Former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez under investigation for campaign financing corruption scheme

Wanda Vazquez, former governor of Puerto Rico, is currently being investigated for her involvement in illegal financing during her political campaign for governor in 2020. She is a member of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rican statehood and is also affiliated with the Republican Party. There is suspicion that Vazquez accepted financial support from a foreign donor, Julio M. Herrera Velutini. 

Velutini is the president and owner of Bancrédito International Bank and Trust and is a Venezuelan national, which makes his donations illegal. These allegations are being taken seriously by the United States government as well as the people of Puerto Rico. The FBI is looking into this situation and investigating Vazquez as well as other members of her campaign, and they are likely to face criminal charges soon. 

Officials are also investigating Velutini. He allegedly left Venezuela in the midst of the Venezuelan government investigating him and issuing an arrest warrant for him. This warrant was issued due to his suspicious bank transactions. Velutini admitted to meeting with Vazquez in a professional setting where they discussed her aspirations to run in the gubernatorial elections in 2020, but he denied providing any financial support to her or her campaign. Both Vazquez and Velutini have continued to maintain this stance and are represented by their lawyers in the legal dispute. Vazquez was previously involved in a corruption scheme in July 2020 and was subject to an intense investigation. She was being accused of mismanaging resources and relief supplies for Puerto Ricans after they had suffered from an earthquake. When former Justice Secretary Dennise Longo brought up the case, she was fired. Vazquez has maintained her stance that Longo was not fired as a response to those actions, but rather that Vazquez asked her to resign due to her interference in a federal issue.