“Judge imposes 18 months of prison on five individuals involved in Operation XL-526”

“n

Santiago. – The judge of the Judicial Office of Permanent Attention Services of the Judicial District of Santiago, Yiberty Polanco, imposed 18 months of preventive detention this Friday on five of the ten defendants in the so-called Operation XL-526 and declared the process a complex case, accepting a large part of the request presented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office against an alleged network dedicated to extortion, electronic fraud, and money laundering.

n” “n

Among the defendants sent to prison are Carlos José Parra Lantigua, Walinton Ariel Sosa Almonte, and Eliardo Peña Almonte, who, along with two other defendants, must serve the precautionary measure while investigations into the case proceed.

n” “n

The magistrate also imposed financial guarantees, a travel ban, and periodic reporting requirements on the other five defendants, who will remain linked to the judicial process under the supervision of the authorities.

n” “n

We recommend reading: Judge to decide this Friday on coercion measures against those involved in Santiago extortion network

n” “n

According to the accusatory file, the alleged criminal organization operated through digital platforms and advertisements published on the internet to recruit victims, whom it subsequently subjected to blackmail, threats, and extortion for the purpose of obtaining significant illicit economic benefits.

n” “n

Public Ministry investigations establish that the alleged structure’s operations extended beyond Dominican territory, moving economic resources that are now being tracked by authorities under suspicion of money laundering and other activities linked to organized crime.

n” “n

The decision was adopted after several hours of hearings in which the defense attorneys attempted to discredit the evidence presented by the prosecution and questioned the legality of some actions carried out during the arrests and raids.

n” “n

During the hearing of the measure, the judge acknowledged that some of the detainees did not have immediate access to their lawyers after being arrested, a situation she considered a violation of the right to defense. However, she concluded that such an irregularity was not sufficient to annul the arrests or invalidate the process.

n” “n

Following the decision, attorney Miguel Waldemar maintained that the court established that there were violations of fundamental rights during the proceedings, although he specified that the resolution keeps the criminal prosecution against the accused in effect.

n” “n

Meanwhile, defense attorney Elvin Ventura described the measure as misguided and announced that he will appeal the decision to higher courts, arguing that the case file has weaknesses and lacks sufficient grounds to justify the preventive detention imposed.

n” “n

For her part, the chief prosecutor of Santiago, Quirsa Abreu Peña, positively valued the declaration of complexity of the case and indicated that the Public Ministry will analyze in detail the grounds of the resolution once it is formally notified to them.

n” “n

Authorities have classified Operation XL-526 as one of the biggest blows against organized technological crime in Santiago, due to the magnitude of the accusations related to electronic fraud, extortion, and alleged money laundering.

n” “n

With the declaration of a complex case, the Public Prosecutor’s Office will have a longer period to deepen investigations, trace the destination of resources allegedly obtained illicitly, identify possible new victims, and strengthen the accusatory file against the members of the alleged criminal network.

n” “n

n”