Bribe rap vs. former P. Rico gov
Former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez was arrested Thursday in a bribery scheme in which she allegedly pushed out a high-ranking government official in exchange for more than $300,000 for her 2020 campaign.
Vázquez, 62, is accused of working out the bribes with conspirators who included a former FBI agent, a Venezuelan Italian bank owner and a political consultant, according to the Department of Justice.
“Public corruption erodes the people’s trust in our institutions and fuels civil unrest,” Joseph González, special agent in charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office, said in a statement.
“No one is above the law, and the victim of this crime, the people, deserve better.”
Vázquez, the second woman to serve as Puerto Rico’s governor when elected in 2019, issued a statement in May saying, I have not committed any crime.”