Puerto Rico Congressional Delegation Demands Federal Probe Into Alleged Prison Vote-Buying Scheme After Prosecution Halted Post-Election

Puerto Rico's representative in Congress, Pablo José Hernández Rivera, has called on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to launch a congressional investigation into the collapse of a federal prosecution targeting what authorities described as a drugs-for-votes scheme operating inside Puerto Rico's prison system. The call for action came directly in response to a ProPublica report revealing that the federal probe was effectively shut down after the 2024 elections, prompting bipartisan outrage and scrutiny from civil rights organizations.

The ProPublica investigation detailed how federal prosecutors built a case against individuals allegedly orchestrating a scheme to purchase votes from prison inmates, using narcotics as currency. Sources familiar with the case indicated the prosecution efforts were suspended following the November 2024 elections, raising questions about political interference and the timing of law enforcement decisions. Representative Héctor Ferrer Santiago of the Popular Democratic Party subsequently introduced a formal resolution in the Puerto Rico legislature, escalating pressure for accountability at the territorial level while the federal congressional probe remains pending.

The revelations have drawn condemnation from advocacy groups focused on voting rights and criminal justice reform, who warn that the alleged scheme strikes at the integrity of democratic participation for one of the most marginalized constituencies in the U.S. electoral system. Hernández Rivera emphasized in a statement that the documented facts demand action from officials in both San Juan and Washington. The Judiciary Committee's response to the request for a congressional investigation, along with any findings from the suspended federal case, could determine whether accountability mechanisms function or whether the allegations disappear into procedural paralysis.