Puerto Rican VA worker gets job back after armed robbery, learns boss is convicted sex offender
By Andy Wolf|March 24th, 2016|Military News, U.S. Military|1 Comment
http://popularmilitary.com/puerto-rico-va-worker-gets-job-back-armed-robbery-learns-boss-convicted-sex-offender/ Elizabeth Rivera's booking photo.
A Puerto Rico Department of Veterans Affairs employee was reinstated at her job after being fired for acquiring an armed robbery charge.
According to the Daily Caller, Elizabeth Rivera works as a secretary for the social work side of the VA Hospital in Puerto Rico, complete with a GPS ankle bracelet, a condition of her probation.
The 39-year-old Rivera was arrested after reportedly taking part in an armed robbery, where she and 34-year-old Rolando Rio Febus held a couple at gunpoint.
A patrol of the Municipal Police spooked Febus, who then abandoned Rivera inside of the vehicle, leading to her detainment.
Febus’ bail was set at $2 million due to a lengthy criminal record, including several firearms charges in the strict-on-guns territory. Rivera could not pay the $100,000 bail she was assigned, forcing her to miss work while she sat in jail.
Upon release, she was temporarily relegated to the VA police and security department, monitoring security cameras and answering phone. She was fired from the VA shortly later, following two guilty pleas for misdemeanor charges.
She returned back to work this month, resuming her original position as secretary for social work following extensive work by her union.
Employees say the union demanded her job back, pointing out that the employee in charge of dealing with discipline and union affairs is a convicted sex offender. Tito Santiago Martinez reportedly disclosed his conviction to the hospital and VA hired him anyway, reasoning that “there’s no children, so they figure I could not harm anyone here.”
The union reasoned that because another employee was a convicted criminal, Rivera should be allowed to keep her job.
The VA Hospital in Puerto Rico could not be reached for comment.
