Posted on 03/27/2008 5:04:05 AM PDT by cll
This morning federal agents have arrested five persons linked to Puerto Rico Governor Anibal Acevedo-Vilá. Late Tuesday, a federal Grand Jury returned sealed indictements after a three year long investigation on the campaign finances of the Governor and his party.
Sources say that eight other persons are going to be arrested today, including the Governor and other top party officials.
The probe also includes campaign finance schemes which originated in Philadelphia.
Governor Acevedo is affiliated with the Democrat Party and is a Barack Obama supporter.
Developing...
If you want to listen in (Spanish language):
http://www.notiuno.com
The Governor has cancelled all his scheduled activities for today.
Famed white-collar crime DC attorney Thomas Green, who has been retained by the Governor, arrived to the island late last night.
The U.S. Justice Department, the FBI, and the IRS have scheduled a news conference for 9:00 AM AST/EDT today.
Listen live (in Spanish): http://www.waparadiopr.com/
Does power corrupt or does the individual already have those tendencies before he/she is sworn in?
The Associated Press now has it:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i_7wTc4KZfnUfdS0nSMu0sNC3hPwD8VLOT0O0
US Makes Arrests in Puerto Rico Probe
8 minutes ago
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. authorities have made the first arrests in a long-running probe into the finances of the party of Puerto Rican Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila.
Reports say at least four officials from the Popular Democratic Party were led in handcuffs into the U.S. federal building in San Juan early Thursday.
An FBI spokesman declined to comment, saying there would be a news conference later.
Acevedo has said he was a focus of the grand jury probe but he was not among those seen in custody. A spokeswoman says he was still home sleeping as far as she knew.
This particular guy is a professional politician. He and his party operate like New York’s Tammany Hall did a 100 years ago.
Update: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i_7wTc4KZfnUfdS0nSMu0sNC3hPwD8VLP8V00
Puerto Rico Governor Charged in Probe
By MANUEL ERNESTO RIVERA – 11 minutes ago
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A law enforcement official says Puerto Rico’s governor has been charged in a long-running public corruption probe in the U.S. island territory.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday that Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila is among several people named in a sealed indictment.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the indictment is still sealed.
An FBI spokesman in San Juan declined to comment, saying there would be a news conference later to discuss the first arrests in the probe.
A government official in San Juan also said Acevedo would be charged in the indictment and that the governor’s attorneys were expected to appear in court later Thursday.
Wow.....the Clinton Justice Dept. hangers on, are doing yeoman’s work!!
Update ping.
Related arrests underway in Philadelphia as well.
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080327_PR_governor__four_Philadelphians_charged.html
PR governor, four Philadelphians charged
By John Shiffman
Inquirer Staff Writer
Puerto Rico’s governor and four Philadelphians, including prominent fund-raiser Robert M. Feldman, were charged this morning in San Juan with federal campaign-finance related crimes, according to a Justice Department official in Washignton.
The investigation of Gov. Anibal Acevedo-Vila, a Democrat who faces re-election this year, was triggered by the FBI’s Philadelphia City Hall corruption probe in 2003.
Feldman, who raised more than $1 million for Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Gov. Rendell, was a former business partner of Ronald A. White, the late power-broker who was the lead defendant in the Philadelphia corruption case.
Feldman was investigated but not charged in the Philadelphia case.
The case could have political ramifications beyond Philadelphia and San Juan. Acevedo-Vila has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama in the Puerto Rico primary, which holds the nation’s last primary on June 6.
In addition, some of the governor’s allies in Congress have tried to link it to the national U.S. attorneys scandal, alleging a partisan investigation. The Justice Department has said it prosecutes crime where it finds it.
The federal indictment of Acevedo-Vila, Feldman and others was unsealed in San Juan this morning. A morning press conference is scheduled in San Juan.
Acevedo-Vila, who has called the investigation politically inspired, was expected to surrender to federal authorities and appear before a federal magistrate in San Juan later today.
Among the four Philadelphians charged, in addition to Feldman, is Feldman’s fellow-fundraiser, Candido Negron of Glen Mills, Delaware County.
The FBI’s investigation of Acevedo-Vila began during its Philadelphia City Hall corruption probe in 2003, which focused on White and then-Mayor John Street and his top aides.
In 2003, FBI wiretaps recorded Feldman and Negron working closely with powerbroker Ronald A. White on deals.
White became the lead defendant in the City Hall case, charged with corrupting former City Treasurer Kemp and conspiring with Commerce Bank executives to win sweetheart deals for his clients. Kemp and the bankers were convicted, and Kemp was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
White died of cancer before trial, but wiretaps and other evidence in the case spawned other investigations, including the one bursting into the limelight today in Puerto Rico.
Feldman, who was not charged in the Philadelphia case, was White’s partner and superstar fund-raiser for many Democrats. In addition to Rendell and Casey, Feldman raised nearly $500,000 for Street. He was the second-most proficient fund-raiser for former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey.
Negron considered Feldman a mentor, and together they raised at least $50,000 for Acevedo-Vila at two Philadelphia campaign events. At the time, Acevedo-Vila was seeking re-election as Puerto Rico’s non-voting delegate to Congress.
Of the $800,000 Acevedo-Vila raised during that campaign, $180,000 of it came from donors in Philadelphia and South Jersey, a percentage that authorities found suspicious.
In 2006, three contributors to that campaign told The Inquirer that Negron gave them money to make the contributions.
Inquirer special correspondent Susan Anasagasti Akus contributed to this report.
US DoJ news conference up.
27 charges against Governor Acevedo-Vila...
The DoJ will allow the Gov. to give himself up voluntarily.
“A long pattern of public corruption” - US Attorney for Puerto Rico.
“Conspiracy to defraud the IRS...falsification of tax returns”
“Violations of federal campaign funds”
“Money laundering”
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo-Vilá
This from El Vocero’s website as of 7:25 AM Atlantic Time/Eastern Daylight Time:
Members of Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá’s campaign Finance Committee were arrested today by federal agents as part of the case under investigation allegedly involving illegal contributions to the Chief Executive. Ramón Velasco, Treasurer; Edwin Colón, Assistant Treasurer; Luisa Inclán, Special Assistant to the Governor; and Miguel Nazario, former President of Puerto Rican Cement [Company], were among the first detained during an operation that began at dawn. According to available information, other arrest warrants will be carried out throughout the day, some possibly including high-rank figures within Acevedo’s administration.
Wonder if this campaign corruption sweep by the intrepid DOJ might be giving Hillary and BO a case of nerves?
Is Rev. Wright vacationing in Puerto Rico a coincidence?
Maybe he has friends there.
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