Ex-Director Of Facilities For The Municipality Of Toa Baja Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Bribery And Conspiracy To Defraud

SAN JUAN, P.R. – Today, Edgar Arroyo-Amezquita, former Director of Facilities for the Municipality of Toa Baja was sentenced by United States District Judge Carmen C. Cerezo to serve 30 months in prison and to pay restitution in the amount of $39,999 to the Municipality of Toa Baja, announced Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

On August 30, 2018, Edgar Arroyo-Amezquita pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll to bribery and conspiracy to obtain property by fraud from a program receiving federal funds. As a part of the guilty plea, Arroyo admitted that he served as Director of Facilities for the Municipality of Toa Baja during the time of the conspiracy, which was from May 2011 through May 2013. In his position as Director of Facilities, Arroyo conspired to defraud the municipality and accepted multiple bribes, paid in cash and totaling $39,999, in exchange for causing contracts to be awarded and payments to be made by the Municipality of Toa Baja to enrich co-defendant Luis Serrano-Perdigón.

As a part of the conspiracy, Arroyo personally submitted fraudulent quote documentation to the purchasing office of the Municipality of Toa Baja using a fictitious company named Professional Sales & Service.  In doing so, Arroyo utilized, without consent or legal authority, the name and signature of a real person on the fraudulent quote documentation submitted to the municipality. Arroyo then caused checks to be issued by the municipality to Professional Sales & Service, which were deposited into a bank account in the name of ALS Electronic Service, a company alleged to be controlled by co-defendant Luis Serrano Perdigon. Bribe payments were then made by Luis Serrano-Perdigón directly to Edgar Arroyo-Amezquita.

The sentencing hearing for Luis Serrano-Perdigón is scheduled for February 14, 2019. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Erbe and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.