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The group, which includes a former prosecutor, had pleaded
guilty. The suspects had help from government employees in
erasing the criminal records, authorities said. Charges were
dismissed against three other suspects.
Judge Keyla Pérez Santana said the suspects would change certain
numbers on people’s IDs to avoid having their criminal history
pop up.
“With that alteration, they would simply no longer appear in the
system,” she said during the sentencing.
The scheme began in 2017 and involved the ex-prosecutor, former
police officers, employees with the Ministry of Public Safety
and their relatives. The suspects relied on a tech company to
receive queries, post prices and pay people, authorities said.
Overall, the suspects expunged more than 8,000 criminal records
of people accused of serious crimes, including murder and drug
trafficking, according to prosecutors. Some of the people whose
records were erased were in jail awaiting sentencing while
others had not been charged.
In the Dominican Republic, people with criminal records struggle
to travel, find work and obtain bank loans, among other things.
Criminal records also are used to determine sentences.
The scheme was dismantled in August 2023 as part of an
investigation dubbed “Operation Hawk.”
A total of 12 suspects were charged with crimes that included
bribery, money laundering, terror financing and violations of
laws related to weapons and ammunition. Prosecutors asked for
hefty penalties and a 10-year-sentence for each suspect.
Former prosecutor Luis Peña Cedeño, who was among the nine
sentenced in the case, also got 10 years in prison. Defense
attorneys did not speak to reporters on Thursday and left the
courthouse after the sentencing.
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