Mexico Corruption and Press Freedom: Threats Made to Guardian Correspondent Who Revealed Possible Conflicts of Interest With Angelica Rivera's Apartment in Miami

José Luis Montenegro

Aristegui Noticias: José Luis Montenegro, Mexico correspondent of The Guardian, was threatened days after he reported on the existence of a luxury apartment owned by the first lady, Angelica Rivera, in a residential complex in the United States.

According to the organization Article 19, the journalist said on August 12 via Twitter that he was sent a message by user @jovenplacebo, who warned him: "Young @jl_montenegroj, the boss has asked restraint in your texts, this beforehand so that no one gets hurt. " The tweet included a picture of two bullets and later the account was deleted.

Montenegro received another threat on August 15 from user @manuelpmane, who sent him a picture of a person with a ski mask and a gun in his hand, saying: @jl_montenegroj damned pseudojournalist . We are on you, the [female] boss already gave the order."

In a statement, Article 19 said:

"In this context, the actions undertaken against Montenegro are part of the particularly virulent response against journalists who reveal possible corruption by the authorities at the highest level in Mexico." 

On 9 August. The Guardian published a journalistic investigation by Montenegro presenting a possible conflict of interest in which Angelica Rivera, wife of the President, and businessman Ricardo Pierdant were involved. In 2014, the company Biscayne Ocean Holdings LLC, owned by Pierdant, paid the sum of $29,703 in property taxes for an apartment owned by the first lady in Miami, Florida [on Key Biscayne. Rivera also apparently has use of an adjoining apartment owned by Pierdant.]. Spanish original