Acting head of the federal prosecutor's office Héctor Ramírez Carbó said this morning that his office will "look" at the latest controversy in Puerto Rico's government, which involves the use of federal funds by the Family Socioeconomic Development Administration (ADSEF). He responded to press questions during a news conference on another topic, saying: "If there are federal funds involved, we are going to look."
According to the article, two contracts at the center of the controversy, one with Star Academy and another with Strategic Technology Advisors, would be paid with funds from the TANF program (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). The amount at issue is $38 million. However, neither contract was signed, so it is reasonable to conclude that no federal money was disbursed.
Former ADSEF head Blanca Medina alleges that Family Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes forced her to sign the contracts even though, in her view, federal funds could not be used to pay for them. Ramírez Carbó called it "new information" and said he could not go into details about where the matter stands or what will happen.
He added that wherever federal funds are involved, the FBI and his office will always look.