Ángel Pérez-Otero, a 53-year-old former mayor from Puerto Rico, was sentenced Tuesday to five years and three months in jail for bribery, a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release noted.
Pérez-Otero was accused of awarding city contracts and expedited payments of contract-related invoices in exchange for cash payments, according to DOJ. (RELATED: ‘Not Going To Be Very Sympathetic’: Turley Outlines DOJ Strategy To Have Jury ‘See A Trend’ Involving Indicted Senator)
Former Puerto Rico Mayor Sentenced for Bribery Scheme
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— Criminal Division (@DOJCrimDiv) February 12, 2024
The former mayor of Guaynabo — the U.S. territory’s sixth largest city — ran a bribery operation “from approximately late 2019 through May 2021” and “accepted thousands of dollars in cash bribes on a regular basis from the owner of a construction company” in exchange for obtaining and retaining contracts for the company, the press release noted.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 07: Angel Perez Otero Mayor of the City of Guaynabo at the House Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Examining Challenges in Puerto Rico’s Recovery efforts on Capital Hill on November 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 07: (L-R) Noel Zamot Revitalization Coordinator for the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico and Angel Perez Otero Mayor of the City of Guaynabo at the House Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Examining Challenges in Puerto Rico’s Recovery efforts on Capital Hill on November 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 07: (L-R) Natalie Jaresko Executive Director of for the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico ,Noel Zamot Revitalization Coordinator for the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico and Angel Perez Otero Mayor of the City of Guaynabo at the House Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Examining Challenges in Puerto Rico’s Recovery efforts on Capital Hill on November 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The mayor’s bribery was allegedly caught on film, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The mayor’s attorneys told the outlet that they plan to appeal the verdict.
Pérez-Otero was arrested in Dec. 2021 on charges of conspiracy, soliciting a bribe and extortion on the same day that the DOJ arrested the executive assistant to the mayor of another Puerto Rican town for similar charges as part of a separate operation, according to a press release.
“As I have said before, we will not allow this kind of behavior to go unpunished. Public Corruption is one of the FBI’s top priorities and today’s arrests highlight the FBI’s commitment to hold accountable those who violate the people’s trust,” Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Puerto Rico Joseph González said in the press release. “I can’t stress enough how crucial cooperation from the public is to the developments of these cases and therefore, anyone with information on public corruption schemes is highly encouraged to report it. As always, I’d like to thank our local state and federal partners for their contributions to this case and their continued support to the FBI mission.”
A jury found Pérez-Otero guilty on March 22, the DOJ noted.