U.S. charges Puerto Rico governor in campaign finance probe

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Puerto Rican Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila has been charged with 19 counts in a long-running campaign finance probe.

The indictment also charged 12 others associated with Acevedo's Popular Democratic Party stemming from a grand jury investigation that began more than two years ago, acting U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez told reporters Thursday.

The 13 charged in the indictment are accused of running a conspiracy to illegally raise money to pay off Acevedo's campaign debts in 2000. At the time, Acevedo was running to be the U.S. island territory's nonvoting member of Congress.

The charges against the governor, who is running for re-election this year, include conspiracy to violate U.S. federal campaign laws and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

An Associated Press reporter saw at least five officials from the Popular Democratic Party as they were led in handcuffs into the U.S. federal building in San Juan.

An FBI spokesman declined to provide any details, saying there would be news conference later.

Acevedo has said previously that he was a focus of the grand jury probe but he was not among those seen in custody. His spokeswoman said he was still home sleeping at the time of the early morning arrests as far as she knew.

A Harvard-educated attorney and career politician, Acevedo, 45, served in Washington as the island's nonvoting delegate to Congress, and was elected governor in 2004 after campaigning on an anti-corruption platform. He is running for re-election this year.

Acevedo's party favors maintaining the island's semiautonomous relationship with the U.S. mainland. His leading opponent in the governor's race favors making Puerto Rico the 51st state. E-mail to a friend

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