The Puerto Rico Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel (PFEI) announced on Friday that it authorized the expansion of the criminal investigation against former Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña to include her father, Noel Pérez Martínez. Prosecutors Maricarmen Rodríguez Barea and Gisela Alfonso Fernández requested the expansion, citing evidence that allegedly implicates Pérez Martínez in irregularities related to a family business that inspects vehicles and sells marbetes.
The PFEI granted a 45-day term to conduct the investigation. The allegations against Pérez Peña emerged in early February after former Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) Investigations and Inspections Director Arturo Deliz Vélez revealed that about 68 inspection centers, including Yabucoa Auto Service, which was owned by Pérez Peña until December 2025, allegedly charged citizens for marbetes without remitting the funds to the Department of Treasury, the Automobile Accident Compensation Administration (ACAA), or insurers.
Pérez Peña resigned as Housing Secretary on March 16, after Governor Jenniffer González Colón publicly defended her, stating that the incidents were personal and did not affect her role at the Department of Housing. The investigation into Pérez Peña and her father is ongoing.