Fear of job loss kept officials quiet in lottery scam

Protected witnesses revealed to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office investigating a network that stole chances and tickets from the National Charity Lottery (LNB), that many officials who knew about the irregularities did not alert the authorities for fear of losing their jobs reports La Prensa.

The investigation, led by prosecutors Itzel Koo and Omar Jaén, has the statements of at least three protected witnesses, who have revealed that many officials were aware of what was happening, but remained silent in the face of possible reprisals.

The statements reveal that the former head of deliveries of the LNB, Yamilka Camarena, accused of fraudulent embezzlement, failed to comply with the security protocols for the transfer of packages of chances and tickets to agencies in different parts of the country. When she was warned about breaching the protocols, she would reply that she was the boss.

One of the witnesses told La Prensa that he was fired when he refused to accept suspicious returns after the time of a draw, in early 2020. A month later, he received a dismissal letter alleging “loss of trust”.  He says that many officials who did their job were rotated or dismissed.

A private person used by the network to exchange tickets was the winner of all three prizes in the same draw.

The investigation, which began on March 17, 2021, consists of 52 volumes. It contains inspections of LNB agencies, analysis of bank accounts, and statements that suggest that more officials may be involved.

 On Thursday, June 9, Prudencio Ramos was arrested, who until his arrest worked as “clerk 1” at the Río Abajo agency, after being transferred by the director of the LNB, Gloriela Del Río, in the midst of the scandal. Before, Ramos had been boss of the agency in Chepo.

Also that day, private citizen Yanellis De Sedas was arrested. Ramos is credited with having received a package of chances and tickets from the former head of LNB Operations, Franklin De Gracia, and then changed some numbers that were awarded.

The prosecution points out that in several agencies they withheld the chances and tickets, waited for the draw to be held, extracted the winning tickets, and then returned the notebooks. The authorization to change passbooks after the draw was given by the head of Operations,  De Gracia.

Pleasure trips
The money obtained from the winning tickets was used mostly for pleasure trips to beach resorts and vehicle purchases. The prosecution has access to receipts paid for amounts of up to $600 for renting rooms in beach hotels and for the purchase of cars.

In addition to Ramos, De Sedas, Camarena, and De Gracia, the prosecution also filed charges against the former provincial director of, Alejandra Bonilla, as well as individuals Antonio Peña, Miguel Peña, and Omar López, who  – were responsible for collecting the chances and winning tickets.

Camarena, Bonilla, and De Gracia have in common that they came to work there after Gloriela Del Río took office as director of the LNB, in July 2019. She has previously said that she is collaborating with the Public Ministry, since the institution became a plaintiff on July 9, 2021.

She said,  that De Gracia, Bonilla and Camarena, were dismissed on November 18, 2021, once the authorities formulated charges.