MVC seeks details on $1.2 million in public contracts awarded to firm linked to Maceira
By THE STAR STAFF
Leaders of the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC by its initials in Spanish) filed formal public‑records requests on Wednesday seeking detailed billing information for more than $1.2 million in government contracts awarded this term to a law firm associated with former public official Anthony Maceira Zayas.
Attorneys Manuel Natal and Eva Prados submitted the requests to the Puerto Rico Senate and the Municipality of San Juan, asking both entities to disclose invoices, work reports and any documentation tied to contracts held by MZLS LLC, the firm led by Maceira. They also requested records from Genera PR.
Prados said the filings come after Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz publicly rejected calls to investigate potential conflicts of interest involving Maceira, who has a $30,000‑a‑month contract with the upper chamber. She noted that questions intensified after attorney Osvaldo Carlo Linares identified Maceira as a lobbyist for one of the companies competing for the controversial Power Expectations contract, a proposal that exceeded $5.8 billion.
“Given the Senate President’s refusal to examine the conflicts and possible corrupt acts involving his closest associates, we submitted multiple information requests to the entities where MZLS LLC holds contracts,” Prados said. “We are asking for copies of invoices and work reports submitted by the firm to the Senate, the Municipality of San Juan and Genera PR.”
Natal underscored Maceira’s political career, recalling his prominent role during the 2019 summer protests that led to the resignation of then‑governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares. At the time, Maceira served as secretary of public affairs and was part of the now‑infamous Telegram chat that fueled public outrage. “He promised to ‘blow the head off’ corrupt officials, and yet he ended up as a witness in a federal corruption case that ultimately protected the identities of those same officials,” Natal said.
According to the MVC, Maceira founded his firm shortly after the 2019 scandal and has since accumulated $2.8 million in public contracts in less than six years, including agreements with Rivera Schatz and San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo.
Natal added that MZLS LLC includes several former government officials affiliated with the governing New Progressive Party, among them a former Supreme Court justice who has secured $1.2 million in government contracts this term while allegedly lobbying on behalf of private clients before agencies with which he also holds public contracts.
MVC leaders said the requests aim to shed light on the scope of the firm’s work and ensure transparency in the use of public funds.
