The ex-independent candidate for the governorship of Puerto Rico, Alexandra Lúgaro Aponte, is being sued by her younger brother in which she is accused of using money from a shared inheritance with her brothers to cover the expenses of her political campaign in 2016. A healthy family fortune created through various years of federal funded projects of the currently broke and devastated education system.
The lawsuit, is filed by one of her brothers, Luis Manuel Lúgaro Patton, and states that through the América Aponte & Asociados Corporation, Lúgaro Aponte was disbursed funds “to finance, among other things, a Luxurious lifestyle, luxury cars, apartments, and your political campaign.” In addition, it indicated that she received “extraordinary bonuses from the company”, as well as the benefit of automobiles and other goods.
These assets, according to the allegations, were left by the father – Don Luis Manuel Lúgaro Figueroa, who died on August 30, 2016 – and were collectable. This means that its value must be added to the estate to be distributed among all the successors.
According to the document, said values “has been reduced” to $3.5 million from the estimated amount in the lawsuit of $27 million and that its whereabouts are unknown. The mother of the ex-candidate, America Aponte Moreno, is the executor appointed in the will and is accused of having acted negligently in the management of the inheritance.
The for-profit corporation is managed by Aponte Moreno, who is listed as co-defendant with the brother of Lúgaro Aponte, Alexander. The latter, according to the lawsuit, was paid an apartment in New York City with that money, whose monthly payment amounts to $5,000. It is argued in the statement that the corporate veil of América Aponte & Asociados should be lifted and treated as a façade for the personal expenses of Lúgaro-Aponte as a couple.
Electoral Comptroller investigates
During her campaign, Lúgaro Aponte reiterated that she would not use money from the Electoral Fund or the Special Fund provided by the Law for the Control of the Financing of Political Campaigns in Puerto Rico (Law 222-2011).
Prior to the elections in November, she carried out a series of fund-raising activities in which she did not accept anonymous donations. Her brother, Alexander, was part of her work team.
On the way, she resigned from the executive management of América Aponte & Asociados, a company focused on educational transformation that handled close to $46 million in federal projects.
In February of this year, the Office of the Electoral Comptroller (OCE) announced issued a series of fines to applicants for elective positions, including Lúgaro Aponte, for $6,500 for failure to deliver reports of their candidacy.
The following link contains the original court documents of the lawsuit (Spanish Only):
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