Suspect being booked in Puerto Rico (Photos: FBI)
FBI's largest Puerto Rican cop corruption bust operation
By H. Nelson Goodson
October 7, 2010
San Juan, Puerto Rico - On Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Washington D.C. confirmed that 1,000 agents from 50 field offices from the U.S. had arrested 129 of 133 suspects, most of them police officers. The FBI used 65 tactical teams and began the operation at 3:00 a.m. The suspects were taken into custody at different parts of the island by the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) and SWAT. The police takedown was executed after a two year investigation into police corruption and drug related activities. Some of the officers had sold their services of protection to drug traffickers.
The investigation was sparked when FBI Special Agent Jose Figueroa Sancha began an investigation into corrupt San Juan police officers. Wednesday's takedown was called Operation Guard Shack.
Sancha became the current San Juan Police Chief, who worked with the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice to make the case against all the suspects.
Those charged with drug trafficking crimes and the use of a firearm in the commission of those crimes include 61 officers from the Puerto Rico Police Department, 16 officers from other municipal police departments, a dozen Puerto Rico Department of Corrections officers, members of the National Guard, and two U.S. Army soldiers. They all face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and other suspects face between 10 years to life in prison, if convicted, the FBI reported.
One of our undercover agents posing as a dealer selling multiple kilos of cocaine put the word out that he needed security during drug deals. Many of those who responded were cops. They actively took part in the transactions by carrying weapons and patting down the drug buyers—who were actually FBI informants. For their protection efforts, the cops were paid between $500 and $4,000 for each drug deal. In all, more than $500,000 was paid in protection money, according to the FBI.
The 61 indicted defendants from the Puerto Rico Police Department are: Omar Pérez Prado; Lt. Ángel Torres Figueroa; Carlos Fontanez Mercado, aka, “Machazo;” Yacira Vélez Milian; Heriberto Cruz Vargas, aka, “Yopi;” Giovann Cubertier Morales; Armando Valle Vicenty; Melvin Acevedo Hernández; Jeff Marrero Malpica; José Fuentes-Fuentes; Nelson Álvarez Mendoza; Obed Acevedo Ranero; Joel Hernández Hernández; David González Pérez; Israel Rullan Santiago; Eusebio Hernández Nieves; Xavier Álvarez Pérez; Ángel Acevedo Pérez, Ángel Rivera Ortiz, aka, “Kento;” Samuel Acevedo Rivera; Pedro A. Morales Cintrón; Michael Forestier Figueroa; Juan Cruz Ramos, aka, “Tito K9;” Jorge Rosado García; José R. Sánchez Quiñones; Rafael Figueroa Quiñones; Mayra Jiménez Pacheco; Juan D. Santiago Rosado; Rolando Nieves Valentin; Brenda Acosta Andújar; Javier A. Díaz Castro; Arnold E. Benítez Rivera; Rafael Rodríguez Valentin; Ramón Benítez Falcón; Carlos M. Méndez Pérez; Juan Hernández Vega; Daviel Salinas Acevedo; Pedro Ayala Rivera; Yamil M. Navedo Ramírez; Ivan Santiago-Cruz; Daniel E. Ocasio Figueroa; Rafael Bautista Santiago; Isaías Reyes Arroyo; Sgt. Luis E. Pérez Ortiz; Hector Hernández Aguilar; Karla M. Colón Bracero; Jim Santana Ramírez; Jayson Acevedo; José L. Salva Negrón; Milton L. Martínez Matos; Luis A. González Torres; Miguel Santiago Cordero; Alberto De La Rosa Reyes; José B. Vargas Torres; Hector López Terrón; Johanna Caraballo López; Silverio Vera Monroy; Juan Jusino Ramos; Raúl Vega Sosa; Jonathan Ortiz Muñiz; and Hector Olivero Alicea.
The 16 indicted defendants who are municipal police officers are: Andy Alejandrino Sánchez; Arcadio Hernández-Soto; Raquel Delgado Marrero; Ángel L. Rivera Claudio; Joel Omar Aldarondo-Montalvo; Neftali Valentin-Fred; José O. Maldonado García; Luis Joel Avilés Rullan; Mark Anthony Ortiz; Luis Román Herrera; Gabriel Lozada Torres; Onel Saavedra González; Rose M. Serrano Vargas; Wilfredo González Lagares; Francisco J. Riesta Natal; and Jose Pérez Pérez.
The 12 indicted defendants who are officers in the Puerto Rico Corrections Department are: Christian Díaz Maldonado; Olvin García Huertas; José L. Román Méndez; Ruben Maldonado Torres; Radamés Cortez Ozoa; Carlos M. Rosado López; Omar Torres Ruperto; Carlos M. Linares Vega; Bernis González Miranda; José R. Bermúdez Quiñones; Joel Díaz Nieves; and Bernardo Cruz Trujillo.
The remaining 44 defendants are: Carlos Figueroa Cruz; Anthony Cruz; Miguel Sánchez Román (U.S. Army, former San Juan Municipal); Rodolfo E. Torres Negrón; Melquiades Álvarez Mendoza; Juan Carlos González Ortiz; Nelmic De La Cruz Raposo; Jesús LNU; Axel González Terron; Juan Cruz Tapia (Social Security Office); Edgar Rafael Rivera De Jesús (retired PRPD); Idanis García Morales (child support examiner); Christian Sotomayor Filomeno; Oma Cajigas; Abimael Hernández Rivera; Pedro González-Cruz; Rubin A. Maisonet De Jesús; Wayne Cedeño Amador; Josué Ramírez González; Oscar E. Ramos Rodríguez; Antonio L. Román Reyes; Yancy Toro Espiet; Alex O. Cordero Cortez, aka, “Omar De La Cruz;” Luis Vélez-Concepción; Billy Hernández; Edward Quiñones (former PRPD); Christian A. Núñez-Reverón, aka, “Kelvin Nuñez,” Roberto Molina (retired PRPD); Francisco Manzano López (former PRPD); Rafael E. Pérez Rivera; Sgt. Abraham González Sánchez (National Guard) Wendell Rivera Ruperto, aka, “Arsenio Rivera,” (former PR Department of Corrections); David Maldonado (National Guard); Juan C. Ramos-Vargas, aka, “Joseph Avilés;” Frederick Santos Ortiz, aka, “Roberto Ortega;” Yoana Sierra Padilla (former PRPD); Julio Gómez-Lloréns; Ricardo Amaro-Santiago; Eliezer Pagán Medina; and Sgt. Ricardo Vázquez (U.S. Army Recruiter); Rafael Ureña Rivera, aka, “Indio" (former PRPD); and William Rivera García (former municipal officer).
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FBI's largest Puerto Rican cop corruption bust operation
By H. Nelson Goodson
October 7, 2010
San Juan, Puerto Rico - On Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Washington D.C. confirmed that 1,000 agents from 50 field offices from the U.S. had arrested 129 of 133 suspects, most of them police officers. The FBI used 65 tactical teams and began the operation at 3:00 a.m. The suspects were taken into custody at different parts of the island by the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) and SWAT. The police takedown was executed after a two year investigation into police corruption and drug related activities. Some of the officers had sold their services of protection to drug traffickers.
The investigation was sparked when FBI Special Agent Jose Figueroa Sancha began an investigation into corrupt San Juan police officers. Wednesday's takedown was called Operation Guard Shack.
Sancha became the current San Juan Police Chief, who worked with the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice to make the case against all the suspects.
Those charged with drug trafficking crimes and the use of a firearm in the commission of those crimes include 61 officers from the Puerto Rico Police Department, 16 officers from other municipal police departments, a dozen Puerto Rico Department of Corrections officers, members of the National Guard, and two U.S. Army soldiers. They all face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and other suspects face between 10 years to life in prison, if convicted, the FBI reported.
One of our undercover agents posing as a dealer selling multiple kilos of cocaine put the word out that he needed security during drug deals. Many of those who responded were cops. They actively took part in the transactions by carrying weapons and patting down the drug buyers—who were actually FBI informants. For their protection efforts, the cops were paid between $500 and $4,000 for each drug deal. In all, more than $500,000 was paid in protection money, according to the FBI.
The 61 indicted defendants from the Puerto Rico Police Department are: Omar Pérez Prado; Lt. Ángel Torres Figueroa; Carlos Fontanez Mercado, aka, “Machazo;” Yacira Vélez Milian; Heriberto Cruz Vargas, aka, “Yopi;” Giovann Cubertier Morales; Armando Valle Vicenty; Melvin Acevedo Hernández; Jeff Marrero Malpica; José Fuentes-Fuentes; Nelson Álvarez Mendoza; Obed Acevedo Ranero; Joel Hernández Hernández; David González Pérez; Israel Rullan Santiago; Eusebio Hernández Nieves; Xavier Álvarez Pérez; Ángel Acevedo Pérez, Ángel Rivera Ortiz, aka, “Kento;” Samuel Acevedo Rivera; Pedro A. Morales Cintrón; Michael Forestier Figueroa; Juan Cruz Ramos, aka, “Tito K9;” Jorge Rosado García; José R. Sánchez Quiñones; Rafael Figueroa Quiñones; Mayra Jiménez Pacheco; Juan D. Santiago Rosado; Rolando Nieves Valentin; Brenda Acosta Andújar; Javier A. Díaz Castro; Arnold E. Benítez Rivera; Rafael Rodríguez Valentin; Ramón Benítez Falcón; Carlos M. Méndez Pérez; Juan Hernández Vega; Daviel Salinas Acevedo; Pedro Ayala Rivera; Yamil M. Navedo Ramírez; Ivan Santiago-Cruz; Daniel E. Ocasio Figueroa; Rafael Bautista Santiago; Isaías Reyes Arroyo; Sgt. Luis E. Pérez Ortiz; Hector Hernández Aguilar; Karla M. Colón Bracero; Jim Santana Ramírez; Jayson Acevedo; José L. Salva Negrón; Milton L. Martínez Matos; Luis A. González Torres; Miguel Santiago Cordero; Alberto De La Rosa Reyes; José B. Vargas Torres; Hector López Terrón; Johanna Caraballo López; Silverio Vera Monroy; Juan Jusino Ramos; Raúl Vega Sosa; Jonathan Ortiz Muñiz; and Hector Olivero Alicea.
The 16 indicted defendants who are municipal police officers are: Andy Alejandrino Sánchez; Arcadio Hernández-Soto; Raquel Delgado Marrero; Ángel L. Rivera Claudio; Joel Omar Aldarondo-Montalvo; Neftali Valentin-Fred; José O. Maldonado García; Luis Joel Avilés Rullan; Mark Anthony Ortiz; Luis Román Herrera; Gabriel Lozada Torres; Onel Saavedra González; Rose M. Serrano Vargas; Wilfredo González Lagares; Francisco J. Riesta Natal; and Jose Pérez Pérez.
The 12 indicted defendants who are officers in the Puerto Rico Corrections Department are: Christian Díaz Maldonado; Olvin García Huertas; José L. Román Méndez; Ruben Maldonado Torres; Radamés Cortez Ozoa; Carlos M. Rosado López; Omar Torres Ruperto; Carlos M. Linares Vega; Bernis González Miranda; José R. Bermúdez Quiñones; Joel Díaz Nieves; and Bernardo Cruz Trujillo.
The remaining 44 defendants are: Carlos Figueroa Cruz; Anthony Cruz; Miguel Sánchez Román (U.S. Army, former San Juan Municipal); Rodolfo E. Torres Negrón; Melquiades Álvarez Mendoza; Juan Carlos González Ortiz; Nelmic De La Cruz Raposo; Jesús LNU; Axel González Terron; Juan Cruz Tapia (Social Security Office); Edgar Rafael Rivera De Jesús (retired PRPD); Idanis García Morales (child support examiner); Christian Sotomayor Filomeno; Oma Cajigas; Abimael Hernández Rivera; Pedro González-Cruz; Rubin A. Maisonet De Jesús; Wayne Cedeño Amador; Josué Ramírez González; Oscar E. Ramos Rodríguez; Antonio L. Román Reyes; Yancy Toro Espiet; Alex O. Cordero Cortez, aka, “Omar De La Cruz;” Luis Vélez-Concepción; Billy Hernández; Edward Quiñones (former PRPD); Christian A. Núñez-Reverón, aka, “Kelvin Nuñez,” Roberto Molina (retired PRPD); Francisco Manzano López (former PRPD); Rafael E. Pérez Rivera; Sgt. Abraham González Sánchez (National Guard) Wendell Rivera Ruperto, aka, “Arsenio Rivera,” (former PR Department of Corrections); David Maldonado (National Guard); Juan C. Ramos-Vargas, aka, “Joseph Avilés;” Frederick Santos Ortiz, aka, “Roberto Ortega;” Yoana Sierra Padilla (former PRPD); Julio Gómez-Lloréns; Ricardo Amaro-Santiago; Eliezer Pagán Medina; and Sgt. Ricardo Vázquez (U.S. Army Recruiter); Rafael Ureña Rivera, aka, “Indio" (former PRPD); and William Rivera García (former municipal officer).
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