Defendant Pleads Guilty for Environmental Crimes Committed in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Las Mareas Community of Salinas, Puerto Rico

Summary:

Bones-Torres, a defendant, was engaged in construction and land clearing activities on a property in Puerto Rico's Jobos Estuarine Reserve without permission. He filled a wetland area with mangroves and deposited fill material between 2020 and 2022. The activities caused environmental damage and violated the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act. Bones-Torres pleaded guilty to one count of violation of the Clean Water Act and one count of violation of the Rivers and Harbors Act. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for the Clean Water Act violation and one year in prison for the Rivers and Harbors Act violation. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico.