Former Puerto Rico Mayor Ángel Pérez-Otero sentenced for bribery

Ángel Pérez-Otero, former mayor of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico was sentenced to sixty three months in prison for having accepted bribes.

On the 12^th, prosecutors solidified that Pérez-Otero had received lump sums of cash payments in exchange for distributing municipal contracts.

Pérez-Otero was convicted in march of federal program bribery, conspiracy, and extortion.

Evidence presented suggests that Pérez-Otero had received thousands of dollars on a regular basis from 2019 to 2021.

Special Agent in Charge Joseph González of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

The justice department has been putting in more effort to challenge public corruption bu municipal officials.

Pérez-Otero was mayor of Guaynabo from 2017 to 2021. He is only one of former mayors that have been sentenced for bribery cases in recent years, including those in the town of Rincon, Guayama, Humacao, Aguas Buenas and Trujillo Alto.

Ángel Pérez-Otero’s defense lawyers tried to fight for leniency with the argument that the man had suffered enough because of the loss of his political career and public humiliation. But the court remained firm in tis decision arguing that the severity of the crime warrants a stronger response.

As more former mayors are convicted in federal bribery cases, the island's residents are demanding greater transparency and accountability from their elected officials.

The DOJ stated “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.”

Joseph González, the agent in charge of the FBI in Puerto Rico 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.”