Puerto Rico mayor, officially charged in US corruption case

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Federal agents arrested the mayor of one of the wealthiest cities in Puerto Rico on corruption charges Thursday, the second such case announced this month.

Guaynabo Mayor Ángel Pérez Otero faces three counts, including bribery and extortion. He is accused of regularly accepting payments of $5,000 in exchange for awarding contracts to the owner of a construction company.

The indictment alleges that the scheme ran from 2019 to 2021 and accuses the two of meeting in secret places and of using coded text messages.

No one answered the phone at his office on Thursday and it was not immediately clear if Pérez had an attorney. He was sworn in as mayor in August 2017 following a special election after the former mayor, Héctor O’Neill, pleaded guilty to sexual harassment, gender violence and violating an ethics law.