Justice files 16 cases of fraud to the PUA that linked students from colleges and schools

Domingo Emanuelli, a nominee for Justice Minister, welcomed the recommendation to close a total of 16 fraud cases under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA) that linked high school students.

The official announced this during the public hearing in which his nomination to the Senate was evaluated.

Senator Gretchen Hau specifically asked Emanuelli about the case of the investigated students of Colegio San Ignacio, and the nominee indicated that it was a single student from that school.

“Specifically in that case, I re-examined him with other prosecutors. I told them to bring me not only that case (from San Ignacio), but others as well, and they brought 16 cases. Eight from public schools and eight from private schools. I have seen and evaluated the recommendations and for the first time I am telling the public that I will be determined to submit them with the same stick … there was no case. It shuts them, ”Emanuelli said.

During the public hearing, Emanuelli indicated that the Justice Department refused to deal with more than 400 cases of this type referred by the police because they did not have sufficient evidence.

Previously, it was the director of the Bank Theft and Banking Fraud Department Law enforcementLieutenant José Ayala insisted that the preliminary investigation showed that students at the Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola, in San Juan, had illegally collected more than $ 12,000.

In fact, the lieutenant said at the time that the mothers of the minors handed over two checks for $ 7,458 and $ 6,126, respectively, to the Department of Labor.

In addition, he explained that the allegations made by one of the minors and his mother alleged that more than 30 students from Colegio San Ignacio had allegedly requested federal assistance by posting false information on the PUA website.