The short version
- Rayos X and CPI examined more than 1,000 transactions and identified at least 29 false certifications and deeds dated 2001-2008 that were presented between 2021 and 2026
- Former officials including Julia Torres Hernández, Jorge Rivera Jiménez and Carlos Gerardo Laboy Díaz told investigators their signatures were forged
- Lands in municipalities such as Barceloneta, Arecibo, Isabela and Caguas ended up registered to private parties or companies including Genesis Land LLC without government payment
- Department of Justice opened an investigation in October 2026 after questions from the journalists
Scheme involved forged government documents
An investigation by Rayos X of Telemundo Puerto Rico and the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI) identified a scheme in which false certifications and public deeds bearing forged signatures of former public officials were used to register public lands in the Registro de la Propiedad. Telemundo Puerto Rico reported the probe examined more than one thousand transactions and found suspicious activity in more than 20 municipalities, with at least 27 towns affected including Isabela, Barceloneta, Guayama, Arecibo, Guaynabo, Santa Isabel, Toa Baja and Caguas.
According to the investigation, someone would present a certification or deed falsely dated ten or more years earlier. Once registered, the property would be transferred to another person or corporation, subdivided, and resold multiple times, often within the same group, before reaching a new buyer. The group used at least five corporations including Genesis Land LLC, Emarr Contractors Corporation and Family House Investment. Sin Comillas published the joint report by Vanessa Colón Almenas, José Carlos Sánchez and Damaris Suárez.
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What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
el robo del año
Our translation: the robbery of the year
The source's own statement, as quoted by Centro de Periodismo Investigativo. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Specific cases and agency responses
One documented case involves a five-cuerda coastal strip in barrio Palmas Altas, Barceloneta, now held by Genesis Land, a company linked to Miguel Ángel Álvarez Pérez, where a project called Las Casitas de Palmas Altas is being developed. Some lots were sold this year at prices nearly 32 times higher than those listed in the alleged 2002 original sales. In Arecibo’s Jarealito community, a plot used by residents to reach the beach was sold in 2024 for $250,000 to a company tied to a luxury housing developer; the Department of Housing denied making the supposed 2005 sale.
The current Housing secretary, Luis Augusto Martínez Román, confirmed in writing that the agency did not conduct the transactions in question. The Land Authority stated it has no record of the Palmas Altas sale, while the Highways and Transportation Authority is investigating a $69,000 sale in Caguas whose deed actually corresponds to a mortgage cancellation. Telemundo Puerto Rico reported.
Former officials denounce identity theft
Julia Torres Hernández, former executive director of the Housing Development and Improvements Administration, described the scheme as "el robo del año" and filed complaints with Housing, police and the FBI for identity theft. Former Public Housing administrator Carlos Gerardo Laboy Díaz said his identity was stolen, and former Housing secretary Jorge Rivera Jiménez called for a thorough investigation to recover the lands. Of 107 suspicious certifications and deeds linked to Housing, the ACT and the Land Authority, at least 29 are considered false, with 21 successfully registered. Sin Comillas reported.
Where the sources differ
All three sources agree that Rayos X and the CPI identified a scheme using forged signatures on deeds and certifications to register public lands from agencies including the Department of Housing, ACT and Land Authority in more than 20 municipalities. Telemundo Puerto Rico states more than 1,000 transactions were evaluated while Sin Comillas refers to thousands; both cite at least 27 towns affected. Telemundo reports 29 false documents with 21 registered; Sin Comillas gives the same figures for 107 suspicious items from 2021-2026. All name the same former officials and companies and note the Department of Justice opened a probe in October 2026. The partial Telemundo video source adds no unique facts.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state the total number of acres or the full market value of the affected lands, the exact number of individuals or companies ultimately charged, whether any parcels have been recovered by the government, or the current status of projects built on the disputed properties. They also do not identify all notaries or presenters involved beyond those quoted.
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.
- Reporting Rayos X y el CPI destapan escandaloso esquema de terrenos públicos
- Reporting Se apropian de terrenos públicos mediante esquema con certificaciones y escrituras falsas
How we checked this
Telemundo Puerto Rico and Sin Comillas both carried the joint investigation by the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo and Rayos X. The accounts of forged signatures, specific land transfers in Barceloneta and Arecibo, agency denials and the opening of a Justice Department inquiry rest on the reporting of Vanessa Colón Almenas, José Carlos Sánchez and Damaris Suárez.
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.
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