Julio Herrera Velutini (der) y Mark Rossini (izq)
Foto: El Nuevo Día
As efforts continue to set a date for the guilty plea hearing, one of the prosecutors on the federal case against former Puerto Rico Governor, Wanda Vázquez Garced, has officially withdrawn from the judicial process. This information comes from El Nuevo Día.
The withdrawing federal prosecutor is Max J. Pérez Bouret, who filed a motion with District Judge Silvia L. Carreño Coll, informing that he is no longer part of the team prosecuting Vázquez, the Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, and former FBI agent Mark Rossini.
“The undersigned is no longer the prosecutor assigned to this case. Therefore, it is respectfully requested that the Court accept this request to withdraw,” the document states. The judge granted the request and confirmed Pérez Bouret’s exit, who had joined the case last March after the resignation of prosecutor Ryan Crosswell.
This withdrawal coincides with a crucial turn in the case: the parties have indicated that all three defendants will plead guilty to a single charge of violating federal laws that prohibit foreign donations in U.S. political campaigns.
The Offense: Foreign Political Financing
The violation is outlined in Title 52 of the United States Code (§ 30121 and § 30109), part of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which expressly prohibits foreign citizens from donating, contributing, or financing political campaigns in the U.S., as well as any person soliciting or accepting these contributions.
In this case, it is alleged that Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan citizen, financed Wanda Vázquez’s reelection campaign in exchange for political favors. This included the replacement of then-Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF) head George Joyner with someone of his preference, at a time when Bancrédito—bank linked to Herrera—was under investigation.
Guilty Plea via Videoconference
The defendants have requested to enter their guilty pleas through videoconference, as Herrera Velutini and Rossini are currently not in U.S. territory. They proposed June 30 and July 1 as available dates, while the prosecution indicated it would comply with what the court decides.
If this agreement is finalized, the defendants would avoid facing the seven original charges of conspiracy, bribery in federal programs, and honest services fraud, and would only be prosecuted for the lesser offense related to foreign contributions.
A Case with Multiple Involved Parties
The case, uncovered in August 2022 by a federal grand jury, has also implicated other key players. These include John Blakeman—former political advisor to Vázquez—and Frances Díaz—executive at Bancrédito and Blakeman’s partner—who have already pleaded guilty and are cooperating with authorities.
This series of guilty pleas could signal the closure of a complex web of corruption and illicit financing in Puerto Rican politics, with international ramifications and direct links to the Venezuelan financial system.