San Juan — A formal complaint filed with the Panel on the Independent Special Prosecutor asks the body to investigate alleged interference in an internal inquiry at the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) involving a federally funded advertising contract, administrative suspensions, and tax incentive decrees.
The complaint was filed by former DDEC Secretary Sebastián Negrón Reichard, who attributes the alleged conduct to Governor’s Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech. Negrón Reichard claims the actions took place after his department had already made formal referrals to the Department of Justice, the Office of Government Ethics, and the Office of the Comptroller.
“The present complaint sets forth a series of actions that occurred following the formal referrals stemming from the internal investigation, which the complainant believes are part of the same pattern of unlawful conduct,” the document states.
How it started
The dispute centers on a competitive bidding process for advertising services funded through federal grants administered by the Office of Permit Management (OGPe). According to the complaint, two DDEC employees reported that members of the evaluation committee had been pressured to favor a particular bidder.
Negrón Reichard said he responded by halting the procurement process and ordering an internal review through the department’s legal office. That review resulted in referrals against Norberto Almodóvar, former assistant secretary of OGPe, and Charlene Neuman, the office’s former chief of staff. Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres later referred the matter to the FEI Panel on June 10, 2026.
What the new complaint adds
Monday’s filing asks the Panel to expand its investigation beyond the initial referrals. Negrón Reichard wants the Panel to examine a Department of Justice legal opinion that he says effectively restricted DDEC’s authority to continue its internal inquiry, as well as subsequent communications and actions he characterizes as retaliation against the two employees who initially raised concerns.
The complaint specifically references an instruction that Negrón Reichard attributes to Domenech, allegedly conveyed through the DDEC deputy secretary, directing him to halt the summary suspensions he had imposed on Almodóvar and Neuman based on the internal review’s recommendations.
The filing also asks the Panel to examine Domenech’s alleged involvement in matters related to tax incentive decrees, including one tied to an entity that the complaint says Domenech represented while he was a partner at the lobbying firm Politank.
Negrón Reichard is asking the Panel to determine whether the alleged conduct constitutes violations of the Puerto Rico Penal Code, the Government Ethics Act, or other applicable laws.
The timing
The complaint surfaced the same day Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced the appointment of Carlos Ríos Pierluisi as the new DDEC secretary, replacing Negrón Reichard.
The FEI Panel has not said whether it will open a formal investigation.
