DIFFERENT ANGLE by Kenneth Rijock
The criminal case in US District Court in Miami, which charges the defendants with acting as unregistered agents of a foreign power, and is more commonly known as the Antonini case, is but the opening act in a major pending investigation looking into allegations of money laundering, arms smuggling, and narcotics trafficking amongst not only the present defendants, but other closely linked, usually wealthy Venezuelan businessmen who have extensive dealings with their government, and are known as the Bolivarian Elite.
- If you have a major pending money laundering and/or narcotics trafficking investigation, and your targets are transnational, with their own private jets and yachts, and maintain homes in several countries, you need to have them all in custody before you unseal a major indictment.
- If only one of the targets are arrested upon arrival in the US, the remainder of his organisation will get the hint and avoid coming into America for any reason, avoiding capture. Justice is therefore denied.
- Now, these defendants, arrested on a charge which only results after conviction in a maximum 10-year sentence, have been refused bond because they have insufficient contacts with the US, and are flight risks because of their mobility, wealth and Venezuelan nationality. They cannot leave the jurisdiction to avoid prosecution on subsequent charges.
- Since at least one of the defendants is cooperating, there are audio and video tapes, and Antonini has signed a contract (sounding very much like a plea agreement) with the government, the government's case appears to be strong.
- After the defendants are convicted, the government will have at least a few years to construct a bulletproof case for drugs, money laundering, or arms dealing. They can pick their best case.
- The prior conviction will potentially raise their guidelines sentence in any subsequent case or cases. The threat of possible increased sentences may cause some of them to cooperate against yet other individuals, raising the probability that you get convictions on all those who go to trial.
Thus, the current case may just be a prelude to something much bigger. We will be watching.
The facts and opinions stated in this article are those of the author and not those of World-Check. World-Check does not warrant the accuracy of any facts and opinions stated in this article, does not endorse them, and accepts no responsibility for them.
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