Two Puerto Ricans charged with carrying out a fraud scheme against a Medtronic subsidiary in Costa Rica

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against two Puerto Ricans who allegedly benefited and enriched themselves through a fraudulent scheme. They obtained money and real estate from a Costa Rica subsidiary of the Medical Equipment Company Medtronicwhich also operates a branch in Juncos.

The Federal Prosecutor for the District of Puerto Rico, through a written letter, indicated that Eliezer Feliciano Soto s Jose Santana Criado They also face charges of conspiracy to launder money and use funds worth more than $10,000. The statement also contains an asset forfeiture claim relating to the total loss of $1,151,296.38 to Medtronic Costa Rica, as well as a request for forfeiture of two residences..

Specifically, Feliciano Soto and Santana Criado are facing charges of Conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to launder money. If found guilty, they could face a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count.

The indictment alleges that the Costa Rican subsidiary of Medtronic, which specializes in manufacturing components used in spinal surgery, posted notices to build a new plant in El Coyol, in Alajuela County.

At that time, Feliciano Soto was the plant manager of the subsidiary He was responsible for overseeing the construction of new manufacturing facilities. while, Santana Criado, Medtronic’s Costa Rica-based contractor, founded Innovative Engineering Corporation and Innovative Engineering, LLC. In Puerto Rico, both companies allegedly used the companies to obtain fraudulent payments from Medtronic Costa Rica for services that were never rendered or rendered..

Feliciano Soto allegedly used his position to authorize purchase orders placed by Innovative for the purpose of defrauding Medtronic Costa Rica. The purchase orders authorized the provision of services by Innovative, and once approved, the defendants submitted false invoices to Medtronic Costa Rica for the services that were never provided.

Innovative then receive payments through electronic transactions to an account with People’s Bank of Puerto Rico (BPPR); This money was then transferred to other accounts controlled by the defendants at Banco Popular and in Baxter Credit Union in Illinois. The illicit money obtained by the accused was used to enrich themselves and pay mortgages to two homes located in Cabo Rojo and Humacao, according to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.

agents Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, in English) They are responsible for the investigation, while Victor Acevedo Hernandez He is the attorney general assigned to the case.