Espaillat Family Appeals RD$500 Million Asset Freeze in Dominican Jet Set Collapse

The owners of the Jet Set entertainment centre in Santo Domingo – brothers Antonio and Maribel Espaillat and associated companies – have filed an appeal before the Chamber of Criminal Appeals of the National District Court. The appeal challenges the real coercive measure that ordered the freezing of assets worth RD$500 million, imposed after the June 2026 judgment that opened criminal proceedings for the deadly roof collapse that killed 236 people and injured more than 180.

The defendants argue that the current execution of the seizure – multiple individual embargos and judicial mortgages on the same assets – exceeds the proportional limit set by the original order, potentially reaching over RD$1.5 billion. They request that the court replace the multiple embargos with a single guarantee (fianza) issued by an insured company, preserving the RD$500 million amount while preventing additional patrimonial damage. The appeal was submitted on 23 June 2026 and formally notified to the victims' lawyers on 2 July 2026, after which the court will schedule a hearing to consider the merits of the request.