Ex-Mayagüez mayor pleads guilty to public corruption charges

Former Mayagüez Mayor José Guillermo Rodríguez Rodríguez

By The Star Staff

Former Mayagüez Mayor José Guillermo “Guillito” Rodríguez Rodríguez pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges of public corruption.

Rodríguez, of the Popular Democratic Party, submitted a pre-arranged guilty plea motion to the court and is required to pay $12,500 to the Special Independent Prosecutor Panel, according to information obtained by the STAR.

The Mayagüez Court of First Instance had allowed a timeframe for Rodríguez and a former city finance director, Yahaira Valentín Andrade, to begin plea negotiations, so a trial date has not yet been set.

Both Rodríguez and Valentín Andrade were charged with noncompliance and embezzlement of public funds for the misappropriation of $9.8 million. The amount was originally allocated to complete phases of the Mayagüez Trauma Center. However, the defendants allegedly used the funds to invest in a group that has been charged in federal court.

On March 23, 2021, seven individuals were indicted and arrested on wire fraud charges related to a scheme to defraud the municipality of Mayagüez. Prior to those arrests, the municipal government had established Mayagüez Economic Development Inc. (MEDI), a municipal corporation created to manage municipal assets and increase revenue.

In total, 58 properties transferred to MEDI were later used as collateral for highly speculative investments that may have facilitated the fraudulent scheme against the municipality. Among the properties listed were historically significant sites such as Mayagüez City Hall, the Yagüez Theater, and the Recreation and Sports Palace. Additionally, San Antonio Hospital, the only pediatric hospital in the municipality, was also targeted.

During a press conference addressing the controversy, the mayor denied involvement in any illegal activities and pointed to other acts of corruption by island authorities as a context for the issue.

On April 7, following a referral from the island Justice Department and an intervention by the FBI related to the transactions, Rep. José “Quiquito” Meléndez Ortiz referred the then-mayor to the Independent Special Prosecutor Panel regarding the allegations. In September 2021, the Justice Department recommended an investigation into the mayor’s actions. In response, Meléndez and another lawmaker called for the suspension of the mayor’s salary.

By March 2022, the prosecutor’s office had suspended Rodríguez, who had been charged the previous year with mismanagement of public funds and subsequently arrested, from his position as mayor. On April 22, amid growing calls for an investigation into his administration, Rodríguez appointed an interim mayor.