Maria Milagros “Tata” Charbonnier, a prominent former Puerto Rican lawmaker popular with conservatives, was sentenced Friday on federal charges related to corruption.
Charbonnier was indicted in August 2020 on charges including conspiracy. Money laundering; theft, bribery, and kickbacks involving federally funded programs. She was also charged with obstruction of justice, and federal authorities accused her of destroying data on her cell phone.
She was found guilty on all charges.
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The U.S. Department of Justice accused her of running a scheme from 2017 to 2020 to inflate her assistant's biweekly pay from $800 to $2,900 and keep some of that money. Prosecutors estimated that Charbonnier received a total of $100,000 during that period.
Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, speaks at a press conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 17, 2020. Maria Milagros “Tata” Charbonnier was convicted of federally sponsored conspiracy and money laundering, among other charges. program.
Charbonnier declined to comment after the verdict. Her lawyer said she plans to appeal. Sentencing is scheduled for April.
Charbonnier's assistant, Francis Acevedo Ceballos, was also charged. He pleaded guilty last year in an agreement with prosecutors.
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Two others, Charbonnier's son and husband, were also charged. Her husband, Orlando Montez Rivera, was sentenced Friday on the same charges as her wife, while her son was enrolled in a pretrial diversion program.
Mr. Charbonnier is a lawyer who served as a member of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives from 2013 to 2020. He also served as secretary general of the pro-national New Progressive Party.
