A former city councilor in Holyoke, Massachusetts, has gone from a local public figure to a fugitive from justice facing serious charges.
Wilmer Puello-Mota represented District 2 in Holyoke when he was arrested in 2020 in Warwick, Rhode Island, and charged with possession of child pornography.
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NBC affiliate WWLP reported that a 17-year-old girl told police that Puello-Mota, who was 24 at the time, of his arrest, sent her money via Venmo in exchange for sexually explicit photos despite knowing she was underage.
The Rhode Island Attorney General's Office also charged Puello-Mota, a former member of the Massachusetts National Guard, with forgery and obstruction of justice. He is accused of forging email documents to deceive his commanding officers, WWLP reported.
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Puello-Mota was released on $20,000 bail. In 2022, WWLP wrote that he had returned to city council meetings after a judge ruled he could not be kicked off the body without first being convicted of a crime.
He was supposed to go on trial this January, but he did not appear, and authorities believe he is no longer in New England.
He allegedly traveled to Washington two days before the trial, boarding a commercial flight bound for Turkey.
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Documentation indicates he left the country using a U.S. passport.
If he had gone to trial and been found guilty, Puello-Mota could have faced a minimum sentence of five years in prison. This sentence could be increased significantly due to his fugitive status.
