SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On April 30, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging a San Juan woman with providing false statements to the FBI. According to court documents, Joely Rodríguez-Villega, 28, willfully and knowingly made materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, all in violation of Title 18, USC, Section 1001. Rodríguez-Villega is charged with lying to FBI Agents regarding her whereabouts during the evening hours of March 29, 2024.
The defendant made her initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mariana Bauzá of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Carlos Goris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI made the announcement.
The FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Díaz-González and Joseph Russell from the Gang Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
