The urban music producer, Rafael “Raphy” Pina Nieves, faced the first day of the federal trial against him for allegedly possessing firearms and ammunition while serving a previously imposed sentence.
During yesterday morning, Judge Francisco Besosa presided over the jury selection process together with the prosecutors in the case, María Montañez Concepción and José Ruiz Santiago, and the three defense attorneys, Francisco Rebollo Casalduc, María Domínguez and Javier Micheo. The jury was made up of six men and six women, with two alternates of both genders.
Before the trial began, Besosa read a list of potential witnesses who would be mentioned or appear during the trial. In that list, Besosa mentioned the names of Ramón Luis Ayala, “Daddy Yankee” and Antulio “Kobbo” Santarrosa, a puppeteer better known for his character “La Comay”.
However, when he left the court, Rebollo Casalduc clarified that Judge Besosa’s expression was directed to knowing if the jury was related to one of the two, since both are mentioned in the evidence of the case.
“Neither of the two, both the figure of Mr. Ayala and that of Mr. Santarrosa, were mentioned by the judge to the jury, simply because they were mentioned in the test and the judge wanted to know if someone knew them personally,” stated Rebollo Casalduc upon leaving of the court.
The initial arguments of the prosecution and the direct one towards the first witness were made by the prosecutor Montañez Concepción, who emphasized that Pina Nieves was already a convict at the federal level at the time of the raid and, therefore, was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
In his presentation to the jury reviewing the facts of the case, Montañez Concepción made reference to a telephone call between Pina Nieves and an individual identified as Joel Romero Soler, made on February 6, 2020 and in which the music producer discussed various issues, including what to do with a property in the Caguas Real urbanization.
From an extract of that call read by Montañez Concepción, it appears that Pina Nieves told Romero that in the house in Caguas Real “I have money and all kinds of things … my gun, my rifles and bullets.” The Prosecutor’s Office made reference to another telephone call recorded on March 19, 2020 between Pina Nieves and Santarrosa, in which the producer refers to one of his houses in the same urbanization.
On the day of the federal operation at his residence, Pina Nieves made eight calls to different people in order to find out the reason why the alarm at that residence had gone off.
After a recess at noon, the prosecution called FBI agent Todd Alexander Gaines, who explained that he is attached to the money laundering squad. Gaines was part of the group of federal agents that raided and searched Pina Nieves’ residence on April 1, 2020.
According to Gaines’ account, the agents arrived at the development at 9:30 a.m., proceeded to form a perimeter around the residence, and subsequently knocked on the door and announced their presence. When there was no response, they proceeded to force the door open and inspect the interior.
Montañez Concepción presented as evidence just over 50 ‘exhibits’ that consisted of photographs taken on the day of the search of the residence and the items occupied. The first finds were in the closet of the fourth master of the residence, where they first found a solitary ammunition magazine on a tablet.
The main FBI findings focused on a hidden space, the entrance of which was hidden behind a mirror mounted on a false wall in the main room. Behind that mirror was another leather-lined door, Gaines pointed out, with a keypad that served as a lock.
Upon opening the numerical lock, investigating agents found inside the two weapons for which Pina Nieves is accused: a Glock 19 and a Smith & Wesson SV 40, both hanging on the wall. Gaines testified that he found both guns loaded with full ammunition magazines, but with an empty inner chamber.
Gaines noticed that the Glock did not slide all the way back, so he took it to a firearms expert who indicated that it had been modified to fire continuously as long as the trigger was pressed. The agent stated that he found no modifications in the Smith & Wesson.
They also found a safe with $135,794 and €10,000 euros. On an upper tablet, inside the safe, they found an envelope with a certificate of appreciation addressed to Pina Nieves. Its content was not presented in its entirety.
On top of the safe, on top of a box, a satellite phone. Among the other items found in the room were a bayonet, a black pistol holster, and various ammunition of various sizes.
