SURI fraud: Treasury employee and merchant plead guilty for $665,693
A Treasury Department employee admitted to altering data in SURI, causing losses of $665,693 to the government. A co-defendant merchant also pleaded guilty to bribery.
Treasury employee admits conspiracy to manipulate SURI tax system
Harry E. Mueriel Falero, an employee of the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit electronic fraud by altering tax information in the Unified System of Internal Revenue (SURI), according to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, according to elnuevodia.com.
The scheme caused estimated losses of $665,693 in revenue collection for the Puerto Rico government.
Co-defendant Gabrielle López Berríos, a merchant and resident of Puerto Rico, also pleaded guilty to participating in the same scheme and in a separate conspiracy to bribe a Treasury employee. Both were indicted by a grand jury on 23 October 2025 and arrested six days later.
Privileged access to the tax system
Between June 2023 and December 2024, Mueriel Falero worked at the Treasury with access to the SURI system. His functions allowed him to create credits and modify data related to income contributions, employee withholding credits and sales and use tax (IVU).
Authorities contend that he used that access to introduce false information in the tax returns of various individuals and entities, in order to eliminate or reduce tax debts and claim refunds illegally. In return, the defendant allegedly requested and accepted cash payments and other benefits.
The merchant's role
In April 2024, López Berríos delivered cash to Mueriel Falero through an unidentified person to modify her personal information in SURI and eliminate or reduce her tax debts. This action caused losses exceeding $11,192 to the Department of the Treasury, according to the Federal Prosecutor's Office.
Additionally, between November 2021 and April 2023, the merchant participated in a separate conspiracy to benefit her companies G Fitness & Body Performance LLC and Veevo LLC. Through a third party, she paid illegal bribes and commissions to another Treasury employee to introduce false data into SURI, which allowed approximately $18,671 in tax debts of said companies to be eliminated or reduced.
Sentencing dates
Federal Judge Pedro A. Delgado Hernández set Mueriel Falero's sentencing hearing for 9 October 2026. López Berríos's sentencing hearing was scheduled for 16 October of the same year.
Source: Google News PR — Crime