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Federal and local lawmakers in Puerto Rico, as well as civil rights and advocacy organizations, have called for investigations after ProPublica how a federal probe into a drugs-for-votes scheme in Puerto Rico prisons got quashed after the 2024 elections.
The territory鈥檚 representative in Congress, Pablo Jos茅 Hern谩ndez Rivera, called on members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to join him in a push for a congressional probe into the matter.
鈥淭he report published today by ProPublica details facts that no elected official 鈥� whether in Puerto Rico or in Washington 鈥� can ignore,鈥� he in Spanish.
The same day, Rep. H茅ctor Ferrer Santiago, a Popular Democratic Party member, in the territory鈥檚 House ordering its Committee on Public Security to investigate, calling the allegations 鈥溾�� and saying the House has 鈥渁n inescapable duty to investigate.鈥�
Their requests came the day ProPublica published its investigation detailing how prosecutors had uncovered a and were deep into looking at whether now-Gov. Jenniffer Gonz谩lez-Col贸n or her campaign were involved.
In the days following President Donald Trump鈥檚 election in 2024, as prosecutors prepared the indictment, they were told by supervisors in the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office for the District of Puerto Rico to exclude the voting-related charges against inmates and prison staff, four sources with knowledge of the investigation told ProPublica. Then, once Trump took office, they were told to abandon the probe into potential political ties entirely, the sources said.
Gonz谩lez-Col贸n, a longtime Republican and member of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, has declined repeated requests for interviews by ProPublica. In a statement Tuesday, she denied any wrongdoing and said she 鈥渉as stood firmly against corruption鈥� throughout her career and political campaigns.
鈥淚 categorically reject any attempt to link me to unlawful conduct,鈥� she wrote. Gonz谩lez-Col贸n has not been charged with any crime.
She told she doesn鈥檛 think any investigation into the matter is warranted. 鈥淭here is nothing here,鈥� she said in Spanish. 鈥淎nd, if they have research from the past four years, let them do it, let them bring it to a successful conclusion. But I have absolutely nothing to do with the things that are pointed out there, much less my campaign.鈥�
On Wednesday, leaders of the Puerto Rican Independence Party also called for an investigation. Sen. Mar铆a de Lourdes Santiago, vice president of the party, that the questions of partisan intervention in prison spaces should not be ignored considering their 鈥渟evere implications.鈥�
Thomas Rivera Schatz, president of the Puerto Rico Senate and a member of Gonz谩lez-Col贸n鈥檚 party, initially told that government officials in Puerto Rico should investigate thoroughly. But at a , he backed away from that assertion, saying of ProPublica鈥檚 report: 鈥淚 do not lend it any credibility whatsoever. 鈥� It appears to follow a specific editorial line 鈥� one directed against the Republican Party and against Trump.鈥�
An filed in December 2024, while Joe Biden was still president, charged 34 members of a gang, known as Group 31 or Los Tiburones, and associates with crimes including drug distribution resulting in at least four overdose deaths, money laundering and possessing a firearm. Prosecutors also alleged that the gang made connections with government officials 鈥渇or the purpose of reducing prison sentences鈥� and that the gang mandated both the prisoners鈥� political affiliations and 鈥渨ho to vote for in primary and general elections,鈥� but included no charges related to the drugs-for-votes scheme.
Sources familiar with the investigation said gang leaders forced inmates to vote for Gonz谩lez-Col贸n or face brutal beatings and being cut off from a supply of drugs. Many of the inmates are addicted to illicit drugs. Prosecutors said they had evidence that Gonz谩lez-Col贸n had spoken with one of the prison gang leaders on WhatsApp during the primary campaign and were pursuing other potential ties when they were instructed not to look any further, people with knowledge of the investigation told ProPublica.
Gonz谩lez-Col贸n said in her statement that she engaged with all sectors of society during her campaign. 鈥淭hat included meeting with families of incarcerated individuals concerned about rehabilitation and reintegration, because public policy must be inclusive and responsive to every community,鈥� she said. She did not address the allegation that she had talked with a gang leader directly.
W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, who was appointed by Trump in 2019 and has served continuously since, told ProPublica that his office does not comment on open cases. While a couple of defendants in the drug and money laundering cases have taken plea agreements, most of the cases are still pending.
鈥淕iven the ongoing nature of the case and the importance of maintaining the integrity of active matters, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further in a press setting,鈥� Lymarie Llovet-Ayala, spokesperson for the office, said in an email Wednesday. Previously, she said that charging corrupt public officials 鈥渉as always been and remains a top priority鈥� of the office.
As Puerto Rico鈥檚 resident commissioner in Congress 鈥� a role similar to a U.S. representative 鈥� Hern谩ndez Rivera has the power to introduce and co-sponsor legislation and vote in committee, but is prohibited from voting on final passage of laws in the House.
Hern谩ndez Rivera, a Democrat and member of the Popular Democratic Party, said he already has support from at least a couple of members from the House Judiciary Committee who are interested in starting the oversight process and are working on a draft letter requesting an investigation.
Political parties in Puerto Rico don鈥檛 adhere to a straight divide among Democrats and Republicans. Instead, they center much of their focus on whether Puerto Rico should become a state and so have Republicans and Democrats within each.
Hern谩ndez Rivera said the fact that the New Progressive Party has a stronghold on inmate votes is suspicious. 鈥淎bout the prisons in particular, it raises eyebrows from a statistical standpoint, the fact that 83% of inmates vote for the candidate of that party when no other place in Puerto Rico votes by those margins,鈥� he said, citing a ProPublica tally of voter returns from the State Elections Commission鈥檚 website. By comparison, Gonz谩lez-Col贸n won 41% of the overall vote in her victory in the five-way general election contest.
鈥淭he issue here is more about whether the processes were followed and whether there was corruption in giving up the case,鈥� Hern谩ndez Rivera said.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told ProPublica that while he didn鈥檛 yet know the details of the matter, he would support an investigation. He said the allegations aren鈥檛 surprising given the suspicions of election fraud across the U.S. and considering 鈥渢oday鈥檚 morals.鈥�
鈥淚 hope our committee or another committee does some investigating,鈥� he said.
Annette Mart铆nez-Orabona, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Puerto Rico, said abandoning an investigation into a fraudulent voting scheme in prisons undermines the trust of those who believe in democracy.
The ACLU is 鈥渁dvocating for full transparency about what happened with this investigation 鈥� what evidence was collected, and what was done with that evidence,鈥� Mart铆nez Orabona said in a written statement.
The Power 4 Puerto Rico Coalition, a diaspora organization that advocates for more independence for the territory, said it wants answers from Gonz谩lez-Col贸n and the U.S. Department of Justice.
鈥淧ower 4 Puerto Rico calls for Congressional hearings to fully review what happened, who knew, and why the voting-related investigation did not proceed,鈥� Erica Gonz谩lez Mart铆nez, director of the group, wrote in a statement. 鈥淭he Puerto Rican people deserve the truth.鈥漒
contributed reporting.
