Former President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to issue a pardon for Wanda Vázquez Garced, the former governor of Puerto Rico who pleaded guilty last year in a significant federal public corruption case. Multiple reliable sources informed CBS News on Friday that Vázquez's co-defendants, including billionaire Venezuelan-Italian banker and founder of Britannia Financial Group, Julio Martin Herrera-Velutini, along with Mark Rossini, will also receive pardons for their involvement in the bribery scheme.
The Justice Department's Public Integrity Section brought charges against the three individuals in 2022, citing conspiracy, federal programs bribery, and honest services wire fraud related to Vázquez's campaign in 2020. In August, all three defendants opted to plead guilty to lesser charges of corruption after the Justice Department unexpectedly struck a deal with them as the case was approaching trial.
Among the attorneys involved in negotiating this deal was Chris Kise, who previously represented Trump against criminal charges concerning classified information retention after leaving the White House in early 2021. As the trial date loomed, Kise engaged with senior officials from the Justice Department, advocating for the dismissal or reduction of charges against Vázquez and her co-defendants, sources reported.
In recent months, defense lawyers have argued that the corruption cases, including Vázquez's, are examples of the alleged weaponization of the justice system by the Biden administration, a claim that lacks substantive evidence. Trump officials have echoed these sentiments, asserting that the investigation into Vázquez commenced in 2020 shortly after she endorsed the former president.
According to a White House official speaking anonymously, the pardon materials for Vázquez indicate that there was never a quid pro quo involved and characterize her prosecution as politically motivated. The official noted that Trump has not yet made a formal announcement regarding the pardons.
In July, the federal judge overseeing the case expressed concern when the Justice Department sought to dismiss the more serious charges against Vázquez and allow the defendants to plead guilty to lesser misdemeanor offenses under the Federal Electoral Campaign Act (FECA). U.S. District Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll remarked that the penalty for violating Section 30121 of the FECA is relatively minor compared to the potential sentencing the defendants faced if convicted of the original charges outlined in the indictment.
Judge Carreño-Coll stated, "The Government's decision to shift gears at the eleventh hour is permissible because ultimately, the Government decides how it will exercise its prosecutorial discretion." This reflects broader concerns about the integrity of prosecutions handled by the now diminished Public Integrity Section.
Originally established in the wake of the Watergate scandal, the Public Integrity Section was responsible for managing some of the most politically sensitive prosecutions. However, in recent years, the Justice Department has significantly restructured this unit, ordering it to cease collaboration with U.S. attorneys and transferring most of its prosecutors to other roles within the department.
As the Public Integrity Section has diminished, Trump has reversed much of its prior work, granting pardons to multiple defendants previously prosecuted or under investigation by this section. Notable individuals pardoned include Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, former Tennessee lawmaker Brian Kelsey, a former Virginia sheriff, and a Las Vegas councilwoman.