Santo Domingo – Architect Harold Cabrera has denounced an alleged persecution against him, orchestrated by Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Starling López, and his wife, Jhilaris Massiel Bautista. This situation arises after a legal dispute that was resolved in favor of Cabrera by the Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance of San Pedro de Macorís.
Cabrera recounts that his firm worked for more than six years on the design of five projects for the couple, including a personal residence. Of these projects, only one was paid for, and none reached the construction phase by his company. Despite the non-payments, the collaboration continued under the verbal promise that his company would execute the works, something that never materialized.
After being removed from the project, Cabrera was the subject of a criminal lawsuit, of which he was acquitted in October of last year. The court ordered the plaintiffs to cover the costs of the process.
Subsequently, Cabrera filed a counterclaim for damages, claiming about 45 thousand dollars for unpaid design services. Of this amount, he only received 14 thousand, which he was later required to return. This conflict led to litigation that lasted for more than eight months.
The couple appealed the court’s decision, and as they were not properly notified for the appeal hearing, due to their residence in New York, an arrest warrant was issued against Cabrera. It is alleged that Sheriff Julio José Rivera Cabrera made a personal notification in Yonkers, New York, on April 21st.
According to the record, the notification was received by Lidia Tejada, who identified herself as Cabrera’s secretary. However, it was discovered that Tejada works as a secretary in the Prosecutor’s Office of San Pedro. This supposed notification was accepted as valid by the judges, which led to the issuance of a default order and an arrest warrant against the architect.
Cabrera regrets that these actions suggest a possible connection between the defendants and certain judicial authorities. Therefore, he has requested the Attorney General of the Republic, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, to investigate the case.
I lost time, money, and fell behind on my responsibilities, all in order to comply with the legal process and honor the agreements made between the parties
Cabrera also expressed his frustration with prosecutor Pedro Núñez, who knew about the hearing for his counterclaim. The first hearing was postponed, and the defendants did not appear at the second, without the prosecutor taking action.
Regarding Jhilaris Massiel Bautista, the baseball player’s wife, Cabrera commented that she decided to hire another company to execute the projects. Cabrera only sent the corresponding invoices for the design services performed and not paid.
