Former Mayor of Barceloneta Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison

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SAN JUAN—Today, Sol Luis Fontanes-Olivo,former mayor of the municipality of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, was sentenced to120 months (10 years) in prison, a $150,000 fine, forfeiture of $60,000, andthree years of supervised release, by United States District Court Judge JoséA. Fusté, announced Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States Attorney for theDistrict of Puerto Rico. Fontanes-Olivo was charged for bribery concerningprograms receiving federal funds.
Another co-conspirator involved in thisbribery scheme was Francisco A. Pumarejo-Rodríguez, former planning directorfor the municipality of Barceloneta since 1993. Among Pumarejo-Rodríguez’sduties was the coordination of planning and budget matters on behalf ofBarceloneta. He was sentenced on August 17, 2012, to time served and five yearsof probation.
Juan Antonio San Miguel and Developer Awere contractors who were doing business with the municipality of Barceloneta.According to the indictment, defendants Fontanes-Olivo and Pumarejo-Rodríguez,aiding and abetting each other, being agents of the municipality ofBarceloneta, did knowingly accept and agree to accept a thing of value from aperson, approximately $50,000 from Developer A and $40,000 from San Miguel,both intending to be rewarded in connection with a business. The sentence forSan Miguel is scheduled for October 10, 2012, at 9:30 a.m.
During previous hearings held in court,the U.S. Attorney’s Office showed audio and video recordings of Fontanes-Olivomaking arrangements for payments and receiving the same. The bribe paymentswere picked up by Pumarejo-Rodríguez who in turn delivered the payments toFontanes-Olivo. The payments were kickbacks corruptly solicited by the mayor inrelation to the sale of properties in the municipality. The payments receivedby the mayor exceeded $50,000.
“This sentence reflects the seriousnature of the offenses charged in this corruption case. Dishonest publicofficials who request illegal payments from contractors as a regular course ofbusiness do not serve the interests of their constituents,” said U.S. AttorneyRosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “We hope that this tough sentence sends a clearmessage that this conduct is reprehensible and carries serious consequences”.
“Public corruption is unacceptable becauseit undermines the faith citizens should have in their government officials, andit severely weakens the image of public service,” said Joseph Campbell, SpecialAgent in Charge of the FBI-San Juan Field Office. “The FBI has alwaysencouraged individuals with information about any public corruption scheme toassist us in the fight against such an insidious threat.”
This case was investigated by the FBIand is being prosecuted by AUSA Charles Walsh.