JGL Eye

By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(Journal Group Link International)

If sentenced on Nov. 29, Ian Carl, 32, and Juan Paulo, 29, on “Counts 2” of the indictment each will face a maximum of 60 months of imprisonment, a fine in the amount of $250,000 each and a period of three years and a maximum of 36 months in supervised release. They will also be paying $100 each in assessment fees.

Private defense lawyer Richard Tamor submitted the guilty plea of Ian Carl to Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the U.S. District Court of San Francisco while private defense lawyer Julia Jayne submitted to Judge Patel Paulo’s guilty plea.

Judge Patel accepted their pleas in their 10-page applications.

It is very likely the Garcia brothers agreed to a plea agreement to conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling and bulk cash smuggling after getting assurances from the Philippine government that their extradition to the Philippines will be withdrawn “contingent on the acceptance” by the Sandiganbayan of a guilty plea of their father, General Carlos Garcia, on plunder charges last March 16, 2010.

The extradition of their brother, Timothy Mark D. Garcia, and their mother, Clarita Garcia, 59, are both in New York and Michigan, respectively, are likewise going to be withdrawn as soon as the Sandiganbayan accepts General Garcia’s guilty plea.

T he Garcia brothers Ian Carl and Juan Paulo are due back in court for their extradition case before U.S. Court District Judge Edward M. Chen in San Francisco while Timothy Mark is due in court for his extradition conference hearing on Oct. 14, 2010 before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Holwell of the Southern District of New York.

The extradition before Clarita is pending before Judge George Caram Steeh of the U.S. District Court of Eastern Michigan in Detroit.

Ian Karl, a retail Game Stop employee, and Juan Paul, computer help desk technician, were arrested in 2003 when they were trying to bring into the U.S. $100,000 in cash.

They were charged with smuggling when they failed to declare to the customs inspector at the San Francisco International Airport the $100,000 in their possessions.

Mrs. Garcia was arrested in Pontiac, Michigan, last March 4 on extradition charges for plunder.

Carlos Garcia and members of his family were charged with an unbailable offense of plunder before the Sandiganbayan in 2005.

 
G eneral Garcia was accused of amassing ill-gotten wealth in the form of funds, landholdings and other real and personal properties in the amount of 303-million pesos (US$6.9-million) that was “disproportionate to" his legitimate income.

They came from “commissions," kickbacks," “shopping money" or “gratitude money."

He later turned his wealth over to his family members as “they did not have the financial capacity" to own them.

Except for General Garcia, all members of his family are citizens of the United States. This status made it easy for his family members to take their money to the United States where they acquired real-estate properties. # # #

Editor’s Note: To contact the author, please e-mail him at:  (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)