A Republican congresswoman facilitated a $2.4 million taxpayer-backed funding earmark for an organization that recently saw its founder arrested for allegedly stealing money from Ponzi scheme victims, according to a report.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) obtained the appropriations earmark last year for Angels of Love Advocacy Project, a nonprofit group focused on helping domestic violence and sexual assault victims. The GOP lawmaker was set in late May of this year to hold a press conference with the charity’s founder, attorney Della Fay Perez, who was arrested a few days before the event and charged with stealing almost two dozen restitution checks for victims of a $7 billion Ponzi scheme led by the former chairman of a defunct Caribbean-based bank, Politico reported.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, De La Cruz said domestic violence is a serious issue in South Texas and that Angels of Love applied for the federal funding long before Fay Perez’s arrest.
“Their application was thoroughly vetted by the House of Representatives and it was one of several federal grants that was approved for our community following a rigorous process,” she said. “Frankly, I am disgusted, but not surprised, that some would attempt to smear a nonprofit that has helped so many families in our community merely to attack me. Della has served in various leadership roles in South Texas over the years, and those of us who know her are surprised by these accusations.”
De La Cruz, who entered the House last year, represents the 15th Congressional District in Texas — which is majority Hispanic. Fay Perez was at the opening of De La Cruz’s Rio Grande office in 2023 and previously campaigned for the lawmaker, according to social media posts.
Earlier this year, De La Cruz issued a congratulations on her Facebook page to Fay Perez for her selection to the Leadership Texas Class of 2024, a program for female leaders in the Lone Star State.
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Between 2021 and 2023, Fay Perez directed over $2,700 to campaign committees tied to De La Cruz, Federal Election Commission records show.
Last month, Fay Perez stepped down as president of Angels of Love, the group’s executive director told Politico. The director called De La Cruz a “compassionate and strong advocate for the women and children of our community.”
