38 Years for a Double Life

Hey, gebasa Latino USA listener, come stas so we have a bonus show for you today. It's the last and latest episode from our Futuro Investigates series. It's called Usa Versus Garcia Luna. You've heard it on this feed before. It's about the former powerful security head of Mexico who

Nadia compan oh okayrio esor alian deja vu?

Cold? And the reason why it's cold is because it's over and none of us have our winter coats out. We're still thinking it's gonna.

Be like no nice and it's la pier There is no one here. Wow. Here we are.

I'm Maria, you know, Josa.

And I am Peny. Later meres and today we don't have to Kilda.

We don't have to Gilda. But we've got a great show for you. There's a lot of news. So it's seven o'clock in the morning and we're in front of the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse. So what are you thinking about today, Pennileia. I mean, you've been covering Arcia Luna for over a decade. I mean, this is really I hate to say it, but it's kind of like the nail in the coffin for his case.

Yeah, so he has been waiting for this moment for more than a year because he was convicted last year. It's important to remind or listen that this is not stand alone case. It's part of a series of cases that have been all of them in front of the same judge, starting with a Chapelsman trial, then Garcia Luna trial, and after this one, we have another major trial that

So something big has happened. And that's the day before the sentencing Garcia Luna actually sends a letter to the judge what is this letter about?

So in this letter, he said that he comes from a humble family in Mexico. He has been devoting all his life to the Mexican government and the Mexican people. Basically, he's trying to say, I'm a good guy, i should not be here. He even said that two of his brothers died while he has been in prison from COVID, and he said that he wishes to go back to his loving family. So he's asking the Dudge to consider all of that when sentencing him.

Another big development has happened during the time that Garcia Luna has been found guilty and waiting the sentencing. He was actually trying to pay people inside the Brooklyn Federal Detention facility. So he's actually doing the same thing that he's been accused of using power, money and influence right in a criminal way. I'm not a good look Garcia Luna, that you now have been found out to be doing the same thing while you're being held in detention.

And also one of the questions is about the money, because you said that you didn't have even money to hire a lawyer, and then you have two million dollars to pay a fellow inmate to sign an Afie David on your behalf to talk highly about you. So what is that money coming from. Is that money from the bribes? Is that money from corruption in Mexico. This is opening a whole new level of what Garcia Luna has been doing while here in the United States. We're just coming

The saga continues.

The sentence in hearing was long, it was more than an hour, and Garcia Luna spoke, the defense spoke, the prosecutors spoke, and most importantly, for the first time, the judge, Brian Cogan spoke directly to Garcia Luna and told him directly what he thought about the things that he had

States, I mean, what was kind of extraordinary for me. I also thought that he was going to get life. I mean, it comes out to just under forty years. He's fifty six years old. That doesn't look good in

And now the first find that he gets from the judge is two million dollars that he needs to pay immediately, and he's going to be living in a federal prison for at least at least twenty five of those thirty eight years, which means that most of his life is going to be in prison. And the judge said clearly that once he's released, he needs to go back to Mexico.

Will be taken back to Mexico. I do think it's interesting that you could say that this was a win for Garcia Luna. What was it four hundred and sixty months that immediately sent. All the journalists were like, oh my god, four hundred and sixty months, what the hell is plus another six months ver et cetera. But it wasn't life. That is a huge statement. I also found it interesting for Judge Cogan to just kind of be like, hey, I know about cartels. Now, I know how the enablers work,

You, exactly a high level enabler that help the sinal Or cartel to really do all the horrible things I have been doing, including bringing so many tons of drugs to this country that have been causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Except that the judge chest has the prosecution in saying you cannot hold Garcia Luna accountable for all of the tens of thousands of debts. You can't do that and shouldn't do that. But I think in terms of Garcia Luna, this is a win. This is not life in prison. They will appeal.

Now.

They did a final request to put him in a federal facility near Washington, d C.

And the reason is because that's where her daughter leaves and we're currently the White Nings.

His wife did come better dressed, and apparently she was carrying a Kate Spade bag before she would come looking like she was dressed out of Find the Dime Store. And so that was another surprising thing that the judge said. He's like, I know there's hidden money someplace, which is why you're going to have to pay two million dollars.

And also, Garcia Luna is not done because, as you will hear in the rest of this episode, he had other trials, other cases and.

Now let's go back into the studio where it's nice and tusty and warm. Hey, dear listeners. So we're back in this studio. But if you think the gid what's the saga ends for Garcia Luna right here, well it doesn't. And that's because he is still facing three, yes, one to three more cases in Mexico and another one pending in Florida.

Yes, Maria, I'm particularly excited about the one in Florida because it is not another USA versus Garcia Luna. Heyes, this one is a United Mexican States, so Mexico versus Garcia Luna, but in Miami.

I love the fact that Penny's like, I'm excited about this trial. And that's because I mean, Penny, your investigative work was key to actually getting this two trial. So all of you that can you have a lot of feelings about.

This because, as you said, I have been investigating for years this movement of Garcia Luna to Miami. It was more than a decade ago and I was publishing my first story about Garcia Luna and basically the story was revealing that he was moving to Miami. And in that story I explained how Garcia Luna was part of this complicated scheme that I did not understand myself back then

So, dear listener, we have talked about this Miami case in the podcast before, right, but for those of you who don't remember, this is the case that involved members of a Mexican business family, lost Weinberg's Samuel Weinberg and his son Jonathan Weinberg, and they were business associates of Garcia Luna. And is it like that Jonathan Weinberg.

Actually his full name is Jonathan Alexis Weinberg Pinto. And in my investigation, I found that the Weymberg family were supporting Garcia Luna and they were actually paying for the lifestyle that Garcia Luna was having in Miami, you know, this luxury lifestyle of houses and condos and cars and everything.

And I got.

So the thing is that I was investigating the case and then the Mexican government found and confirmed that Garcia Luna was taking bribes legisly in exchange for thirty security government contracts when Garcia Luna was in office in Mexico and even after he was out of office and he became like kind of associates with the Weinbergs. So why this case that is mainly due to contracts in Mexico et cetera, is now in Miami.

I mean, how is it that the Mexican government is suing somebody living he has residency in the United States, So how are they able to do this?

Well, basically what they are allegend is the Mexican government is that the contracts happen in Mexico, the payments for those contracts happened also in Mexico, but the properties were both in Miami. Therefore the money was quote unquote laundered in Miami. So therefore to recover the money they need to go to a Miami court.

Hmm okay, fascinating And of course now we know Mexico was following this case super closely. Osa they were watching.

Alenello Lo Remitien Tanto, the Nunbaki Jaga Panama, the Panama Stops and Las Impressons and Caragadas, the Parai nevel de Vida de Garziluna and Mayami.

Yes, this is Santiagoto and he was the person within the Mexican government that started, you know, following the case. So before this it was just you know, this journalistic investigation that I did, and some other journalists were also investigating him. But then between twenty nineteen and twenty twenty one, Santiago was the head of the Mexican Financial Intelligence Unit and basically his job was to prevent and prosecute money laundering.

Well that's a big job for one person to undertake, Okay, continue with the story.

Yeah, so he was following different cases of money laundering and for this case, Yeto told me that now the waymburds who are also defendants in the Miami case are countersuing him.

Les Patio Gista, ne Fendiendolo in Mexico, in Miami prescent Corucion.

Contram So basically Santiagotto is working for the Mexican government. After my investigation, he pursues more investigative work. He sues in Miami and then the Weimbers are suing him and they are a legend that Nietto did not have the power to sign a contract to hire a lawyer in the United States to litigate the case against Garcia Luna and the Weinbers in Miami.

Oh my god. This is why some people have a thing about lawyers, because can you imagine the level of detail and like counter detail and chess moves to come up with this. So the Mexican government is accusing Garcia Luna and his associates, by the way, including his wife Linda Christina Pereda, and what they are accused of is using more than forty four zero shell companies in Barbados, in Panama and in the United States in order to launder money and in order to hide some dirty money.

Yes, Maria, And my whole work around this story is here. That's what I'm excited because my findings were always pointing to the question how Garcia Luna could make millions of dollars while working for the Mexican government and just you know, shortly after he stopped working for the government. It's just absurd, and that's been my question all this time.

Las contol giovado, Secretario publica postal and lepoka andete.

So for Nieto, there is only one explanation that Garcia Luna's wealth had to do with the money he made during the Phelipe Caldern's administration, so when he was you know, this high security bus and then when he became a contractor during the Enrique pennanet To administration, so after Calderon.

Now remember, dear listener, we are kind of on uncharted territory here because no other high ranking Mexican official has ever been tried in the US. Yes, you had a chapel, but he was an arcotraficante. This is a high ranking Mexican government official, and you know he could in fact be facing a second trial. So this really is like nothing we've ever seen before.

But also not everyone in Mexico is super excited about this case or thinking that this case is going to have a real result.

I don't trust that these investigations are really about bringing justice other than to use Garcia A Luna as a political prop That was.

The security expert with Fernando Garcia, and he has been doing a lot of research on Garcia Luna for Retrezes R three D, a non profit organization based in Mexico that defends the digital rights.

I don't really understand what the endgame of the Mexican government is other than to say that they are interested in prosecuting him.

Today, there is a new president in Mexico. It's a woman for the very first time, Claudia Shameebaum just took office. But her predecessor, andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, used to bring up Garcia lu and the case in Miami during his morning press briefings. He would say how Garcia Luna enriched himself through federal surveillance contracts, and.

Who's gadotarevos The Florida is in Floridas, Y doses Resolvio Louis and Florida.

The key is the Mexico Razon.

AMLO's government also said that they have already recovered almost two million dollars from Garcia Luna's companies based in Miami and Maria.

When I was doing my research, at some point I partnered with Louis Fernando Garcia and we investigated together several of the contracts that we have been mentioning in this series, including high level surveillance contracts, And for example, Louis Fernando and his organization actually helped me to successfully force the government to declassify some key contracts, and those contracts then helped me to prove that the Weiber family was benefiting

So let's just be clear about that. So basically, Garcia Luna is working for the Mexican government, but he's got this side gig going on where he's like, hey, you wanna do some contracts you want to do, like, I'll help you figure that out. I got an inside line essentially exactly.

So this is my investigation and this is what is now in the lawsuit, and this is apart from the other side gig that was helping a chapous man, right, the guy was busy. But also Fernando told us that even former President Lopezo Ralo's government was also intersecting private communications and it also signed big surveillance contracts, and he told us that the Mexican military was monitoring publicly accessible information on the Internet and created profiles of journalists and

It's a dream for organized crime to have all this Garcia Luna and El Chapo and Escobara and whoever will have dreamed to have all the power that the Mexican military has right now.

I mean, that's pretty scary stuff right there. And the thing is, you can't really end this drug trafficking thing that brings around all of this corruption. I mean, we're reporting on it, but it's not like you can end just now. So what we do need to do is to close the Garcia Luna chapter in New York while we await what happens in Miami and in the other cases in Mexican courts. Because yes, the sentencing has happened in New York, but these guy's worries are not over.

And the thing is right now, Maria, you know, we will see what happened with Garcia Luna. But I will say today I'm more interested in understanding if there are other Garcia Lunas out there. In other words, what other high ranking government officials from Latin America has been managing money from the United States and at the same time has been working for their local governments and for the narcos,

So, yes, dear listener, who is interplaying this triple agent role with the government, with the narcos and with the United States. Well you know we're going to be looking into that next but for now it's time to say salude.

This is the end of this season of USA.

Versus Garcia Luna.

Oh my god, zalualu.

And that, dear listener, is it asta la proxima in a Yes, Usa Versus Garcia Luna is an original production by Futuu Investigates in collaboration with Latino USA. Lamonada Media is our advertising and distribution partner. Our hosts are yours Truly, Mariano Jos and Bennie Ramirez, executive producers of the Investigations and Special Projects division of Futuro Media. Our episode was produced by Guandio Ramirez. Our series is edited by Andrea