Puerto Rico senator refers Family secretary to federal investigators over Louisiana trip
NOLA Education, the company picked for a $38.5 million federal-funds program, told the Senate it paid for meals and transportation that Secretary Suzanne Roig said under oath she covered herself. Roig denies wrongdoing and says she will not step aside.
The Puerto Rico Capitol in San Juan, where Senate committees have been questioning the Family secretary
A Puerto Rico senator on Monday sent new documents to state and federal agencies that appear to contradict sworn testimony from the island's Family secretary, the latest turn in a Senate investigation that has run for weeks. Sen. Juan Oscar Morales, a member of the governing New Progressive Party (PNP) who has demanded Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes' resignation, referred her to Puerto Rico's Justice Department, the Office of Government Ethics, the Comptroller's Office and the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to Metro Puerto Rico.
The controversy began last month, when Blanca Medina Díaz, the former head of the Family Department's socioeconomic development agency (ADSEF), told the Senate under oath that Roig pressured her to approve a $38.5 million contract with NOLA Education. The money would have come from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and NOLA is a Louisiana company that runs a school program called Star Academy. Medina Díaz was removed from her post on Sept. 28. Roig denies wrongdoing, and she and the department say no contract was formalized and no public money was paid out. Morales and Senate Vice President Carmelo Ríos, both PNP members, have called on her to resign, and WAPA reported that Puerto Rico's Justice Department has opened an investigation into the contracting process.
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A separate dispute centers on a December 2025 trip to Louisiana. A Puerto Rican delegation traveled there from Dec. 7 to 10 to visit schools using Star Academy. At a public Senate hearing on Oct. 7, Roig testified under oath that she paid for her own dinners in cash, El Nuevo Día reported.
Then, on Friday, NOLA Education sent the Senate a letter saying it had covered the delegation's food and transportation. The company put the total at $13,525.05 in documented and estimated costs. The receipts include nearly $3,000 for a Dec. 8 dinner at Arnaud's in New Orleans, about $2,000 for a group dinner the next night, and $5,407.50 for a shuttle service. The company said those costs covered a group of 13 to 20 people on its side as well as the seven-member Puerto Rican delegation, and that no one from the delegation told it that it could not pay for their meals.
Morales is asking investigators to examine whether the officials knew NOLA would pay, whether they asked permission to accept that help, and whether the gifts created a conflict of interest. He also wants to know if any employees asked the Family Department to reimburse per diem costs for expenses they did not actually incur, and whether the agency paid. His referral raises the possibility of a perjury case, though no charges have been filed and investigators have not announced any findings.
NOLA says it never signed a contract and has received no money from the government, which matches what Roig has said. In its letter, the company also said Roig contacted it in early November 2025 to request the school visit and that she told its staff during the trip that the department would issue a request for proposals. NOLA added that Gov. Jenniffer González learned about Star Academy in February 2025 and showed interest in bringing it to the island. La Fortaleza has denied that the governor asked for a meeting or for donations.
González expressed confidence in Roig in early October, but on Tuesday she again left the matter to investigators and did not say whether she would dismiss her, Primera Hora reported. Roig has called the scrutiny "persecution" and "stalking" in written statements and said no political noise will distract her from her responsibilities. She has also said she will not step aside. Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz blamed the governor on Monday for keeping the situation going, arguing that the documents contradict what Roig told senators. El Nuevo Día has also reported that senators are now asking about a fourth trip, to Mexico, where Roig appeared as a speaker.