WASHINGTON—Edison Burgos-Montes, of
Puerto Rico, was convicted after a two-month jury trial of cocaine possession
with intent to distribute and killing a government witness, Assistant Attorney
General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S.
Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez announced
today.
Burgos-Montes, 42, was convicted
yesterday in U.S. District Court in San Juan of one count of conspiracy to
possess with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of conspiracy to import
cocaine, one count of murdering a witness to prevent testimony in an official
proceeding, and one count of murdering a witness in retaliation for providing
information to law enforcement. U.S. District Court Judge Jay García-Gregory
presided over the trial.
According to the superseding indictment,
Burgos-Montes conspired to transport multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine from
the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico for further distribution in Puerto Rico
for significant financial gain.
On or about July 4, 2005, Burgos-Montes
killed Madelin Semidey-Morales, a government witness and informant, to prevent
her from further informing authorities about his unlawful narcotics trafficking
and to retaliate against her for providing information relating to the
commission or possible commission of a federal crime to a law enforcement
officer. Burgos-Montes was Semidey-Morales’ consensual partner.
Burgos-Montes faces a possible penalty
of life in prison or the death penalty. The death penalty phase of the trial
will begin on September 10, 2012.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial
Attorney Julie Mosley of the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Capital
Case Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcela Mateo of the District of Puerto
Rico. The case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration and the
Puerto Rico Police Department, with assistance from the FBI’s San Juan Field
Office Evidence Recovery Team.
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