SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor announced Tuesday that her embattled chief of staff, Francisco Domenech, and deputy chief of staff, Itza García, are stepping down next month as they deny corruption allegations.
The two are being investigated by an independent state agency following allegations of irregularities at Puerto Rico’s Office of Permit Management.
Domenech also served as executive director of Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority.
The allegations began when Puerto Rico’s former economic development chief Sebastián Negrón resigned in May and accused Gov. Jenniffer González’s administration of interfering with the agency’s work. More than 10 other officials — including the agency’s chief of staff, general counsel and finance chief — also resigned.
González had described Negrón as “a star” and said at the time that she lamented his resignation.
Negrón accused Domenech of irregularities related to contract processing and undue government interference, which he has denied.
Meanwhile, García was accused of pressuring Negrón to appoint the wife of the president of Politank — a powerful lobbying and government relations firm that Domenech founded — to Puerto Rico’s Office of Permit Management.
Negrón also referred to Puerto Rico’s Justice Department and its Office of Government Ethics the findings of an internal investigation led by the economic development agency against two government officials, who are accused of interfering in the process for an auction of a contract involving federal funds.
Domenech and García had faced growing calls for their resignation, including from members of the governor’s own party, most notably Thomas Rivera Schatz, president of Puerto Rico’s Senate.
Schatz himself recently referred García to Puerto Rico’s Office of the Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel and the Office of Government Ethics.
The governor thanked Domenech and García for their work and loyalty, adding that “a period of public service comes to a close” and that she would not allow the work of her administration to be “silenced” by “agendas and continuous attacks” of certain people she did not identify.
Domenech and García spoke briefly and did not directly address the allegations.
“I return to my private life with the peace of mind of having served with integrity,” Domenech said.
Meanwhile, García said she grew professionally in her role and added that it was a privilege to work with certain officials before she teared up and had to pause.
“I am concluding this chapter, but not my commitment to Puerto Rico,” she said.
Domenech previously submitted sworn statements against Negrón alleging corruption and conflicts of interest, which Negrón has denied.
On Friday, Domenech said he was informed that Puerto Rico’s Office of the Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel was investigating him following Negrón’s allegations, which he said were “riddled with lies, half-truths, documents tailored to suit a narrative, subjective characterizations and distortions.”
The corruption allegations and deepening political crisis in Puerto Rico have caught the attention of some federal legislators, who questioned whether federal funds are being appropriately used.
Local legislators of opposition parties criticized the governor's speech on Tuesday and her praise for Domenech and García, saying their upcoming departure is not enough.
“This does not resolve the crisis nor does it cleanse the current administration. It is a blatant whitewash,” Juan Dalmau, secretary general of Puerto Rico's Independence Party, wrote on X.
“Allowing officials accused of serious allegations to leave their posts with almost state honors is a mockery ... and an attempt to politically protect those who appointed, supported and defended them.”
Domenech is expected to step down on Aug. 7 and García on Aug. 15. Their replacements have not been announced.
FILE - A Puerto Rican national flag flies in front of the Capitol building in San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo, File)
Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actor best known for her starring role in two “Godzilla” films, died in a car crash in Maryland early Tuesday morning, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office said. She was 18.
Hottle was one of two passengers in the car when it went off the road and hit a culvert in Ijamsville before 3 a.m. The driver was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the other passenger declined medical treatment, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Excessive speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, which is under investigation, the sheriff's office said.
Hottle was a native signer of American Sign Language, and her family members are also deaf. Her parents, Joshua and Ketsi Hottle, shared emotional video statements about her death on social media sites.
“Kaylee’s mom and four siblings are crushed,” her father said in ASL in a post from an airport. “They are together at home, grieving. I am on my way to Maryland to bring Kaylee’s body back home.”
Hottle’s heart stopped before she arrived at a hospital, transported by air from the scene of the accident, her father said. “Very grateful for the 18 years we had together — and wish we had more,” he said.
Joshua Hottle also reached out to the driver, described by the sheriff's office as a 19-year-old Frederick man.
“I have forgiven you,” her father said. “Don’t let this incident ruin the rest of your life.”
“I still feel Kaylee is with us,” her mother said in ASL in a post.
In “Godzilla vs. Kong” and the sequel, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” Hottle played an orphaned girl named Jia who sees beyond Kong's threatening appearance and forms a special bond with the monster, communicating with him using sign language.
“I’m so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee,” her “Godzilla” co-star Millie Bobby Brown posted on Instagram.
Co-star Alexander Skarsgård, who learned ASL to communicate with Hottle, told the pop culture website Junkee in 2021 that he and others were impressed by the young ingenue's professionalism and her ability to quickly incorporate the director's notes into her acting.
In a 2024 interview with The Associated Press, Hottle said through an interpreter that she hadn't watched monster movies before she was cast in “Godzilla,” so her father helped her understand the genre.
“I look up to a lot of people, but the one person I look up to, the few people I look up to mostly, are my parents and my sisters,” Hottle said.
Hottle said that when she was working on the first film, she was a bit concerned about whether she would be able to return to her “normal life," afterward.
“People do recognize me at school, yes, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be,” Hottle said.
Hottle previously appeared in a 2021 television episode of “Magnum P.I.” She was listed as appearing in the upcoming film “What Doesn’t Kill Us.”
“I’m so heartbroken. My heart goes out to her family during this unimaginable time,” Alaqua Cox, her co-star in that film and fellow deaf actor, wrote on Instagram.
Other prominent deaf actors also shared messages of grief online.
“I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle. May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity,” Oscar winner Marlee Matlin wrote on Instagram.
Fellow Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, who starred in the film “Coda,” wrote that Hottle's death made him think of his own daughter, and reminded him not to take time for granted.
“I have no words to express on what happened this morning,” Kotsur wrote, offering his “deepest condolences” to the Hottle family.
Officials with Texas School for the Deaf in Austin also announced Hottle's death on Facebook, writing that counseling and support services would be available to her classmates and friends.
FILE - Kaylee Hottle appears at the premiere of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," in Los Angeles on March 25, 2024. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kaylee Hottle appears at the premiere of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," in Los Angeles on March 25, 2024. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
