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The Cuban Angélica Pacheco, former councilwoman of Hialeah, was sentenced this Thursday to three years of probation after pleading guilty to lying to federal authorities to obtain an emergency loan during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a case that marked the abrupt end of her political career and the downfall of her business.
Federal judge Jacqueline Becerra rejected the initial recommendation for a lighter sentence and decided to impose a longer period of supervision.
"I don't feel comfortable with a year of probation," the judge stated during the hearing, making it clear that she wanted to "see [Pacheco] recover... and that he pays his restitution."
The former official, 40 years old and a registered nurse, will also have to return approximately 55,000 dollars to the federal government, money that -as she admitted- was not used as stipulated.
A loan under false statements
The case revolves around a loan of approximately $80,000 that Pacheco applied for through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established to assist businesses during the pandemic.
According to court documents -cited by local media- the former councilwoman falsely certified that her rehabilitation center, Florida Life Recovery and Rehabilitation LLC, had allocated $54,946 of the loan for payroll expenses.
However, in reality, "Florida Life did not use the loan funds solely for eligible expenses… but rather a large portion of the money was spent on unauthorized personal expenses,” according to the charges.
Pacheco pleaded guilty in January of this year as part of a deal with federal prosecutors that allowed him to avoid much more serious charges related to alleged healthcare fraud.
These initial accusations indicated that their company and associated laboratories had billed insurers over 19 million dollars for unnecessary or unrendered medical services, of which they managed to collect about 4.3 million.
The Department of Justice dropped those charges without providing a public explanation, paving the way for an agreement focused solely on the falsification of information in the federal loan application.
"It was devastating for me and my family."
During the sentencing hearing, Pacheco appeared visibly affected and acknowledged the personal impact of the judicial process.
"It was devastating for me and my family," she said through tears.
"I wish I could turn back time and do things differently, but that can't be undone. I can only move forward and be better and take responsibility from now on," he added.
In later statements, he also expressed: “I want to thank God, my family, and the lawyers who represented me… I am very grateful.”
However, he avoided elaborating on his future: “I don't want to make any more comments, I trust that everything will turn out well.”
Political fall after a brief rise
Pacheco's political career was as swift as her fall from grace. She had been elected councilwoman in November 2023 after several previous unsuccessful attempts.
But in June 2024, following her arrest and federal charges, she was suspended from her position by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Subsequently, the seat was taken by another representative following an internal process.
Her conviction for a felony permanently disqualifies her from holding public office.
Although he avoided jail time, the case leaves Pacheco under strict judicial supervision.
The judge ruled that she must work full-time, undergo mental health evaluations, and fulfill financial restitution.
He also left open the possibility of an early termination of parole if he meets all the conditions during the first year.
The judicial process he faced could have had much more severe consequences. However, the agreement reached with the prosecution reduced the criminal implications of the case, although it did not mitigate the personal, professional, and political impact.
Now, her future will depend on her compliance under supervision and her ability to rebuild her life after a scandal that took her from the polls to federal courts.
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