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A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 12 sepTember 2019
FEMA officials, contractor accused of hurricane relief fraud

Associated Press recovery after the devas-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico tation suffered from Hur-
(AP) — Federal authorities ricane Maria,” Rodríguez
said Tuesday they have ar- said. “Instead, they decid-
rested two former officials ed to take advantage of
of the Federal Emergency the precarious conditions
Management Agency and of our electric power grid
the former president of a and engaged in a bribery
major disaster relief con- and honest services wire
tractor, accusing them of fraud scheme in order to
bribery and fraud in the ef- enrich themselves illegally.”
forts to restore electricity to Rodríguez said that after
Puerto Rico in the wake of an explosion at a power
Hurricane Maria. plant knocked out power
The U.S. Attorney’s Office to several towns in Febru-
in Puerto Rico said that the ary 2018, Tribble pressured
then-president of Cobra power authority officials to
Acquisitions LLC, Donald use Cobra rather than their
Keith Ellison, gave FEMA’s own workforce. “She even
deputy regional director told them that if they did
airline flights, hotel accom- not use Cobra, FEMA would
modations, personal secu- not reimburse them,” the
rity services and the use of prosecutor added.
a credit card. Patterson, meanwhile, was
In return, Ahsha Nateef Trib- In this Oct. 5, 2017 file photo, Department of Homeland Security personnel deliver supplies to accused of defrauding Co-
ble “used any opportunity Santa Ana community residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Guayama, Puerto Rico. bra by telling the company
she had to benefit Cobra,” Associated Press her salary with FEMA was
said U.S. Attorney Rosa based Mammoth Energy and ordered him to report formed by Cobra was scru- far larger than it was, and
Emilia Rodríguez, including Services Inc. to Puerto Rico by Sept. 24, tinized and monitored by she was offered $160,000 a
accelerating payments to Tribble was FEMA’s primary First Assistant U.S. Attorney officials from many federal year to work for Cobra, Ro-
the company and pressur- leader in trying to restore Bob Troester said. Ellison and state agencies. “We dríguez said.
ing local power authority electric power after Hurri- did not enter a plea to the are delighted that we are She allegedly was in the
officials to award it con- cane Maria destroyed the charges, Troester said. about to have our day in midst of negotiating the job
tracts. power grid in 2017. Cobra Ellison’s attorney, Bill Leone, court,” he said. with Cobra when she also
Ellison also gave a job to was given contracts worth said the government is try- Mammoth Energy Services participated for FEMA in
a friend of Tribble, Jovan- about $1.8 billion. ing to criminalize a friend- released a statement Tues- part of Cobra’s vendor bid
da R. Patterson, who had Authorities said Tribble was ship between Ellison and day saying: “Mammoth is process for work in Puerto
been FEMA deputy chief of arrested Monday in Florida Tribble when there was aware of and has been Rico.
staff in Puerto Rico before while Ellison was detained nothing wrong with their re- cooperating with the gov- According to prosecu-
resigning in July 2018 to in Oklahoma. Ellison made lationship. ernment’s investigation into tors, Tribble avoided using
work for Cobra Energy LLC, an appearance in Okla- “He has done nothing Ms. Tribble and Mr. Ellison her FEMA email and cell
according to the indict- homa City on Tuesday be- wrong,” Leone said of Elli- and will continue to do so.” phone, instead opting for
ment. Cobra Acquisitions fore a federal magistrate, son. “There’s just absolutely “These defendants were private accounts and even
and Cobra Energy are sub- who released him on a nothing to prohibit that.” supposed to come to Puer- a disposable prepaid cell
sidiaries of Oklahoma City- $500,000 unsecured bond Leone said the work per- to Rico to help during the number.q

Colombia threatens to denounce Cuba as sponsor of terrorism

guerrilla commanders be- lutionary Armed Forces of month surrounded by
lieved to be living on the Colombia, or FARC. heavily armed guerrillas
communist island. “As a result of the new cir- saying he intended to re-
The demand came in a let- cumstances . Colombia arm, accusing Colombia’s
ter sent to the Cuban Em- demands the Republic of government of failing to
bassy in Bogota. Cuba immediately hand live up to its commitments
President Ivan Duque first over to our judicial authori- under a peace accord
pressed Cuba to arrest two ties all of the members of signed in 2016.
National Liberation Army the ELN that are in Cuban Marin said he would seek
leaders after the group territory,” the letter said. an alliance with ELN rebels
claimed responsibility for The new pressure being ex- who have been steadily fill-
a car bombing in January erted by Colombia threat- ing the void in rural areas
that killed 22 people at a ens to further isolate Cuba once dominated by the
Bogota police academy. in the region at a time it is FARC.
But now the Duque gov- already reeling from U.S. Colombia claims that the
ernment warns that it could sanctions aimed at cutting video was shot in Ven-
Colombia’s President Ivan Duque waves upon his arrival for a
meeting with leaders of several South American nations that denounce Cuba as a state off its support for Venezu- ezuela and that President
share the Amazon, in Leticia, on Colombia’s Amazon river sponsor of terrorism at the ela, which Duque has also Nicolas Maduro is provid-
border with Brazil and Peru, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. upcoming U.N. General threatened to denounce ing safe haven to hundreds
Assembly because of the to the United Nations. of Colombian rebels who
Associated Press day to denounce Cuba at threat of an alliance be- The FARC’s former chief are planning attacks from
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — the United Nations unless it tween the ELN and a re- negotiator, Luciano Marin, the neighboring country*s
Colombia threatened Tues- immediately turns over two armed faction of the Revo- appeared in a video last territory.q