Canadian Arrested in Puerto Rico With Alleged Connections to La Fortaleza. Pierluisi Denies Ties.

Conor Vincent D’Monte was a leader of one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Canada, where he was wanted for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

One of Canada’s most dangerous and wanted criminals was arrested in San Juan last Friday by the US Marshals Service.

Conor Vincent D’Monte, 44, was a leader of the criminal organization United Nations, which was also known as Global United Nations Syndicate (GUNS), Canada United and Canadian United (CU). 

D’Monte was first charged in 2011 with first-degree murder for the February 2009 murder of Red Scorpion gangster Kevin LeClair. He is also charged with conspiracy to kill others rivals.

It is believed that D’Monte lived in Puerto Rico for a few years, specifically in Canovanas, under the false identity of Johnny Williams.

A press release from La Fortaleza, the governor’s mansion, and a chat published by journalist Sandra Rodríguez Cotto suggest that D’Monte may have been connected to the island’s major political circles and was a beneficiary of Law 22 of the island, as co-founder of the nonprofit company Karma Honey Project.

Two weeks ago, the communications department of La Fortaleza sent out a press release that said that the garden of the Santa Catalina Palace (another name for the governor’s mansion) was the new home of a beehive rescued by the Karma Honey Project.

“The beekeeper and co-founder of the Karma Honey Project, Jonathan Williams, and the beekeeper who works this hive, David Lozada Negrón, expressed that a world without bees ‘would be catastrophic’ due to the lack of pollination,” read the statement.

According to a report by a local journalist Sandra Rodríguez Cotto, Karma Honey Project and another entity were granted use of a closed school campus to carry out community projects in Canovanas.

Similarly, the veteran journalist published excerpts from two WhatsApp chats called “PReppers JNN Edition” and “Tribu Vibra” that supposedly include beneficiaries of Puerto Rico’s Act 20 and Act 22, which grant a total tax exemption for capital gains to persons who transfer their residence from any country to Puerto Rico. It also encourages investments on the island. This benefit has attracted a community of cryptocurrency enthusiasts and YouTubers, among other professions.

In the chat, a member states that Karma Honey Project has been the largest nonprofit recipient of donations, for the past two years. 

“I work with Fortaleza sometimes. They pay attention to these things. And I’ll be sure to put it to their attention,” D’Monte wrote in one of the chats. 

Government Denies Ties

On Monday, Gov. Pedro Pierlusi denied any relation to D’Monte. He confirmed the Canadian went to the mansion as part of the Karma Honey Project to work with the beehive, but denied that he had met with D’Monte.

“The first thing I have to clarify is that this person does not work at La Fortaleza. He has no contractual relationship with La Fortaleza. The person in charge of the hive is a Puerto Rican farmer,” Pierluisi said during a news conference.

On Tuesday, Manuel Cidre, secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC), assured that D’Monte was not a beneficiary of Law 20 or 22, with his false identity.

Similarly, Ramón González Beiró, secretary of the local Department of Agriculture, admitted that he met with D’Monte last year, but denied that he had received funds. However, in a radio interview, several beekeepers said that the Karma Honey Project was the only beneficiary of the funds that were available for beekeeping.