This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/us/puerto-rico-fema-arrests-corruption.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Former FEMA Official Accused of Taking Bribes in Hurricane Maria Recovery Former FEMA Official Accused of Taking Bribes in Hurricane Maria Recovery
(about 1 hour later)
MIAMI — A former top administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was arrested on Tuesday in a major federal corruption investigation that found that the official took bribes from the president of a company that secured $1.8 billion in federal contracts to repair Puerto Rico’s shredded electrical grid after Hurricane Maria.MIAMI — A former top administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was arrested on Tuesday in a major federal corruption investigation that found that the official took bribes from the president of a company that secured $1.8 billion in federal contracts to repair Puerto Rico’s shredded electrical grid after Hurricane Maria.
Federal authorities arrested Ahsha Tribble, FEMA’s former deputy administrator for the region that includes Puerto Rico, and Donald Keith Ellison, the former president of Cobra Acquisitions, prosecutors in Puerto Rico announced. They were accused of conspiring to defraud the federal government, among other charges.Federal authorities arrested Ahsha Tribble, FEMA’s former deputy administrator for the region that includes Puerto Rico, and Donald Keith Ellison, the former president of Cobra Acquisitions, prosecutors in Puerto Rico announced. They were accused of conspiring to defraud the federal government, among other charges.
A second FEMA employee, Jovanda R. Patterson, who worked as a deputy chief of staff in Puerto Rico under Ms. Tribble and was later hired by Cobra, was also arrested, said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez Vélez, the United States attorney for Puerto Rico.A second FEMA employee, Jovanda R. Patterson, who worked as a deputy chief of staff in Puerto Rico under Ms. Tribble and was later hired by Cobra, was also arrested, said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez Vélez, the United States attorney for Puerto Rico.
Ms. Tribble and Mr. Ellison had a “close personal relationship,” Ms. Rodríguez Vélez said, in which Mr. Ellison lavished Ms. Tribble with gifts in exchange for her to use her influence inside FEMA to give Cobra an advantage.Ms. Tribble and Mr. Ellison had a “close personal relationship,” Ms. Rodríguez Vélez said, in which Mr. Ellison lavished Ms. Tribble with gifts in exchange for her to use her influence inside FEMA to give Cobra an advantage.
The gifts ranged from a helicopter tour over Puerto Rico to securing an apartment in New York, the authorities said. They included airplane tickets, including one first class ticket from San Juan, the Puerto Rican capital, to New York, and hotel stays in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C.The gifts ranged from a helicopter tour over Puerto Rico to securing an apartment in New York, the authorities said. They included airplane tickets, including one first class ticket from San Juan, the Puerto Rican capital, to New York, and hotel stays in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C.
Mr. Ellison and Ms. Tribble traveled together and stayed in the same room, Ms. Rodríguez Vélez said.Mr. Ellison and Ms. Tribble traveled together and stayed in the same room, Ms. Rodríguez Vélez said.
In return for the gifts, Ms. Tribble is accused of performing official acts to advance Cobra’s interests. For example, according to the indictment, in February 2018, after the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority reported an explosion at a transmission center, Ms. Tribble insisted that the public utility hire Cobra to make repairs or risk not getting reimbursed by FEMA — even though leaders of the utility insisted they could do the same work at a far lower cost.In return for the gifts, Ms. Tribble is accused of performing official acts to advance Cobra’s interests. For example, according to the indictment, in February 2018, after the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority reported an explosion at a transmission center, Ms. Tribble insisted that the public utility hire Cobra to make repairs or risk not getting reimbursed by FEMA — even though leaders of the utility insisted they could do the same work at a far lower cost.
“They took advantage of one of the most vulnerable moments in the history of Puerto Rico to enrich themselves,” Ms. Rodríguez Vélez said.“They took advantage of one of the most vulnerable moments in the history of Puerto Rico to enrich themselves,” Ms. Rodríguez Vélez said.
Investigators found no evidence that any staff member at the power authority, commonly known as PREPA, was involved in the scheme, she added. President Trump has repeatedly cast Puerto Rico’s leaders as incompetent and corrupt. Tuesday’s arrests, however, did not involve any Puerto Ricans, but rather a longtime federal employee now serving under the Trump administration.
Six people, including two senior Puerto Rican government officials, were arrested by the federal authorities in a separate case in July on charges of steering $15.5 million in federal contracts to politically connected consultants. The case stirred unrest against the governor at the time, Ricardo A. Rosselló. A leak of hundreds of pages of a private text chat between him and his inner circle days later unleashed two weeks of mass protests that led to Mr. Rosselló’s resignation.
Investigators in the latest case found no evidence that any staff member at the power authority, commonly known as PREPA, was involved in the scheme, prosecutors said.
Cobra is a subsidiary of Mammoth Energy Services. Peter Mirijanian, a Mammoth spokesman, said the company has been working with the authorities.
“Mammoth is aware of and has been cooperating with the government’s investigation into Ms. Tribble and Mr. Ellison and will continue to do so,” he said.
Cobra was one of the first companies to go to Puerto Rico to help restore electricity after Hurricane Maria toppled the power grid in September 2017. It took nearly a year and several billion dollars to get it back to where it had been before Maria and the storm that immediately preceded it, Hurricane Irma.Cobra was one of the first companies to go to Puerto Rico to help restore electricity after Hurricane Maria toppled the power grid in September 2017. It took nearly a year and several billion dollars to get it back to where it had been before Maria and the storm that immediately preceded it, Hurricane Irma.
Whitefish Energy, a small Montana firm that was hired for the early effort, faced widespread and almost immediate criticism for charging more than $300 an hour for linemen. Even as the governor of Puerto Rico at the time, Ricardo A. Rosselló, was forced to cancel the Whitefish contract because of the scandal, Cobra received a deal that was virtually identical to Whitefish’s — yet it managed to escape widespread public attention. Whitefish Energy, a small Montana firm that was hired for the early effort, faced widespread and almost immediate criticism for charging more than $300 an hour for linemen. Even as Mr. Rosselló was forced to cancel the Whitefish contract because of the scandal, Cobra received a deal that was virtually identical to Whitefish’s — yet it managed to escape widespread public attention.
As the work dragged on, competitors said they noticed that FEMA seemed to push Cobra onto PREPA, and Ms. Tribble was seen publicly socializing with Mr. Ellison in San Juan. As the work dragged on, competitors said they noticed that FEMA seemed to push Cobra onto PREPA, and Ms. Tribble was seen publicly socializing with Mr. Ellison in San Juan in a manner that suggested a romantic relationship.
James E. Long, special agent in charge of the major fraud and corruption unit with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, called the case against Ms. Tribble, Mr. Ellison and Ms. Patterson a “top priority.”James E. Long, special agent in charge of the major fraud and corruption unit with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, called the case against Ms. Tribble, Mr. Ellison and Ms. Patterson a “top priority.”
“Corruption in the ranks of D.H.S. and FEMA will not be tolerated,” he said. “I want to thank the Puerto Rico public for their reporting of fraud. We couldn’t do our job without them.”“Corruption in the ranks of D.H.S. and FEMA will not be tolerated,” he said. “I want to thank the Puerto Rico public for their reporting of fraud. We couldn’t do our job without them.”
FEMA “is fully cooperating with federal investigators,” the agency said in a statement. “FEMA’s mission is to help the American people before, during, and after disasters, and our mission can only be accomplished by maintaining the public trust and confidence of those we serve. As such, the agency takes allegations of employee misconduct extremely seriously and holds all employees to the highest ethical standards — requiring them to protect government resources and place public service over private gain in everything they do.”
Ms. Tribble is currently on unpaid suspension, and has no official access to FEMA facilities, systems or records, FEMA said.
Ms. Tribble, who holds a doctorate in meteorology, was assigned to Puerto Rico for a year, where she was the agency’s energy sector lead. She was also a Homeland Security adviser during the Obama administration.Ms. Tribble, who holds a doctorate in meteorology, was assigned to Puerto Rico for a year, where she was the agency’s energy sector lead. She was also a Homeland Security adviser during the Obama administration.
Mr. Ellison has been in court fighting federal seizures of his assets. Court records show that the federal government seized Mr. Ellison’s $4.5 million retirement account, and his lawyers argued that the money was accrued before the 29 months he worked with Cobra.
His lawyer, Bill Leone, argued to the court that there had been no impropriety in what he said was a heavily vetted federal contracting process. He described his client as a former Army Ranger and a “decorated war hero” who had done tours in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
In an interview with Courthouse News, Mr. Leone said that he had conducted his own review of the contracting issue and found that several allegations involving Mr. Ellison had been based on rumors.
“There was no helicopter ride,” Mr. Leone said. “This was just gossip.”
Mr. Leone could not immediately be reached for comment. Ms. Tribble’s lawyer, Bridget Moore, said she would be able to comment only after her client’s release from custody.