Under the pretext that there were no available public funds to cover the campaign expenses for the June 11 plebiscite, the law that gave way to the event (the Puerto Rico Immediate Decolonization Act) opened a window to enable political parties and political action committees to raise funds without any limits.

This goes against the provisionscontained in the Puerto Rico Political Campaign Financing Oversight Act, which sets donation limits to $2,700 individual per year.

Afterthe plebiscite,the first finance reports submitted to the Office of the Election Comptroller—which corresponded to the month of May—showed that the New Progressive Party (NPP) was the largest beneficiary of thisloophole, raising $1,288,175 in that month.

The NPPwas the only political partyregistered with the State Elections Commission to promotethe option ofstatehood. In fact, groups seekingstatehoodfor Puerto Ricowere theonlyindividuals wholaunched a multimedia campaign in the weeks before the plebiscite.

The impressive amount raised in favor of statehood—although addressed primarily to the NPP—was obtained largely from a score of individuals who seized theopportunity to open theirwalletsand make monumental donations at political events organizedbymembersofthe NPP. Entrepreneurs, lawyers, developers, doctors, and contractors formed part of this group of deep-pocketed donors who favored statehood.

These are the individuals who donated themost to Statehood:

Ernesto Smith Bringas – $50,000: Smith Bringas worksforthe local insurance industry, and his name is included in a lawsuit against the Government Development Bank (GDB), challenging the constitutionality of the Moratorium Act imposed by the last administration (Dionisio Trigo vs Alejandro García Padilla). In fact, Trigo, the defendant of thatcase,also made a donationof $5,000 to the NPP.

Guillermo Martínez Camacho – $50,000: Martínez Camacho is president of GM Security Technologies, a company contracted by the judicial branchfor security services. According to an investigation done bynews outlet80grados, heand his wifedonated$750,000 to have theconcert hall at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Musicnamedafter Martínez Camacho permanently.

José Valdés Leal – $50,000: Valdés Leal launcheddevelopment and construction firm Empresas VRM, and is a foundingmember of thelocal creditor group Bonistas del Patio. In fact, his associate, Rafael Rojo, has also been a representative ofthisgroup. Bonistas del Patio led negotiations with the government, which were recently endorsed by the Fiscal Control Board, to restructure the GDB’s debt.

Roberto Bengoa López – $50,000: Bengoa López is a doctor who was also member of the Governing Board of the State Insurance Fund Corporation, under former Governor Luis Fortuño’s administration. In the last elections, he was registered as a donor for the campaigns of both Ricardo Rosselló Nevares and David Bernier.

René de la Cruz Vila – $50,000: Chief Executive Officer of the marketing firm De la Cruz y Asociados.

Fernando F. Scherrer – $35,000: Co-founder of BDO Puerto Rico, a financial advisory services firm.

Héctor del Río Jiménez – $30,000: Public interest member at the Ports Authority Board of Directors.

Richard Machado González – $30,000: Machado González is a doctor and the executive director at Hermanos Meléndez Hospital. According to an article published by The New York Times, Machado pushed for an increase in Medicare reimbursements to local hospitals during President Bill Clinton’s administration. After Clinton increased Medicare’s payouts to Puerto Rico, Machado González donated $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

Liliana Medina Otero – $30,000: President of Guaynabo Health Providers, a health care organization.

Porfirio Brito López – $25,000: Engineer from the Dominican Republic. In his home country, he is an active supporter of the Dominican Liberation Party.

Manuel H. Dubón – $20,000: Dubón is a developer who attempted to promote a residential construction project in Culebra called Villa Mi Terruño. This project failed after a Planning Board permit was revoked by order of the appeals court. He was also member of several governing boards, as well as part of the board of directors of the Puerto Rico Infrastructure Financing Authority, under Luis Fortuño’s administration.