Court suspends Murcia hearing

[Judi Lynn]

Panamá, viernes 6 de mayo de 2011
Court suspends Murcia hearing
The Fifteenth Circuit Criminal Court of Panama has suspended the preliminary hearing against David Murcia Guzmán, Joanne León Bermúdez, Claudia León Bermúdez, Ernesto Chong Coronado, and others accused of the crime against economic order.

The hearing, which was scheduled for May 9, 10, and 11, will be rescheduled after the court notifies Murcia.

Judge Georgina Tuñón reported that the suspension of the hearing is attributed to the fact that Murcia's counsel, Roniel Ortiz, filed a notice that informs the judicial authority of the address of his client in the U.S., so that the courts may comply with the formalities stipulated by law with regards to notification.

Yesterday, May 5, Ortiz told Prensa.com that Murcia had sent a letter to Tuñón on March 15, requesting, among other things, to be present at the hearing.

More:
http://mensual.prensa.com/mensual/contenido/2011/05/06/hoy/english/news_7067.asp

~~~~~
Judicial scandals and links to jailbird Murcia .
Friday, 15 April 2011 18:43

Two judicial appointees of President Ricardo Martinelli have resigned during the last month from prominent positions after scandals erupted based on accusations by a former judge.

La Prensa, whose investigative reporting led to former President Perez Ballardales being arraigned on money laundering charges is publishing a two part analysis of the connections of a series of prominent citizens, some within the judicial system all related to the now jailed Colombian King of Pyramids, David Murcia Guzmán.

Their information following revelations made by the the ex judge, Zulay Rodríguez with one of the prominent characters of being William Parodi, a civil prosecutor

"The prosecutor Parodi is a close friend of Jose Abel Almengor, because of a very big favor Parodi did for hime him when Parodi was prosecutors in the 14th district" Rodriguez told La Prensa. The prosecution was conducting investigations of alleged illegal collection of funds involving Murcia Guzmán and Ernesto Chong Coronado.

More:
http://www.newsroompanama.com/panama/2637-judicial-scandals-and-links-to-jailbird-murcia.html

~~~~~
Memory refresher, David Murcia Guzmán and his relationship to Alvaro Uribe, former President of Colombia, and his sons:

DMG scandal closes in on Uribe, probes continue in several places
by Eric Jackson, from other media

It takes a lot to "rock" jaded Colombia, but to the extent that a country that has become accustomed to the most atrocious events on a regular basis can be affected by sensational news, the continued revelations of narco-paramilitary-backed DMG financial empire's connections with the top circles of Colombia's government have done that.

In the presidential palace, Álvaro Uribe was forced onto the defensive when his two sons, Tomás and Jerónimo, admitted that they had a business relationship with the jailed David Murcia Guzmán --- from whose initials the DMG organization of many companies takes its name --- making documentaries for the latter's Body Channel television network. Then it was admitted that presidential press secretary Cesar Mauricio Velásquez had personally met with Murcia Guzmán about the prospect of getting government productions on the Body Channel, talks which ended without result. Then it was revealed that Bernardo Moreno, the secretary general of the Presidencia and a cousin of one of top DMG organization lieutenant Daniel Ángel Rueda, was caught on a prosecutor's wiretap requesting a meeting with Murcia Guzmán. Then it was revealed that Félix Alfázar González, the presidential aide for dealing with municipalities, set up meetings with DMG with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and attended a 2007 event put on by Murcia Guzmán.

All of these were atop earlier revelations that implicated top members of Uribe's political organization --- two governors, a big city mayor, a senator and an appeals judge most prominent among them --- had received money from DMG. Following the revelations about people close to the president, it was alleged that DMG financed Elite Entertaiment, a company that just got a satellite television concession from the Colombian government.

Across Colombia, raids, arrests and people turning state's evidence have been steadily fleshing out the scandal.

More:
http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_14/issue_23/news_04.html

http://www.ciudadblanca.com.nyud.net:8090/gama/imagenes/3744_dmg.jpg http://www.fiscalia.gov.co.nyud.net:8090/pag/divulga/noticias2008/lavado/DMG2Nov20.jpg

David Murcia Guzmán.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Extradited money launderer may get 9 years in US prison

Extradited money launderer may get 9 years in US prison
Friday, 06 May 2011 11:40
Marguerite Cawley

David Murcia Guzman, the extradited Colombian detainee responsible for a giant money laundering scheme, may receive a nine year prison sentence in the U.S, according to his lawyer, Colombian media reported Friday.

This coming Monday, a New York judge will decide whether to accept a sentence reduction agreement, from 20 to nine years, made between the fraudulent creator of what was known as the DMG pyramid and the U.S. Prosecutor General's Office, in which Guzman would have to pay $7 million.

The accused's U.S. lawyer, Robert Abreu, said that the agreement does not take into account any testimonies or criminal actions that may have taken place since the original sentence was given.

~snip~
Guzman, the "brain" of financial company DMG, amassed a fortune by conning thousands of Colombians before his arrest in Panama in November 2008. He was subsequently sentenced by a Colombian judge in December to 30 years and eight months in prison, before being extradited to the U.S. in January 2010.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16082-extradited-money-launderer-may-get-9-years-in-us-prison.html

[naaman fletcher]

2. any idea

why a guy who apparently has no connections to the US is going to be jailed in the US?

[Judi Lynn]

3. Here's an article which details the story on this guy. He apparently laundered drug money,

and used US resources in the process. He will also stand trial in Colombia, after his US legal business if finished:

http://www.patrickpretty.com/2010/01/06/blockbuster-arrest-pyramid-scheme-operator-charged-with-laundering-drug-money-david-murcia-extradicted-from-colombia-to-stand-trial-in-new-york/

(It won't copy and paste, for some reason.)

[naaman fletcher]

4. thanks nt