Charges are filed against a woman for using another person’s social security to collect PUA – NotiCel – La verdad como es – Noticias de Puerto Rico – NOTICEL

2023-06-15 04:42:06

The preliminary hearing of the case was scheduled for Wednesday, July 5.

Catherine Aponte Reyes

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The Secretary of the Department of Justice, Domingo Emanuelli Hernández, reported that the Economic Crimes Division filed charges today against Catherine Aponte Reyes, 44, for fraud to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA, for its acronym in English) through the use of a social security that was not yours.

Prosecutor Ileana Martínez Rosado presented 12 charges against Aponte Reyes, which include fraud, aggravated illegal appropriation and illegal appropriation of identity, as typified in the Puerto Rico Penal Code.

“This case adds to the more than 60 cases that the Department of Justice has prosecuted for fraud in the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program; 25 of which were investigated through the Economic Crimes Division, led by prosecutor Rodney Ríos Medina. These people misappropriated the money intended to help vulnerable people affected by the COVID pandemic”, highlighted the Secretary of Justice.

The case arose as a result of a complaint from the Department of Labor and Human Resources regarding the improper collection of PUAs by Aponte Reyes, who at the time was an employee of the Municipality of Aguas Buenas. According to the investigation, during the months of July and August 2020, the defendant used the SABEN platform to request PUA benefits, entering a social security number different from hers, and illegally appropriated $11,586 dollars.

Judge Evyanne Mártir Hernández found cause for arrest against Aponte Reyes, after the defendant accepted the decision of the Court of First Instance of Caguas.

Bail was set at $60,000.

Agent Soraya Kuilan Gutiérrez, from the Special Investigations Bureau, was in charge of the investigation by the Uniformed Forces.

The preliminary hearing of the case was scheduled for Wednesday, July 5.

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