Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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Negociado de Investigaciones Especiales (NIE) - GS         News

The Director of NIE, Brenda Leon 


Una fuente policiaca indicó que la joven Karla Michelle Avilés Rosado recibió un disparo en la cabeza o cuello.



Brenda León, directora del NIE), rechazó ofrecer mayores datos sobre la versión que han ofrecido los siete policías involucrados en este caso. (LINO.PRIETO@GFRMEDIA.COM) 

La directora del Negociado de Investigaciones Especiales (NIE), Brenda León, destacó este lunes, que el hecho de que se le hayan leído las advertencias a uno de los jóvenes que acompañaba a Karla Michelle Avilés Rosado, la joven muerta presuntamente a manos de la Policía durante una persecución la madrugada del domingo en Naranjito, “no necesariamente” significa que sea considerado sospechoso del incidente.
El fiscal Gustavo Vélez no le leyó los derechos a los policías, confirmó un portavoz del Departamento de Justicia a este medio.
En un aparte en el Departamento de Justicia con miembros de la prensa, León rechazó ofrecer mayores datos sobre la versión que han ofrecido los siete policías ni el propio Félix Marrero Zayas, quien fue entrevistado inicialmente ayer y dejado en libertad. Félix y su hermano Felipe, quien también viajaba en la guagua Toyota 4Runner en la que murió Karla Michelle, acudieron hoy junto a su abogado James Reyes Figueroa a la sede del NIE, para ser entrevistados sobre el incidente en que la joven de 23 años perdió la vida a la 1:30 a.m., pero, por conflictos con el calendario, la entrevista se pospuso para el miércoles.
“Lo que ocurrió fue una intervención de la Policía con estos tres jóvenes y a raíz de esa intervención es que fallece Karla Michelle”, indicó León.
La jefa del NIE precisó que varias versiones apuntan a que algunos de los siete agentes cuyas armas fueron ocupadas sí abrieron fuego contra el vehículo en que se encontraba el trío, pero fue enfática al indicar que se desconoce si alguno de esos disparos fue el que le quitó la vida a la estudiante universitaria y madre de una niña de 3 años.
Tampoco indicó si los agentes alegan que dispararon luego de que algún ocupante de la guagua Toyota 4Runner intervenida abriera fuego. Este medio supo el domingo que esa es la alegación de los policías.
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News Releases

APRIL 18, 2013

HSI arrests Puerto Rico Department of Justice agent for production of child pornography

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, along with officers assigned to the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force (PRCACTF), arrested a Puerto Rico Department of Justice Bureau of Special Investigations (NIE, in Spanish) agent Thursday for production of child pornography.
Hector Vargas-Reyes, 36, of Arecibo, was arrested at his residence by HSI special agents after an HSI investigation and the results of a PRPD search warrant revealed that he had allegedly used a mobile telephone to attempt to create still images or videos of a 16-year-old minor in sexually explicit poses while in the bathroom of her home.
Vargas-Reyes had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcos Lopez Thursday. He was transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo awaiting the outcome of his case. His bail hearing is scheduled for April 23 at 1:30 p.m.
"These allegations are especially disturbing given the position of trust the defendant has occupied," said Angel Melendez, acting special agent in charge of HSI San Juan. "Identifying people who violate their positions of public trust by contributing to the exploitation of children is a top priority for HSI."
Vargas-Reyes faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a possible maximum sentence of 30 years if found guilty in a court of law.
In response to the need for an island-wide approach to fighting the escalation of predatory crimes against children, HSI San Juan partnered with members of local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as local and state government officials and community leaders, to form PRCACTF in June 2011.
Through PRCACTF, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies work together with local and state government agencies to effectively pool their resources to jointly investigate all crimes against children in Puerto Rico. Through the task force, law enforcement officers are encouraged to share evidence, ideas, and investigative and forensic tools to ensure the most successful prosecutions possible. As such, PRCACTF allows law enforcement to speak with one unified voice in defense of the children of Puerto Rico.
This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.
HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.




  1. Renuncia Arístides Cales Fraticelli - Univision Puerto Rico

    puertorico.univision.com › Última Hora › Puerto Rico

    Apr 10, 2013
    El director del negociado de investigaciones especiales, ArístidesCales Fraticelli presentó su renuncia.


3 de diciembre de 2013 - 
Exescolta está acusado por pornografía infantil

Secretario de Justicia Luis Sánchez Betances. EL VOCERO / Archivo

El secretario de Justicia, Luis Sánchez Betances, declinó hacer comentarios sobre la petición de su exescolta, Héctor Vargas Reyes, acusado por pornografía infantil.
“Prefiero no emitir comentarios por tratarse de un caso bajo la consideración del Tribunal Federal”, expresó el titular de la agencia, a través de su portavoz de prensa Miguel Pereira.
A Vargas Reyes se le acusa de haber tomado fotos con su teléfono celular a su hijastra de 16 años, mientras se bañaba y cuando se cambiaba de ropa en su dormitorio en hechos ocurridos entre septiembre del 2012 a marzo del año en curso.
El abogado del acusado Víctor González de la Oficina del Defensor Público Federal pidió a la jueza federal Carmen Consuelo Cerezo que desestime los cargos al argumentar que las fotos que son utilizadas como evidencia no demuestran conducta sexual explícita.
De igual forma, solicitó a la Jueza que efectúe una inspección de las fotografías, a fin de que se determine si cumplen con la definición de pornografía infantil.
El 30 de marzo la perjudicada sospechó que había sido grabada por lo que cuando fue a vestirse a su dormitorio, cerró la puerta con seguro.
Nuevamente, por la ventana notó la presencia de una sombra negra que subía y bajaba por la ventana.
Acto seguido, la menor llamó a su madre, quien es policía en Sabana Grande y ésta a su vez envió una patrulla a la residencia. Al lugar se personaron varios agentes quienes le removieron el teléfono celular del acusado. El aparato contenía 14 fotos de la joven desnuda. Otra de las fotos data de septiembre del 2012.
El acusado, quien es exagente del Negociado de Investigaciones Especiales (NIE), se expone a ser sentenciado entre 15 a 30 años de prisión si decide enfrentar un juicio.
Vargas Reyes fue acusado por un Gran Jurado el pasado 17 de abril y desde el 18 de ese mes permanece ingresado en el Centro de Detención Metropolitano de Guaynabo (MDC, por sus siglas en inglés). 

El secretario de Justicia, Luis Sánchez Betances 

FBI asume caso de miniarsenal en Vega Baja

3 de diciembre de 2013
6:40 p.m.Seguridad



FBI asume caso de miniarsenal en Vega Baja

El hallazgo incluía una granada activa
Por Maribel Hernández Pérez / maribel.hernandez@gfrmedia.com

(Archivo)
El Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (FBI)  asumió jurisdicción de la pesquisa de un miniarsenal que incluía armas, una granada activa, así como uniformes de la Policía y de otras agencias federales, en una residencia de la urbanización Vega Baja Lakes, ocupado este martes por personal de la División de Arrestos Especiales y Extradiciones.
El detenido, identificado como Francisco Trinidad Rivera, de 51 años, pasó a ser custodiado por el FBI, a pesar de que inicialmente las autoridades locales adjudicaban que sería el primero en ser procesado bajo el nuevo estatuto de la Ley de Armas firmada ayer por el gobernador Alejandro García Padilla.
El teniente Ferdinand Acosta, director de la División, reveló a este diario que esta madrugada los agentes encontraron las armas ilegales cuando entraron a la residencia para arrestar a un individuo contra quien pesaba una orden de arresto por robo bancario, que no era Trinidad Rivera.
En el hogar se ocuparon cuatro rifles, una pistola, un revólver, una granada, miras telescópicas, chalecos antibalas de la Policía, uniformes de la Policía Estatal, así como gorras de la Agencia Federal Antidrogas (DEA, por sus siglas en inglés), del Negociado de Investigaciones Especiales (NIE), del Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (FBI, por sus siglas en inglés), del Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) y alguaciles federales.
Los agentes allanaron la residencia mediante una orden federal obtenida por el FBI.
“Asumimos jurisdicción del caso, el allanamiento está en proceso”, declaró a este diario Moisés Quiñones, portavoz de prensa del FBI. 
En el lugar se arrestó también a Arleen Rivera por obstrucción a la justicia y se espera por el Departamento de la Familia para que asuma la custodia protectora de dos menores de edad que se encontraban en la residencia.

Washington Post on Puerto Rico

Washington Post on Puerto Rico

  1. THE AMERICAS

    Small plane crashes in Puerto Rico; 2 bodies found

    A small cargo plane crashed near Puerto Rico's northern coast, killing the two U.S. citizens who were aboard, officials said Tuesday.
    Associated Press,  AP   DEC 3
  2. ECONOMY

    Puerto Rico's multiple troubles

    Puerto Rico's debt load is bigger than that of any state except California and New York, and it dwarfs Detroit's debt at the time of that city's bankruptcy filing.
    The Washington Post   NOV 30
  3. no description is available for this photo

    Puerto Rico in crisis

    Burdened by high unemployment, a shrinking population and overwhelming debt, the small island is struggling.
    The Washington Post   NOV 30
  4. Puerto Ricans honor Paul Walker, cause chaos

    Puerto Rico police have issued more than 100 tickets to drivers who organized a caravan to honor "Fast & Furious" actor Paul Walker and created massive traffic jams across the island's capital.
    Associated Press,  AP   5:18 PM ET
  5. Mel Franklin elected Prince George's County council chairman

    William A. Campos (D-Hyattsville) elected first Latino to be the council's vice chair.
    Luz Lazo,  The Washington Post   DEC 3
  6. no description is available for this photo

    'Parrots Over Puerto Rico,' by Susan L. Roth, Cindy Trumbore and Susan L. Roth

    With gorgeous collages, this book describes the near extinction and recovery of Puerto Rico's parrots.
    — Abby McGanney Nolan and Abby McGanney Nolan,  The Washington Post   DEC 3
  7. Puerto Rico to debate daylight saving time plan

    Legislators in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico are expected to debate a proposal that would create a daylight saving time like the one imposed in the U.S. mainland.
    Associated Press,  AP   NOV 30
  8. no description is available for this photo

    Hard-core 'Star Wars' fans dress up and troop around Washington to promote sci-fi museum

    From a galaxy far, far away, costumed "Star Wars" reenactors emerge to tout sci-fi museum.
    John Kelly,  The Washington Post   DEC 1
  9. no description is available for this photo

    Puerto Rico, with at least $70 billion in debt, confronts a rising economic misery

    Island residents stream to the U.S. mainland to escape a nearly 8-year recession and high unemployment.
    Michael A. Fletcher,  The Washington Post   NOV 30

Puerto Rico’s Territory Status is the Primary Cause of its Economic Problems - Congressman Pedro R. Pierluisi | Governor: I inherited a PR in pieces

Congressman Pedro R. Pierluisi
Five-Minute Floor Statement as Prepared for Delivery
Puerto Rico’s Territory Status is the Primary Cause of its Economic Problems
December 4, 2013

Mr. Speaker:

Over the last several months, the press has been filled with stories about the severe economic
problems in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. These economic problems have aggravated social
problems like crime, have generated anxiety for individuals and institutions that have invested in
Puerto Rico’s bonds, and have caused island residents to relocate to the 50 states in unprecedented
numbers. The statistics are staggering: in recent years, Puerto Rico’s population has fallen by
more than four percent, while the number of Puerto Ricans living in the states has increased by
over 45 percent.

As Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, it pains me to read media accounts of the island’s
troubles, especially because I know that my constituents are just as capable and industrious as
their fellow citizens in any other U.S. jurisdiction. Puerto Rico has enormous potential, but the
reality is that this potential is not being fulfilled.

Although the island’s problems have certainly grown worse in recent months, it is critical for
policymakers and the American public to understand that these problems are not of recent vintage. 2

To the contrary, for at least four decades, Puerto Rico’s economic performance—and, by
extension, quality of life on the island—has been far worse than any state according to every
indicator, including unemployment, average household income, and the ratio of government debt
to economic production. In other words, Puerto Rico’s difficulties have endured in more or less
the same form, regardless of who holds power in Washington and San Juan and irrespective of the
public policies they formulate. To be sure, fiscal mismanagement at the local level and
insufficient attention at the federal level have both been factors contributing to Puerto Rico’s
problems, but the record clearly establishes that they are not the main factor.

What, then, is the principal source of Puerto Rico’s longstanding woes? In a recent editorial, the
Washington Post correctly identified the culprit, noting that the territory’s economic problems are
“structural—traceable, ultimately, to its muddled political status.” Curiously, the Post then
asserted that “there will be time enough to debate” the status issue later and that Puerto Rico, for
the time being, should focus exclusively on fixing its finances.

As I observed in a letter to the Post’s editor, this is like a doctor recommending medicine to
alleviate a patient’s symptoms but doing nothing to treat the underlying disease. As long as Puerto
Rico remains a territory—deprived of equal treatment under critical federal spending and tax
credit programs, forced to borrow heavily to make up the difference, and lacking the ability to vote
for the president and members of Congress who make our national laws—the island will be in a
position merely to manage, rather than to surmount, its economic problems. This is the only
reasonable conclusion to draw from decades of empirical evidence.
 3

A majority of my constituents understand this, which is why they voted to reject territory status in
a referendum held one year ago. The Obama administration recognizes this as well, which is why
it proposed the first federally-sponsored status vote in Puerto Rico’s history to resolve the issue
once and for all. And, finally, Members of Congress from both parties comprehend this, which is
why 125 of them have co-sponsored legislation I introduced that provides for an up-or-down vote
in Puerto Rico on the territory’s admission as a state and outlines the steps the federal government
will take if a majority of voters favor admission.

There are many reasons to oppose Puerto Rico’s territory status, which is unequal, undemocratic
and un-American. One of the most important reasons why Puerto Rico must discard this status in
favor of either statehood or nationhood is because the current status has failed, and will continue
to fail, to provide the island’s 3.6 million American citizens with the economic opportunities and
quality of life they deserve. Those who refuse to acknowledge this fundamental truth for
ideological reasons are doing a great disservice to the people of Puerto Rico. They are on the
wrong side of history.

Thank you.


Issued: December 3, 2013
Gov. Alejandro García Padilla said Monday he inherited a Puerto Rico that had “fallen to pieces,” placing the blame for the island’s fiscal ...







García Padilla, Pierluisi spar over status
Issued: December 3, 2013
Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi is working to counter efforts by the administration of Gov. Alejandro García Padilla to derail legisla ...













Veteran New York City police officer James Tuller took the reins of the Puerto Rico Police Department on Sunday

NYPD’s Tuller takes reins of PR Police

By CB Online Staff


Veteran New York City police officer James Tuller took the reins of the Puerto Rico Police Department on Sunday.
Tuller officially took the helm of the nation’s second-largest police force nearly a month after his appointment by Gov. Alejandro García Padilla following the surprise resignation of Police Superintendent Héctor Persquera.
Tuller holds a bacehelor’s degree in police science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a master’s in public administration degree from Marist College. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and attended the University of Virginia’s Division of Education Program in Criminal Justice.
Tuller, whose mother is Puerto Rican, was born and raised in New York and attended high school in Puerto Rico.
“I am convinced that his experience working with communities in a city as diverse as New York during the transformation of the NYPD makes him the ideal person for the police superintendent post,” García Padilla said earlier this month. “He is aware of the challenges ahead in boosting police morale and complying with the federal accord to professionalize the department and safeguard civil rights while continuing with our anti-crime plan.”

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Crime in Puerto Rico Rages On - LAHT - from Puerto Rico Police Reform - News Review



Crime in Puerto Rico Rages On

SAN JUAN – Crime continues relentlessly in Puerto Rico, where 10 were slain over the weekend amid a wave of violence that residents hope can be halted by the new chief of police, veteran New York City cop James Tuller Cintron.

Murders committed to date in 2013 number 809, the Puerto Rico Police Department said Monday.

While that total is 57 less than the death toll a year ago, it remains alarming for a territory of only 3.7 million inhabitants.

Tuller, introduced by Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla’s administration as someone who took part in “sweeping” crime from the streets of New York, is due to take charge of the PRPD on Dec. 1.

The change forced on the police high command by the resignation in late October of Hector Pesquera, who gave no reason why he was stepping down, obliged the government to find a substitute for the office of superintendent.

Officials in San Juan settled on Tuller, a New Yorker of a Puerto Rican mother who lived as a child on the Caribbean island, and until recently was chief of transportation with the New York Police Department.

Tuller promised to work to reduce violence in Puerto Rico the way he did, he never tires of saying, in the 1980s and ‘90s when he was instrumental in “cleaning” the New York City streets of criminals.

The new chief of the PRPD will not only have to deal with criminals in the streets, he will also have to implement a reform plan adopted to settle a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit against the PRPD over civil rights abuses and widespread corruption. 

See also: 


crime in puerto rico 2013


  1. Illegal drugs in Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_drugs_in_Puerto_Rico

    Jump to Crime reduction - [edit]. The Puerto Rican government has implemented a series of law enforcement operations in relation to the federal "war on ... 
  1. Puerto Rican Crime statistics, definitions and sources. - NationMaster

    www.nationmaster.com › ... › Puerto Rico
    Crime statistics on Puerto Rico. 5 facts and figures, stats and information on Puerto Rican Crime. Source: World Health Organization: World report on violence ...
  2. Murder Rate and Fear Rise in Puerto Rico - NYTimes.com

    www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/us/21crime.html?pagewanted=all
    Jun 20, 2011 - The police in Puerto Rico are trying new strategies to control crime, while residents try to protect themselves.
  1. Crime and Solutions for Puerto Rico

    blog.panampost.com/frank.../09/.../crime-and-solutions-for-puerto-rico/
    Sep 25, 2013 - Puerto Rico has already seen 646 murders this year. The island, which is about 100 miles long and 30 miles wide, has a population of 3.6 ...






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crime in puerto rico 2012 

crime in puerto rico tourists

criminogenic situation in puerto rico 

drug abuse in puerto rico 

border control in puerto rico 

drug trade in puerto rico 

drug cartels in puerto rico 


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Puerto Rico Police Reform - News Review


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