Puerto Rico’s Congressional Representative and four other members of Congress have asked the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General to investigate why a federal investigation into a prison voting drug program was abandoned after the 2024 election.
“Credible allegations of election fraud uncovered through federal investigative efforts require serious scrutiny and transparent accounting,” the lawmakers wrote in a May 20 letter, adding that consistent handling of such allegations “regardless of the political actors involved” is essential to “public confidence in our democratic institutions.”
The letter was signed by Resident Commissioner Pablo Jose Hernández Rivera, a Democrat and member of the Puerto Rico Peoples Democratic Party, and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. Nydia Velasquez, DN.Y. Adriano Espaira, DN.Y., Chairman of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Their request follows a ProPublica investigation published earlier this month detailing how prosecutors busted a voting drug scheme run by gangs in Puerto Rico’s prisons and deeply investigated the current governor. Jennifer Gonzalez Colon or her campaign was involved. As prosecutors were preparing the indictment in the days after the 2024 election of President Donald Trump, they were instructed by supervisors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico to exclude voting-related charges against inmates and prison staff, four people familiar with the investigation told ProPublica. Then, when President Trump took office, he was instructed to completely abandon any investigation into potential political ties, the people said.
In a letter, the members of Congress asked the inspector general to review the Justice Department’s decision not to pursue charges related to election fraud “despite reported findings and evidence.” It added that the failure to investigate further is inconsistent with the Trump administration’s “repeated emphasis on election integrity and election security as a priority for federal enforcement,” in addition to viewing drug traffickers as a threat to public safety and democratic institutions.
Hernández Rivera initially called for a House Judiciary Committee investigation into the matter, but later decided the Office of the Inspector General was a better avenue.
“This is about constantly tracking the facts and ensuring accountability,” he said in an email to ProPublica. “Given the concerns raised about the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation and the prosecutor’s decisions, we believe an inspector general review is the appropriate mechanism to independently investigate what happened and whether standards were consistently applied.”
The letter was addressed to Don Berthiome, who is serving as acting inspector general and has been nominated for the post. Pending his confirmation, the office is led by Deputy Inspector General William Breyer.
The Office of Inspector General has jurisdiction over misconduct by Justice Department officials, including the Bureau of Prisons, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Administration. However, allegations of attorney misconduct, unless the allegations involve criminal conduct, are handled by the Office of Professional Responsibility, which does not oversee them. The Office of the Inspector General declined to comment on the letter.
Gonzalez Colon, a longtime Republican and member of the pro-national New Progressive Party, has declined repeated interview requests from ProPublica. In an earlier statement, she denied any wrongdoing and said she had “resolutely opposed corruption” throughout her career and political life. “I categorically reject any attempt to link me to any illegal activity,” she said. She also told local news outlets that she did not believe any investigation into the matter was warranted. González Colon has not been charged with any crime.
The indictment, filed in December 2024 when Joe Biden was still president, charged 34 members of the gang known as Group 31, or Los Tiburones, and associates involved in crimes including drug distribution that resulted in at least four overdose deaths. The indictment also alleges that the gang connected with government officials “for the purpose of reducing their sentences” and instructed inmates “who to vote for in the primary and general elections.” However, the indictment did not include charges related to the voting drug scheme.
Gang leaders forced inmates to vote for González Colon, subject them to brutal beatings or force them to quit their drug habit, people familiar with the investigation said. Prosecutors have evidence that González Colon spoke on WhatsApp with one of the prison gang leaders during the primary campaign and pursued other potential relationships despite being instructed not to investigate further, a person familiar with the investigation told ProPublica.
W. Stephen Muldrow, the U.S. attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, said his office does not comment on unsolved cases. Several defendants have entered into plea deals, but most cases are still pending.
Rymarie Lovett-Ayala, a spokeswoman for his office, told ProPublica in a previous email that prosecuting corrupt public officials “has always been and continues to be a top priority.”
