The short version
- El Nuevo Día reported that Armenlinda Muñiz Vázquez of Moca was arrested Monday in Bridgeport Connecticut after 12 years as a fugitive
- El Nuevo Día states she had two arrest warrants for fraud and falsification with a global bail of $1.7 million
- Primera Hora reported one arrest warrant for fraud with $1.7 million bail and that she is accused of heading a fraud scheme
- Both outlets reported she used multiple false identities some of which were seized during the arrest
Arrest in Bridgeport
A woman who had been a fugitive for 12 years in a Puerto Rico fraud case was arrested on Monday in Bridgeport, Connecticut. El Nuevo Día reported that the woman was identified as Armenlinda Muñiz Vázquez, 53, with a registered residence in Moca. According to the police cited by El Nuevo Día, Muñiz Vázquez had two orders of arrest for fraud and falsification with a global bail of $1.7 million.
Primera Hora reported that the Division of Special Arrests and Extraditions captured Armelinda Muñíz Vázquez, also 53, in Bridgeport. According to that outlet, she had been on the Most Wanted list and faced one order of arrest for fraud with bail of $1.7 million. Primera Hora reported that according to authorities she is accused of leading a fraud scheme of more than $2 million against the Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito de Aguadilla while she worked as a mortgage loan manager.
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Details of the case
Both outlets reported that the woman had used several false identities for more than a decade and that some of those identities were seized from her at the time of arrest. El Nuevo Día reported that the case is being handled by the Division of Arrests and Extraditions of the Bureau of Intelligence and Arrests in collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Service. It added that her extradition to Puerto Rico is expected for judicial proceedings.
Primera Hora reported that the operation was carried out jointly with federal agent Lizbeth Ruiz of the U.S. Marshals Service and that the investigation is in charge of agent Charilys García Ruiz. According to Primera Hora, she is the only one of nine people involved in the scheme who had not yet been arrested. The outlet also listed that she faced three counts of fraud, three of aggravated illegal appropriation, three of transfer of false documents and eight of identity theft.
Where the sources differ
Both El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora agree that Armenlinda Muñiz Vázquez (name spelled slightly differently) is 53, from Moca, had been a fugitive for 12 years, was arrested Monday in Bridgeport, Connecticut, used multiple false identities that were seized, and faces extradition. El Nuevo Día reports two arrest warrants for fraud and falsification with a global bail of $1.7 million. Primera Hora reports one warrant for fraud with $1.7 million bail, provides details of the alleged scheme against a specific credit union, her former job, the exact list of charges including identity theft, the January 2014 warrant issuance, and that she was the only one of nine not yet arrested. Those additional details appear only in Primera Hora.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state whether Muñiz Vázquez has been extradited, when she will appear in a Puerto Rico court, if she has legal representation, the current status of any co-defendants, or what if any amounts were recovered from the alleged scheme. No information is given on how she was located after 12 years or whether she contested the arrest.
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 Arrestan en Connecticut a mujer que llevaba 12 años prófuga por fraude en Puerto Rico
- Reporting Llevaba 12 años prófuga: capturan en Connecticut a mujer boricua buscada por fraude
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora both reported the arrest of the woman after 12 years as a fugitive and the seizure of false identities. Details of the alleged scheme, specific charges, employment, warrant date and status among nine people rest solely on Primera Hora while the exact number of warrants is reported differently by each outlet.
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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