Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez
United States Attorney
District of Puerto Rico

Torre Chardón Bldg., Suite 1201
350 C. Chardón Avenue
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico 00918

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 23, 2007

Contact:

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Lymarie V. Llovet-Ayala
Public Affairs Specialist
(787) 282-1820

POLICE OFFICERS IN MAYAGÜEZ NARCOTICS AND VICE UNIT ARRESTED

SAN JUAN, P.R. - Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Vélez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Luis Fraticelli, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), San Juan Division, in collaboration with Pedro Toledo, Superintendent, Police of Puerto Rico (PRPD), today jointly announced the arrest of 9 former officers from the Puerto Rico Police Department’s (POPR) Narcotics & Vice Unit in Mayagüez. A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging ten (10) officers with violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 241 (conspiracy against rights) , and Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 846 (conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances).

The Indictment charges that from on or about February, 2004, through July 17, 2007, POPR officers Dennis Muñiz-Tirado, Pascual Santiago-Méndez, Anthony Dominguez-Colón, Victor Cortés-Cabán, Luis Ruperto-Torres, Luis Vélez-Class, Josué Bosques-Muñíz, Michael Monsegur-Gonzalez, Ismael Chaparro-Vélez and Efrain Bey-Arce, while acting under color of law, willfully conspired, confederated, and agreed with each other, and with others unknown to the Grand Jury, to injure, oppress, threaten or intimidate persons in the town of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

The defendants would seize controlled substances, and then unlawfully retained certain amounts of the seized contraband for future use in the fabrication of cases. The controlled substances used in the fabrication of cases were hidden in a black strong box kept in the offices of officers Santiago-Mendez and Velez-Class. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants retrieved controlled substances hidden in various places at the POPR Mayagüez Narcotics and Vice Unit, including the black strong box, and planted the contraband on or near persons. The officers provided false sworn testimony in support of search warrant affidavits against their victims. The officers’ illegal acts resulted in the unreasonable seizures and unlawful detentions and arrests of these persons. The victims of these officers’ illegal acts were residents of, among others, Kennedy Public Housing Project, Quinto Centenario Urbanization, Rio de Cristal Urbanization, and Barrio Mani, in Mayagüez.

The defendants are also charged in Count Two of the Indictment for their participation in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. As part of this conspiracy, the police officers would share among themselves the controlled substances hidden at the Narcotics & Vice Unit, for the purpose of fabricating the cases and carrying out the objects of the civil rights conspiracy charged in Count One of the Indictment. After retrieving the controlled substances from the hidden locations, the police officers would repackage the same, and plant them on or near individuals who were the victims of their fabricated cases.

If convicted, the defendants face a minimum of ten (10) years imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment, with fines of up to $4 million.

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Anderson and AUSA Jeannette Mercado, Supervisor from the Narcotics Unit, in collaboration with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial and the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.