Politics

PRFAA Director Boffelli Rejects Ex-ADSEF Head Medina’s Claims of Pressure Over Star Academy Contract

Published Sep 30, 2026, 9:10 AM ASTvia NotiUno

At a glance

  • Blanca Medina Díaz alleged pressure to sign a contract for the Star Academy project
  • Gabriella Boffelli denied the allegations, stating Medina Díaz 'did not deliver' in her six months as ADSEF administrator
  • The $38.5 million project had its request for proposals canceled

Why this matters: The handling of the $38.5 million Star Academy project and the departure of Blanca Medina Díaz from ADSEF may impact the effectiveness of socioeconomic development programs in Puerto Rico.

Gabriella Boffelli, executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA), called false the allegations made by Blanca Medina Díaz, the former administrator of the Family Socioeconomic Development Administration (ADSEF), according to statements she gave on the program Normando en la Mañana. Medina Díaz had alleged that she refused to formalize a contract for the Star Academy project that the secretary of the Department of the Family was pushing, and that this refusal was the reason for her departure.

Medina Díaz detailed that the project was originally worth $38.5 million over three years, and that the request for proposals was canceled. Boffelli maintained that the former ADSEF administrator held the post for six months and "did not measure up." She added that, in the months Medina Díaz was in the position, she cannot cite "a fact of anything she was able to achieve" to advance these conversations.

Asked whether money was lost or at risk of being lost, Boffelli stated that "no money has been lost."

In context

SourceNotiUno

Follow this story

  1. · Primera HoraNOLA Education Says Gov. Jenniffer González Made First Contact on Star Academy Deal
  2. · NotiCelLitoral Vivo Awaits Senate Citation to Testify in ADSEF Contract Probe
  3. · El Nuevo DíaCoccoloba Owner Testifies Before Federal Investigators on ADSEF TANF Controversy
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