Three Dominican generals sentenced to 20 years for $75 million fraud
A court in Santo Domingo sentenced 29 military personnel to prison for defrauding the state of more than 4.5 billion pesos. The Public Prosecutor's Office called the ruling "historic".
Historic conviction of military commanders for massive fraud against the Dominican state
The First Collegial Court of the National District convicted 29 Dominican military personnel on Tuesday of defrauding the state of more than 4.5 billion pesos—approximately 75 million dollars—according to holanews.com. The ruling, handed down in the early morning after nearly 12 hours of reading, was described as "historic" and "exemplary" by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Major General Adán Cáceres Silvestre, General Juan Carlos Torres Robio and Colonel Rafael Núñez de Aza each received sentences of 20 years in prison. General Julio Camilo De los Santos Viola was sentenced to 15 years. The sentences for the 29 defendants as a whole ranged from 3 to 20 years in prison, and the court also imposed substantial fines and the dissolution of several companies linked to the scheme.
Cáceres Silvestre and Torres Robio held high-ranking positions during the presidency of Danilo Medina (2012–2020): the former headed the Presidential Security Specialised Body (Cusep) and the latter headed the Tourist Security Specialised Body (Cestur). Núñez de Aza and De los Santos Viola served as financial officer and deputy director of Cusep, respectively.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, both Cusep and Cestur had on their payroll people who provided no services but nonetheless received salaries. That money ended up in the hands of the senior leadership of both organisations, a practice that continued throughout the 2012–2020 period.
The operation was dismantled in 2021 through Operations Coral and Coral 5G. Deputy Prosecutor Wilson Camacho stated that the sentence "sends a clear signal against impunity in the Dominican Republic".
Source: Google News DO — Crime