FBI in Puerto Rico investigating if local officials are 'withholding' supplies

[Theinquisition]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/12...-supplies.html

FBI agents in Puerto Rico have been receiving calls from "across the island" with residents complaining local officials are "withholding" or "mishandling" critical FEMA supplies -- with one island official even accused of stuffing his own car full of goods meant for the suffering populace.







The accusations come in the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Maria, which devastated the U.S. territory last month.


“The complaints we’re hearing is that mayors of local municipalities, or people associated with their offices, are giving their political supporters special treatment, goods they’re not giving to other people who need them,” FBI Special Agent Carlos Osorio told Fox News.




Osorio, an agent with the FBI in San Juan, said the bureau was investigating the allegations.

“The U.S. attorney has made it clear if anyone is caught mishandling FEMA supplies, they will be prosecuted and could end up facing anywhere from five to 20 years in prison," Osorio said.

Some of the claims have come by phone and others have poured in over social media, but the allegations stretch across the island.



Osorio told of one allegation where a party official is accused of pulling his own car around the back of a government building and driving off after loading it full of FEMA supplies.

“We’re going out and investigating these claims,” Osorio said. “We don’t know yet if they’re accurate or not...but yes we have received many similar allegations from people in many different parts of the island.”

The allegations of misconduct come amid a pitched back-and-forth between island officials and President Trump over the federal response to Maria.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, a frequent Trump foil, reportedly accused Trump on Thursday of “genocide” for not doing more to aid in the relief efforts.

Cruz sent the accusation in a text message to Rep. Luis V. Gutirrez, D-Ill., who is of Puerto Rican heritage, The Washington Times reported.

Trump on Twitter has accused Cruz of poor management.

"...Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help..." Trump wrote.

The president raised eyebrows Thursday morning by tweeting that federal agencies, military officials and first responders couldn't stay "in P.R. forever!"

Earlier Thursday, the Daily Caller reported the FBI was aware of misappropriation allegations in six of Puerto Rico's 78 municipalities.

Rosa Emilia Rodriguez, a U.S. federal prosecutor on the island, told a local Puerto Rican radio station Monday she was investigating officials in the government -- including mayors -- regarding the misappropriation of supplies. Rodriguez, however, declined to name the government officials being looked at.

“Anybody that engaged in that kind of action whether civilian or representative should be looked at seriously because that’s unforgivable," Rep. Adriano Espillat, D-N.Y., a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told The Daily Caller.

[Allybeboba]

Wouldn’t be shocked if it is true.
Also wouldn’t be shocked if they are simply viscous rumors.

[Moshots]

This is from Fox News, which makes me think it's bullshit.

If Fox can't find something wrong with Puerto Rico's government, then Trump would suddenly be a piece of shit for the way he has been treating them, and it would be hard for Fox to defend sucking his cock 24/7

The 70 billion dollars of debt and near bankruptcy isn't enough wrong with their government?

[Theinquisition]

Considering they just had a huge natural disaster? No, it's not.

You don't kick people when they are already down, it's called not being a scumfuck, and we all learn it when we are like 5 years old.

At least MOST of us do.

I get what you're saying I do. but....

1. The 70 billion was BEFORE the hurricane.\

2. If local officials are suspected of being corrupt, it's worth investigating, isn't it?

[Stormspellz]

I get what you're saying I do. but....

1. The 70 billion was BEFORE the hurricane.\

2. If local officials are suspected of being corrupt, it's worth investigating, isn't it?

why does Puerto rico have to get a loan disaster relief out but texas/florida doesn't?

but yes if their is corruption throw the book at them? however why is this coming up now? not before the hurricane if they had evidence for such claims.

[Grapemask]

I get what you're saying I do. but....

1. The 70 billion was BEFORE the hurricane.\

2. If local officials are suspected of being corrupt, it's worth investigating, isn't it?

Pssst, guess who's responsible for Puerto Rico's debt problem... If your guess isn't a government headquartered somewhere on the mainland of North America, your guess is wrong. I can round it down to somewhere between Canada and Mexico if that helps.

[Stelio Kontos]

Pssst, guess who's responsible for Puerto Rico's debt problem... If your guess isn't a government headquartered somewhere on the mainland of North America, your guess is wrong. I can round it down to somewhere between Canada and Mexico if that helps.

Hilarious people give Puerto Rico a pass, but crucify other countries in debt like Greece.

[Tierbook]

Pssst, guess who's responsible for Puerto Rico's debt problem... If your guess isn't a government headquartered somewhere on the mainland of North America, your guess is wrong. I can round it down to somewhere between Canada and Mexico if that helps.

Well the other option is accepting that the PR government is balls to the walls retarded and putting them under anothers guidance.... make them a county of Florida i guess.

[Grapemask]

Hilarious people give Puerto Rico a pass, but crucify other countries in debt like Greece.

Are the tuning knobs of Greece's economy out of the Grecian government's control and in the hands of, say, a government 1559 miles and one large body of water away? That might be the key difference.

[Independent voter]

Puerto Rico has a huge corruption problem like the rest of Latin America. I wouldn't be surprised at all if officials are stashing goods meant for hurricane victims in their garages, planning on selling them from the family store. It's the way things are done in LA.

In their eyes if you aren't family or friends then to Hell with you.

[Mittens]

It's time to take out the pitchforks ollas.

[Moogie423]

I just can't believe the report for 2 reasons. First being, it's Fox news. While that should be enough reason for anyone to doubt the claims, the second reason being only 10% of the population even have access to power for reporting via social media, and that's a even if they have functional internet access. Unless they are using sat phones charged by solar or diesel generators, most aren't able to report via phone either, since the cellular network was decimated.

That said, regardless of the report, I wouldn't be surprised if it was happening, largely because not much can surprise me these days. If anything can be said for Trump, his time in office has definitely dulled the natural response to corruption in government.

[Endus]

Hilarious people give Puerto Rico a pass, but crucify other countries in debt like Greece.

Here's a tip; Puerto Rico isn't a country. It's part of the USA, and doesn't have full sovereignty to make these decisions for itself.

[PACOX]

F O X N E W S
O
X O F S W E N
N
E
W
S

Fair and Balanced

[Tierbook]

Here's a tip; Puerto Rico isn't a country. It's part of the USA, and doesn't have full sovereignty to make these decisions for itself.

Hawaii seems to be doing rather well for itself.

[Masark]

Hawaii seems to be doing rather well for itself.

Hawaii is also a state with Senators and Representatives and votes and things.

[Machismo]

I want to know when Trump is going to send the FBI after his son-in-law...

[Deleted]

Puerto Rico has a huge corruption problem like the rest of Latin America. I wouldn't be surprised at all if officials are stashing goods meant for hurricane victims in their garages, planning on selling them from the family store. It's the way things are done in LA.

In their eyes if you aren't family or friends then to Hell with you.

Every country in the world is corrupted, it just depends to which degree they are corrupted.

[Stelio Kontos]

Here's a tip; Puerto Rico isn't a country. It's part of the USA, and doesn't have full sovereignty to make these decisions for itself.

I understand that, but it changes nothing. In regards to their debt situation, I feel about as much sympathy for Puerto Rico as most folks around here and elsewhere showed my country when we suffered.

None at all.

[Brubear]

I understand that, but it changes nothing. In regards to their debt situation, I feel about as much sympathy for Puerto Rico as most folks around here and elsewhere showed my country when we suffered.

None at all.

This shows a rather large amount of ignorance regarding the laws Puerto Rico has to deal with. An example of this is the Hatch Act, something they can literally do nothing about because they're not a state. Basically, imagine being a city, but you have no say in any of the state/federal laws passed that affect you. So if the state/federal government decides to put a 40% tax on any goods that are shipped directly to your city instead of first being shipped to a larger city 3,000km away THEN ship them to you, there's nothing you can do but complain loudly. You don't think that would have a bad effect on your city-level economy? That's basically the situation Puerto Rico is in, they governed by federal laws which they have no input on (they have no representatives in the House and Senate, only a delegate who is basically an observer that can give speeches).