A Puerto Rican mayor has pled guilty to bribery charges after he allegedly engaged in a scheme where he awarded highly valued municipal contracts in exchange for cash bribes. A Puerto Rican contractor was also arrested for participating in the bribery scheme.
Felix Delgado-Montalvo, 40, was the mayor of Catano, a small municipality just west of San Juan. Delgado-Montalvo was the highest-ranking government official in the municipality. According to officials, Delgado-Montalvo used his position to give out high-value municipal contracts including one that was worth close to $50,000.
The Department of Justice details that an asphalt company which the DOJ refers to as “Company A” in the indictment, received nearly $10 million from at least 50 different contracts. Officials explain that Delgado-Montalvo began receiving the bribes from Villegas-Vargas around June 2017.
After news of the former mayor’s charges, the owner of the asphalt company, Mario Villegas-Vargas, 42, was also indicted last week for paying kickbacks to the mayor. Officials detail that along with cash bribes, Delgado-Montalvo received expensive watches as bribes too.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Puerto Rico, Joseph González, shared in the indictment, “Public corruption takes resources away from those who need it most and into the pockets of those who are sworn to serve the people. This behavior hurts the people’s trust in our institutions and undermines the work of honest officials who genuinely want to make a difference,” González added, “This is why we will not allow this kind of behavior to go unpunished. There is still much work to be done and I want to thank our local partners for their assistance in this case and continued support of the FBI mission.”
As part of his plea deal, Delgado-Montalvo has agreed to pay back a little over $100,000 in illegal payments that he received. U.S. Attorney Stephen Muldrow added that officials also confiscated at least five high-end watches as well. Muldrow explained, “The scheme...was not very complicated.” Muldrow adds that Delgado-Montalvo met with Villegas-Vargas in different areas throughout Catano to receive the bribes.
Delgado-Montalvo pled guilty to one charge of conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes. His sentencing date is March 8, 2022. His charges carry a maximum of five years behind bars.
Villegas-Vargas also faces charges including bribery, conspiracy to pay bribes, and use of an interstate facility in aid of racketeering. Villegas-Vargas faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars if he is convicted on all charges.
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