Ex-Mayagüez finance director sentenced to 3 years

Yahaira Valentín Andrade, at right, the former finance director of the Municipality of Mayagüez

By The Star Staff

Yahaira Valentín Andrade, the former finance director of the Municipality of Mayagüez, who pleaded guilty in June to two felony violations that pertain to negligence in the performance of duty, has been sentenced for her involvement in a scheme to embezzle public funds.

Superior Judge William Machado Aldanondo of the Mayagüez Court of First Instance sentenced Andrade on Wednesday to three years for each count, with the sentences to be served concurrently.

As part of her sentence, Andrade will be subject to house arrest from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., must comply with unannounced drug and alcohol testing, and will be subject to supervision by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, among other conditions.

In connection with the same case, former veteran mayor José Guillermo “Guillito” Rodríguez was also sentenced, on June 10. He received a three-year sentence for the crime of serious negligence in the line of duty, with each count carrying the same penalty.

The Panel on Integrity and Justice for Better Government stated, “In fulfilling their duty to defend the citizens of Mayagüez and protect the public interest, special prosecutors Pabón Ortiz and Agudo Calderón secured the conviction of both defendants.”

The embezzlement scheme resulted in the misappropriation of $9.8 million that had been allocated in joint resolutions by the island House of Representatives for various phases of the construction of the Mayagüez Trauma Center.

Legislative funds were transferred to an account operated by Mayagüez Economic Development Inc., facilitating the fraud perpetrated by several advisers, including Roberta Mejill Tellado and former judge Arnaldo Irizarry, along with individuals such as Alejandro Riera Fernández, Steve Minger and Joseph Kirkland.

The scam occurred between March 2016 and June 2018, during which the municipality of Mayagüez received a payment of $1,800,000. That amount was part of the initial $8 million investment and did not represent a return on investment.