Two ex-heads of public works sentenced to jail on federal bribery charges
By The Star Staff
The former director of public works for the Municipality of Guayama, Ramón Condé Meléndez, and the former director of public works in Cataño, Pedro Marrero Miranda, were sentenced to two years and two years and six months in prison, respectively, for their participation in a bribery scheme in which they received cash payments in exchange for approving bill payments for an asphalt and paving company, federal authorities said Thursday.
According to court documents, Condé Meléndez, 56, was director of public works in Guayama from 2013 to 2022.
In 2019 and 2021, he agreed to receive and did receive cash payments from an individual (Individual A) in exchange for certifying that the asphalt and paving company (Company A) carried out asphalt works in the municipality.
The certification was required for the approval of payment invoices from the Municipality of Guayama to Company A. In 2019 and 2021, Condé Meléndez received bribe payments equivalent to $1 for each square meter of asphalt removed by Company A, totaling more than $15,000.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was sentenced to two years of supervised release.
In May of this year, Condé Meléndez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in federal programs.
Meanwhile, also according to court documents, Marrero Miranda, 54, was director of public works in Cataño from 2017 to 2021. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, he agreed to receive and did receive cash payments from Individual A and another individual (Individual B) in exchange for the awarding of asphalt removal projects by the Municipality of Cataño to Company A, and the certification of invoices for payments from the municipality to Company A.
Specifically, Marrero Miranda received multiple bribe payments equivalent to about $1 for every square meter of asphalt removed by Company A in the Municipality of Cataño, totaling more than $40,000.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release. In June of this year, Marrero Miranda pleaded guilty to committing bribery in federal programs.