Warrants issued in Puerto Rico
Officials implicated in chat scandal ordered to submit phones
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Puerto Rico judge issued search warrants for the cellphones of government officials involved in a crude online chat whose leak has set off a political crisis that threatens to bring down the U.S. territory’s governor.
One of the search warrants states that government officials used the chat to transmit official and confidential information to private citizens in potential violation of ethics laws.
Kelvin Carrasco, a spokesman for the island’s Justice Department, said Tuesday that the warrants had been approved overnight and issued to those who had yet to turn over their phones. He did not identify the officials and would not comment further.
The possibility that some of the 12 men in the chat, including former and current government officials, could face legal trouble deepened the crisis around Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.
One of the men who was part of the chat, Rosselló confidant and chief of staff Ricardo Llerandi, announced his resignation Tuesday, saying he and his family have received threats.
For the past week-and-a-half, protesters have taken to the streets in Puerto Rico’s biggest wave of demonstrations in at least 15 years, demanding that the governor step down in a furor set off by the release of an 889-page transcript showing Rosselló’s participation in an obscenity-laden chat with top advisers and at least one lobbyist.
The chat participants talked about politics and government contracts and also insulted women and mocked constituents, including victims of Hurricane Maria.
Rosselló said Tuesday that from now on, he will talk only about government-related matters.
Chat participants who said they either had met with justice officials or had turned over their cellphones as requested last week include Llerandi; a former legal adviser to the governor, Alfonso Orona; and former Public Affairs Secretary Ramón Rosario.
The leaked chat has intensified long-smoldering anger over government corruption and mismanagement, which many blame for a 13-year recession, and a severe debt crisis that has led to pension cuts and school closings. Many are also resentful over Puerto Rico’s slow recovery from Maria, which devastated the island nearly two years ago and led to thousands of deaths.
The protests have escalated to a point where many wonder how Rosselló will be able to govern.
Rosselló dug in his heels late Monday, telling Fox News that he has already apologized and made amends following the leak of the chat. But many Puerto Ricans vowed to keep protesting until he steps down, no matter how long it takes.