivis Grubman represent clients of all types and sizes in connection with public corruption charges, including those involving bribery, extortion, election fraud, and embezzlement. If you need assistance with such a matter, please contact us today.