Full Breakdown
Puerto Rico Lawmakers Demand Probe of Suppressed Prison Vote-Buying Investigation
5/9/2026, 6:43:53 AM
Alleged Prison Vote-Buying Scheme and Its Suppression
ProPublica reported that a federal probe uncovered a scheme in Puerto Rican prisons where the gang Group 31 (Los Tiburones) forced inmates to vote for Governor Jenniffer González-Colón under threat of beatings and drug denial. Prosecutors obtained a WhatsApp exchange linking the governor to a gang leader, but U.S. Attorney’s Office supervisors ordered the voting-related charges dropped after the 2024 election and the probe abandoned once President Trump took office.
Background and Context
The investigation began under the Biden administration and produced a December 2024 indictment charging 34 gang members with drug distribution, four overdose deaths, money laundering and firearms offenses. The indictment omitted voting-related counts. After the 2024 presidential election, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney’s Office halted further inquiry, citing case integrity.
Key Figures and Data
Key actors include Governor Jenniffer González-Colón (New Progressive Party), Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera (Popular Democratic Party), Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz (New Progressive Party), Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) and ACLU director Annette Martínez-Orabona. Prosecutors noted 83 % of inmate ballots favored the New Progressive Party, versus González-Colón’s 41 % island-wide, and that 34 gang members face charges, including four overdose deaths.
Official Statements & Responses
Resident Commissioner Hernández Rivera urged the House Judiciary Committee to launch a congressional probe, citing the inmate-voting anomaly. Governor González-Colón denied any wrongdoing. Senate President Rivera Schatz initially called for a thorough inquiry but later dismissed the ProPublica report as partisan. Rep. Grothman said his committee would consider an investigation. The ACLU demanded full transparency, and Power 4 Puerto Rico called for congressional hearings to learn why the voting-related inquiry was halted.
Criticism & Opposition
Independence Party senator María de Lourdes Santiago warned that partisan control of inmate votes threatens democracy. The ACLU said abandoning the probe erodes public trust. Rivera Schatz’s reversal was called a partisan deflection.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The December 2024 indictment contains no voting-related charges, despite prosecutors’ internal evidence of coercion. Sources say supervisors ordered removal of those charges, yet the U.S. Attorney’s Office issued only a standard non-comment. The alleged WhatsApp exchange between González-Colón and a gang leader remains unverified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The report published today by ProPublica details facts that no elected official — whether in Puerto Rico or in Washington — can ignore,” — Pablo José Hernández Rivera, Resident Commissioner
- “I categorically reject any attempt to link me to unlawful conduct,” — Jenniffer González-Colón, Governor
- “I do not lend it any credibility whatsoever. … It appears to follow a specific editorial line — one directed against the Republican Party and against Trump.” — Thomas Rivera Schatz, Senate President
- “I hope our committee or another committee does some investigating,” — Glenn Grothman, U.S. Rep. (R-Wis.)
What’s Next
Hernández Rivera is drafting a letter to the House Judiciary Committee to request a formal probe. Advocacy groups will lobby for congressional hearings. Pending criminal cases against gang members continue, while the ACLU and Power 4 Puerto Rico seek full disclosure of the investigation’s evidence.
