Francisco Quiñones announces dismissal of eight complaints against him
The former secretary of Puerto Rico's Department of Correction and Rehabilitation said the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dismissed all complaints, including one of alleged sexual harassment and seven of alleged workplace harassment.
File photoThe short version
- El Nuevo Día reported that Francisco Quiñones said the first complaint dismissed on Sept. 1 was the only one alleging sexual harassment
- Telemundo Puerto Rico reported the eight complaints were filed with the EEOC on Dec. 12 2025 and the remaining seven were dismissed between Sept. 1 and 14 2026
- Quiñones told Radio Isla 1320 that the complaints were part of an agenda against him and that he had been fighting drug trafficking and civil rights violations inside prisons
- Both outlets reported that Gov. Jenniffer González requested his resignation on July 31 and later withdrew his nomination for superior court judge
Complaints dismissed
Former Department of Correction and Rehabilitation secretary Francisco Quiñones announced that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dismissed eight administrative complaints filed against him during his tenure. El Nuevo Día reported that one complaint alleged sexual harassment and the rest alleged workplace harassment. The sexual-harassment complaint, identified by Telemundo Puerto Rico as case 515-2026-00105, was dismissed on Sept. 1 2026 after nine months of evaluation.
According to both outlets, the remaining seven complaints were dismissed between Sept. 1 and Sept. 14 2026. Quiñones told Radio Isla 1320 that some complaints were filed by people with whom he had never spoken. Telemundo Puerto Rico reported that all eight complaints had been filed with the EEOC on Dec. 12 2025.
Also on PuertoRico.com: Is Puerto Rico part of the US?
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Se trataba de una agenda en mi contra
Our translation: It was an agenda against me
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Nuevo Día. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Resignation and context
Quiñones resigned at the request of Gov. Jenniffer González in August 2026 and was replaced by Julie Gómez. The governor also withdrew his pending nomination for superior court judge, both outlets reported. In a press statement quoted by Telemundo Puerto Rico, Quiñones said he had acted correctly during his 30 years of public service.
In the Radio Isla 1320 interview cited by both outlets, Quiñones said the complaints formed "an agenda against me" while he was "cleaning the house" at the agency. He claimed he had been targeting drug trafficking inside prisons, with involvement beyond correctional officers, and had dismissed officers who violated inmates' civil rights. He recalled firing an officer who continued assaulting a handcuffed female inmate on the floor despite his order.
Where the sources differ
Both El Nuevo Día and Telemundo Puerto Rico agree that eight complaints were dismissed by the EEOC, one for alleged sexual harassment on Sept. 1 2026 and the rest for alleged workplace harassment between Sept. 1-14. El Nuevo Día states the complaints were filed during his management and quotes Quiñones saying some came from people he never spoke with; Telemundo Puerto Rico specifies they were filed Dec. 12 2025 and provides the case number for the sexual-harassment complaint. Both report the governor requested his resignation July 31 and that he gave the same Radio Isla 1320 interview, but only El Nuevo Día includes his comments on drug trafficking and civil-rights cases.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not name any of the complainants, state the exact reasons given by the EEOC for dismissing the complaints, indicate whether any internal departmental investigation occurred alongside the EEOC review, or say what if any next steps Quiñones or the government plan to take regarding the matter.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official “Se trataba de una agenda en mi contra”: Francisco Quiñones anuncia desestimación de querellas en su contra
- Reporting “Se trataba de una agenda en mi contra”: Francisco Quiñones anuncia desestimación de querellas en su contra
- Reporting Desestiman querellas contra el exsecretario de Corrección, Francisco Quiñones
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día and Telemundo Puerto Rico both reported the dismissals based on statements and a press release from Francisco Quiñones. Details of his comments on fighting drug trafficking and civil-rights violations rest solely on the El Nuevo Día account of the Radio Isla 1320 interview.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.