The federations accuse 12 people of the PUA fraud scheme that led to the theft of 419,580 USD

U.S. Attorney General Stephen Muldrow reported this morning that a grand federal jury indicted 12 people for fraud at Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA) that led to the illegal theft of $ 419,580.

This is the first time the Federal Prosecutor’s Office has accused Puerto Rico residents of fraud against the PUA. However, Muldrow said the scheme had been registered in other US states.

According to the prosecutor, nine of the 12 people were arrested this morning and are awaiting the arrest of other people. Two of them are already facing justice for separate cases.

Investigations, Muldrow said, about this illegal theft of money began after receiving several confidants. The scheme consisted of a federal aid application that provides false information about a person’s work and social security.

At the same time, the head of the federal prosecutor’s office made it clear that he was continuing to investigate other fraud schemes and asked those who might have committed this crime to cooperate and surrender to the authorities as soon as possible.

“For people who have been involved in this system and we have not charged them yet, contact law enforcement agencies and provide your information. The faster you talk, the less the consequences are for you and your family. I urge you not to take risks or commit fraud, because it will be expensive for you. There is too much federal aid, do not abuse. “Muldrow said.

Relive the press conference here:

According to the indictment, the defendants are Millisen Martínez-Medina, who obtained $ 54,870 through fraud against the PUA; her legal partner, Luis Cruz-Reyes, earned $ 64,992. Meanwhile, Jonathan Rivera Gutierrez earned $ 44,148; Jennifer Hernandez Romero, $ 36,222; Mary Benitez Ortiz, $ 32,628; Daniel Colón Díaz, $ 68,250; Gabriel Robles Guzmán $ 33,030; Denise Sánchez Ortiz, $ 23,172, and Luis Flores Díaz, $ 20,910.

In the case of Millisen Martínez Medina, she faces two charges of aggravated identity theft for using a person’s social security without his or her authorization and for mail fraud.

In another indictment, José Daniel Le Hardy Figueroa, an employee of the postal service, and Christoffer Pérez-Vélez, were charged with conspiracy to commit postal fraud, postal fraud and theft of federal money for $ 11,388.

According to the federal investigation, Le Hardy Figueroa lied in the PUA request from the Department of Labor saying that he became unemployed as a barber, when the reality is that he was an employee of the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Meanwhile, another indictment states that Felix Cruz Santana fraudulently obtained $ 29,970 and will be charged with mail fraud, theft of federal money and theft of a social security number.

If he is found guilty The defendants face 20 years in prison for fraud in the postal service, 10 years for stealing money from the federal government and 5 years in prison for abuse of social security. In addition, they could be fined up to $ 250,000 and three years of supervised release.

Spokesman for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, in English), Limary Cruz Rubio, previously told this media that the arrest warrants are separate and nine people have been arrested this morning.

The new day I knew this The arrests took place in Humacao, Comerío and Aguas Buenas, but all agencies come from different parts of the island, as the information used by those who committed the alleged fraud to receive checks had multiple addresses.

For his part, the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources, Carlos Rivera Santiago, stressed that the arrests are the result of the agency’s collaboration with federal authorities and said they continue to send more cases of fraud to the PUA.

“A first group of arrests is taking place today. Investigations continue and, unfortunately, referrals continue. As mentioned by the Secretary of the Treasury, it is unfortunate to see a large volume of requests to the PUA that did not proceed or were fraudulent. Those people with knowledge notify the relevant authorities, “he said.

The case was investigated by the Federal Treasury Department, the Department of Labor and Human Resources, the United States Postal Service and the Office of the Inspector General of Puerto Rico.

Federal authorities have urged anyone who has been a victim or knows someone who has committed PUA fraud to communicate confidentially and report the facts.

To report any fraud to the PUA, you can contact 1-866-720-5721.