WEBVTT - Episode 10 - Aftermath 0:00:01.639 --> 0:00:06.200 Sometimes doing the right thing comes, of course, be careful 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:07.000 you're falling lower. 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:18.560 Hey it's fifty. 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:22.439 Cents and I'm Charlie Webster. This is surviving El Chapeau, 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:26.720 The Twins who brought down a druglord Season two. 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:40.760 I know all too well the struggle that comes with 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:43.640 choosing a different life. For me, it was music that 0:00:43.720 --> 0:00:45.760 allowed me to get out of the life and write 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:50.320 a new destiny for myself. For Pedro and Mygodo Flores Junior, 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:53.360 the Flores twins, it's been a long journey since they 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:55.400 were sat in the backseat of their father's car is 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:58.480 seven years old, loaded with drugs as it was moved 0:00:58.480 --> 0:00:59.880 across the Mexican border. 0:01:00.400 --> 0:01:02.560 That's what started it all. 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:04.520 Without even knowing, they were put on the path that 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.760 they've spent the last fourteen years trying to leave. To 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:11.360 change the legacy of the Flora's name. Billions of dollars 0:01:11.640 --> 0:01:14.520 and thousands of decisions over decades have brought the Flora's 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:16.480 family to where they are today. 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.000 The brothers said at that time, but as far as 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:24.160 the government is concerned, the Flora's family haven't satisfied their 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:25.280 debt to society. 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:29.520 One of the reason why we want to. I wanted 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:31.679 to share the story. 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.840 These decisions we make, no matter how they are or 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:37.680 whatever we try to fix, is coming at a cost. 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:41.800 To this day, we're still We're still trying to make 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:45.120 things right. We're still trying to correct our wrongs, and 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:48.080 you know, we might get something right on one end 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:49.559 and fail on somewhere else. 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:55.440 As men. I've told about this plenty of times. 0:01:56.680 --> 0:01:59.560 The man that I was was I promised her that 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:03.160 we're going to a different life. That I promised her, 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:06.400 that was that put in home's way, like her past relationships, 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:09.959 and I failed that by far. 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:13.960 I always hold myself responsible. 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:15.720 Because I think that's what you do as a leader, 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:19.240 as a you know, as ahead of your house or. 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:22.840 The man that I am. 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:26.040 I think I hold myself responsible for leaving my family 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:32.000 get to this point. You know, my children, I failed them. 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:35.360 After the wives were initially arrested and let go after 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.400 two days, in twenty twenty one, a case started to 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:42.919 be built by the government against Val and viv Remember. 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:45.799 Val helped the government as part of j and Pete's 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:50.280 cooperation and turned over four million dollars to the FEDS 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:54.639 from the twins drug activity. Back in twenty ten, as 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:57.560 part of the twins case, the government did a forensic 0:02:57.639 --> 0:03:02.400 investigation into their financials and couldn't find any further money 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:05.560 that was out on the streets. But it turns out 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:08.200 there was more money owed to the twins from drug 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:11.520 debts that the wives and Armando, the twins older brother, 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:16.200 collected and hid from the government. The government claimed they 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:19.400 didn't know about this money until they received a tip 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:22.520 off from someone very close to the family. 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:29.119 Jerome Finnigin is the uncle of vv's brother in law. 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:33.400 Jerome Finnegain was one of the corrupt Chicago police officers 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:35.760 that got picked up on the steamed back in twenty sixty, 0:03:36.760 --> 0:03:42.360 and part of that arrest was vv's ex fiance Keith 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:47.200 Herrera and Jerome and other police officers. 0:03:48.560 --> 0:03:52.320 Police officers Keith Herrera and Jerome Finnegan were partners on 0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:55.640 the force together and known as two of the dirtiest 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:59.520 cops in Chicago. The two of them topped the Chicago 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:04.240 Police Apartment's misconduct complaints list in the five years between 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:07.000 two thousand and one and two thousand and six. Keith 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:13.040 the masked fifty three citizen complaints, Jerome fifty two. Keith 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:17.400 and Jerome were closely linked to Viv. Before Viv got 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:22.320 together with Pete, she was actually engaged to Keith, and 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:29.200 Viv's sister Bianca, ended up marrying Jerome's nephew. In two 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:33.640 thousand and six, Keith, Jerome, and other police officers were 0:04:33.720 --> 0:04:38.160 arrested for making unlawful arrests and searches, gathering false evidence, 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:42.640 and stealing money from drug dealers. In one instance, during 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:46.480 an unlawful traffic stop, they took the person's house keys, 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:51.080 broke into their house, and took half a million dollars 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:54.040 in cash. 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:58.279 Well, when Keith flipped, he you know, flipped with the 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:04.280 Feds to corporate against his fellow officers. Jerome finking wanning 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:09.720 to hire someone to kill him. 0:05:07.960 --> 0:05:11.400 Keith turned against Jerome and the other officers and worked 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:15.480 with the police to bring them down. Jerome found out 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.400 and plotted to kill his former partner Keith for cooperating, 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:22.800 but the FED foiled the murder for higher plots, and 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:27.520 Jerome was sentenced to twelve years in prison. Keith cooperation 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:30.679 meant he was only sentenced to two months. 0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:34.920 Okay, so you know he got a rushed in two 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:38.120 thousand and six and he's in there in the MCC 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:41.720 right Metropol Correctional Center in Chicago, the federal holdover right 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:46.640 for federal inmates, and he's in the shoe. He's in 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:51.520 protective custody. He's the orderly at that time when me 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:56.120 and my brother come in. So orderly means he cleans up, 0:05:56.680 --> 0:05:59.840 he helps out, you know, the correctional officers if you 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:04.240 eat something you asked to orderly. Like so he's you know, sweets, mops, 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:07.320 cleans up, might past the food trays or whatever the 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:07.840 case is. 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:12.160 Jerome was the orderly at MCC Chicago. When Pete and 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:14.839 j first went to prison and were in the shoe there, 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:18.240 they didn't know who Jerome was. 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:23.000 The weeks went by, he'll stop by, Hey, I had 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:27.400 no idea that he was related to V's like related 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:31.080 through marriage to Vv's family, Like I know who he 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:35.560 is from the street, like I know of him. But Pe, 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:38.559 you know, while we're in the shoe, they start talking 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:40.800 and he's like, hey, I know you and they're like, yeah, 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:41.080 I know. 0:06:41.200 --> 0:06:42.920 You know, like they know that he. 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:47.119 Knows that Viviana's Peter's wife. So they start making small 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:51.160 talk right Pee, you know, right away befriends on then 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:57.240 moving forward I guess his nephew, by chance, was a 0:06:57.360 --> 0:07:01.479 person that my older brother had help bring back the 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:07.400 money from Washington, DC. And he goes the nephews go 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:12.040 visit his uncle, and the uncle convinces him Jerome to 0:07:12.200 --> 0:07:14.400 bring the information to the FED so that he could 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:18.480 get a lighter sentence. So that's how the FED found out. 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:23.120 Jerome was desperate to get out of prison. He would 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:26.320 do anything he could to get information out of inmates 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:28.880 that he could use as a bargaining tool to help 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:33.840 him get his sentence reduced. That's why he befriended Pete. 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.560 Jerome found out that there was money hidden from the 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:42.560 twins drug debts. Jerome's nephew, the one married to viv 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:47.400 sister Bianca, helped Armando, Ja and Pete's older brother to 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:51.240 collect the four million dollars from DC that vow turned 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:54.960 over to the government, but Jerome knew there was more. 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:59.160 He pushed his nephew to give that information to the FEDS, 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.640 and the tip off from Jerome is what the government 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:07.560 used to arrest Val and Viv. Jerome didn't end up 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:13.320 getting any time off his sentence. Armando was also arrested 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:16.400 for his part in the collection of the money. If 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:19.200 you remember, when fifty and I were recording season one, 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:23.640 the Flores family found out that Armando had decided to 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:28.920 cooperate with the government. After his arrest, Armando confessed that 0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:34.040 there was more money and provided evidence that ultimately implicated 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:38.440 the wives. Armando was given an ultimatum by the government 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:43.680 to either serve serious time and face deportation. If you recall, 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:45.760 J and P got him a US visa as part 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:49.720 of their deal to cooperate or get favorable terms in 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:53.479 exchange for information on the wives. 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:57.120 Jan Peter's older brother thanks like. 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:04.360 My best friend, and I mean I love him unconditionally, 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:12.800 and I worry about his immigration status and him being deported. 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:16.600 Yeah, I mean, no matter what, I'm for my brother 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:20.760 to be put in the best scenario possible now got 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:22.160 himself and his family. 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:26.679 Just can't wait to put this behind us and. 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:29.040 Just get through it as a family like we've always done. 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:35.400 Amount of resources it takes into something like this, I 0:09:35.480 --> 0:09:39.240 wonder why the streets have flood away heroin and cocaine 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:43.440 and even more dangerous stuff now fentanon and all kinds 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:44.959 of shady Okay, because you know. 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:50.400 That's why I'd be focused on. Every office has. 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:54.360 The decision to you know, where they put their time 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:55.640 and resources at. 0:09:56.080 --> 0:10:00.240 And I can't agree that this is the best, you know, 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:00.880 way to do that. 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:06.120 But that's just my opinion onwill all the other people 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:09.400 are just keep doing what I was, you know, all 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:11.839 the next P and J's probably there now building his 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:13.160 empire round and orders. 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:23.000 The first thing that prosecutor will generally tell a cooperator 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:26.360 or potential cooperator is the cooperation is an all or 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:27.280 nothing proposition. 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:32.640 That's Michael Ferrara, the assistant US attorney that worked J 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:36.120 and P's case against El Chapo from the very beginning. 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:39.480 He worked alongside Thomas Shakeshaft and Adam Fels. 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:42.920 And the government needs to need that to be true 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:43.520 when they say it. 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:44.640 They absolutely need it. 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:47.760 And so the reason for a prosecution like that is 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:50.560 that it's a betrayal of trust at some level that 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:53.000 they were given a second chance, they were given a 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:57.880 clean slate, and decided to use drug proceeds for material 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:01.679 things in a way that was very avoidable. 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:05.360 According to the government. In addition to the four million 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:08.839 dollars from DC that Vile turned over to them, there 0:11:08.920 --> 0:11:12.560 was another two point three million dollars that they never 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:17.040 told anyone about. One day, a U haul truck arrived 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:20.559 at the twins older brother Armando's house in Austin, Texas. 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:25.760 The truck was piled high with second hand furniture. Hidden 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:30.520 inside the furniture with stacks of cash two point three 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:35.960 million dollars worth. Armando stored the money under his porch 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:39.880 and sat on it for four years until twenty fifteen, 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:44.199 when he started dispersing it to the wives in increments 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:48.800 on average of nine thousand dollars via US Priority mail 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:52.800 and UPS packages, as well as through gift cards. He 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:57.320 would then pay himself a fee out of each delivery. 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:01.000 The government accused the wives of living a life ravish lifestyle, 0:12:01.640 --> 0:12:05.439 using the money to pay for luxury cars, designer purss, 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:09.040 a platoon exercise bike, as well as private school for 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:13.080 their children, living costs like rent, and over ninety nine 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:15.079 thousand dollars on vacations. 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:20.920 The government clearly made the decision that that couldn't be tolerated, 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:24.680 that they needed to send a message to other co operators, 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:29.040 to just society as a whole, that if you join 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:31.840 the government's team, that has to meaning from sort of 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.520 beginning to end you can't be a cooperator and hiden. 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:37.559 Driump proceeds and living off of drum proceeds. At the 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:42.200 same time, I. 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:48.079 Feel that in J and Peter sentencing memorandum, they spun 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:53.040 it to the court like we basically benefited because we 0:12:53.040 --> 0:12:54.040 were given immunity. 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:56.920 But fast forward ten years they come and guide us. 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:01.800 It's like they're trying to change the narrative. And I 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:05.720 feel like the US Attorney's Office today is very different 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:08.000 than what it was back in two thousand and eight, 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:11.720 and I feel that they didn't have a certain roulebook 0:13:11.760 --> 0:13:14.280 to go by, and because this case was so big 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:18.160 for J and Peter, I feel like there were mistakes 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:22.280 made because it's never been done before on both sides. 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:24.720 I don't fault anyone. 0:13:24.760 --> 0:13:28.079 I just feel like the US Attorney's Office at the time, 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:31.880 they didn't have the I want to say, the right 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:40.760 guidance we were given, you know, certain benefits. I feel 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:47.720 that today those things that we were promised that obviously 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.679 they're frowned upon. But at the same time, you can't 0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:56.160 punish our family because that's something that somebody that was 0:13:56.720 --> 0:13:59.960 a representative of the government, you know, which is Thomas Shaikshaft, 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.600 he actually promised us these certain things when it comes 0:14:03.640 --> 0:14:06.040 to immunity or when it comes to us being able 0:14:06.040 --> 0:14:08.400 to keep a portion of the money. So if we 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:13.280 were given these promises and we were led to believe 0:14:13.400 --> 0:14:17.520 that this was going to be embedded in. 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:19.760 Their cooperation, then how. 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:22.120 Is it when you fast forward ten years they're able 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.120 to charge us on the things that we were supposed 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:30.720 to be promised and we were given. On March twenty fourth, 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:35.120 twenty eleven, the day I proffered, I spoke to Thomas Shakeshaft, 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:37.880 which is a US attorney that was in charge. He 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.320 basically told me not to worry. I'm not going to 0:14:40.360 --> 0:14:45.760 be charged. I took that as reassurance that they would 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:51.600 never prosecute me. At my proper meeting was Thomas Shakeshaft, 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:58.000 Michael Ferrara, and DEA agents that were involved in the case. 0:14:58.600 --> 0:15:03.240 Thomas Shakeshaft he told Jay and Peter at a profit 0:15:03.320 --> 0:15:08.080 session that he didn't want to wipe them out of 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:13.360 their money. So these things are being said to our husbands, 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:16.000 these things are being said to us. These things are 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:19.680 not you know, they're not seizing certain things even though 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:21.960 I'm saying that we paid for all of this stuff 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:26.080 with drug proceeds from our husband's business. It's like they're 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:30.840 allowing us to keep them, and so I don't understand 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:36.280 how you can turn around and a decade later come 0:15:36.360 --> 0:15:38.240 back and then charge us. 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:43.200 The wives filed emotion to dismiss their charges in twenty 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:47.000 twenty two, claiming that the twins deal provided them with 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:51.480 immunity from charges related to the twins' crimes. The wives 0:15:51.600 --> 0:15:54.680 argued that the government allowed them to keep the money, 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:58.360 and that's in a profit session with US Assistant Attorney 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:02.200 Thomas Shakeshaft, all had tried to make the government aware 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:05.280 there was extra money out there, but they didn't want 0:16:05.320 --> 0:16:08.880 to hear about it. All they were focused on was 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:13.600 getting El Chapo behind bars. A pre trial hearing was 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:17.400 held for Judge Matthew Kennelly to examine the evidence. The 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:21.720 wives had planned to have US Assistant Attorney Thomas Shakeshaft testify, 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:26.800 but one week before the hearing, on July the nineteenth, 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:33.240 shake Shaft died from chronic health problems and alcoholism. His 0:16:33.320 --> 0:16:37.280 alcoholism was blamed in part on the stress of the 0:16:37.320 --> 0:16:41.640 Flora's case. Michael Ferrara was called by the government to 0:16:41.680 --> 0:16:44.040 be a witness. Here's what he had to say to 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:46.040 us about the alleged immunity deal. 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:48.960 The way that it was presented in that defense is 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:53.080 effectively that they were immunized forever more that they could 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:56.120 do whatever they wanted in the future, which I don't 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:58.640 know if that's a thing period in law enforcement, but 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:02.640 it certainly wasn't here. And immunity like that can only 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:05.360 come in writing, and it can only come from. 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:08.520 The US attorney. And I'm positive that no. 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:12.439 Immunity was issued by any US attorney in Chicago. The 0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:15.600 wives were entitled to take, i mean, just blatant drug 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:18.760 proceeds and do whatever they want with them. The other 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:21.440 comment I can make is that the whole thing is 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:29.399 very unnecessary and unfortunate for their families. And I truly 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.919 do believe that Pete and Jay cooperated to give their 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:36.119 families a better life, and they had the opportunity to 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:40.480 do that, and so to allow sort of like material 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:45.520 things like spending money private schools, going on trips, the 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:47.479 kind of things that they appear to have spent their 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:51.040 money on, all of that is just stupid in my opinion. 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:54.200 I mean, to risk your freedom risk the safety of 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:57.880 your families over things like that. It's just sad. It's 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.000 a sad thing for their families. It's just a really 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:03.560 unfortunate thing that those kids were deprived of being around 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:05.480 their dads for so long and now for how way 0:18:05.520 --> 0:18:07.880 long they're going to be deprived of being around their 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:11.080 mothers in a meaningful way, all for something that was 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:14.879 one hundred percent avoidable if they just would have, you know, 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:15.199 sort of. 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:18.240 Kept their heads down, drove a used minivan and those 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:19.119 kind of things. 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:23.639 The flip site to that, though, is I mean, in 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:27.320 comparison to again, like two tons a month of cocaine 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:30.399 coming into Chicago and Chapola being prosecuted and all that, 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:34.760 you're talking about a much smaller sum of money. And 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:38.680 whether it's it sent the right message to use government 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:42.600 resources like that to go after people who cooperated in 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:45.320 a way that that did a lot of did a 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:46.919 lot of good and had a lot of benefit to 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:50.920 DJ So I think reasonable minds could differ on that 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:54.520 and whether it sends a strong enough message of what 0:18:54.600 --> 0:18:59.800 should happen that that it's worth the potential downside. 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:02.880 To the wives and their lawyers. It was the government 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:06.480 that broke its promise to the Florest family from the 0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:11.240 very beginning the Twins corporation and Pete's eventual testimony in 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:15.119 court against Alchapo was done with the understanding that the 0:19:15.160 --> 0:19:17.600 rest of the family will be kept out of it. 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:22.600 When questioned during the El Chapo trial, Pete testified that 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:26.439 his wife Viv had been given immunity as part of 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:30.840 his corporation deal. The point was made by Valenvi's defense 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:34.800 team that Pete spent eighteen months being prepped by the 0:19:34.840 --> 0:19:39.360 government to take the stand against Alchapo, and at no point, 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:43.680 including under oath in court, was there ever any challenge 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:49.040 to the notion that the wives had immunity. The wives 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:52.359 argue that the government knew that there was money they 0:19:52.400 --> 0:19:54.880 were using to live off, and that it was used 0:19:54.880 --> 0:19:58.520 to pay for their kids' education and their own living expenses. 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:02.479 A single mother, they had to move their families across 0:20:02.520 --> 0:20:06.440 the country every time J and P were transferred. Viv 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:10.399 had to move sixteen times due to viable threats on 0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:15.880 her life. The motion to dismiss the chargers was denied. 0:20:16.560 --> 0:20:19.040 They each had a choice to take their case to trial, 0:20:19.600 --> 0:20:22.960 but they were advised that the negative public perception would 0:20:22.960 --> 0:20:27.199 make a trial difficult. Instead, they each pled guilty to 0:20:27.320 --> 0:20:47.920 money laundering conspiracy. Viv was sentenced to three and a 0:20:48.000 --> 0:20:51.879 half years in prison and ordered to pay five hundred 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:56.120 and four thousand, eight hundred and fifty eight dollars in forfeitshire. 0:20:57.160 --> 0:21:00.679 She went to prison on the nineteenth of October twenty 0:21:00.760 --> 0:21:03.560 twenty three. 0:21:04.400 --> 0:21:08.960 It's definitely scary because I mean, unusually, I mean, Peter 0:21:09.119 --> 0:21:15.240 is a very you know, his presence is like the 0:21:15.359 --> 0:21:18.600 rock of our family. I felt like I took his 0:21:18.720 --> 0:21:21.360 face when he had to leave, you know, I took 0:21:21.400 --> 0:21:23.320 over and I had to do I had to be 0:21:23.440 --> 0:21:25.360 mom and dad everything. 0:21:27.400 --> 0:21:28.359 This is what kills me. 0:21:28.880 --> 0:21:32.639 I think that it's you know, it's really really, definitely hard. 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:36.280 I wasn't built for this, definitely wasn't built for this. 0:21:36.480 --> 0:21:41.200 But a strong woman, and by far I know I am. 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:49.600 I think that my kids would definitely be very This 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:55.440 is a scar that probably would never ever, ever would 0:21:55.440 --> 0:21:56.320 be able to repair. 0:21:58.680 --> 0:22:01.600 We sit here and you know, you know, we've been 0:22:01.640 --> 0:22:04.480 here with you, Charlie for so many days, and you know, 0:22:04.520 --> 0:22:07.760 we talk about the kids and how we wanted to 0:22:07.800 --> 0:22:11.119 change their lights, and I feel like we're right back. 0:22:11.480 --> 0:22:15.080 We're right back exactly where we never wanted to be. 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:22.080 Vaal received the same sentence as Viv three and a 0:22:22.160 --> 0:22:26.320 half years in prison, plus a five hundred and four thousand, 0:22:26.800 --> 0:22:30.760 eight hundred and fifty eight dollars forfeiture. She goes to 0:22:30.800 --> 0:22:34.000 prison on January tenth, twenty twenty four. 0:22:35.680 --> 0:22:41.639 I felt like I was being targeted. I felt like 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:45.480 they wanted to make an example of me, which is hurtful. 0:22:47.040 --> 0:22:54.280 But after understanding, you know, the government, the prosecutors that 0:22:54.280 --> 0:22:57.760 are in charge today of the case, I feel like 0:22:58.160 --> 0:23:02.280 they're only doing their job. And I know that if 0:23:02.359 --> 0:23:07.159 they were, you know, the prosecutors back then when my 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:10.000 husband was cooperating, I feel like things would have been 0:23:10.000 --> 0:23:15.880 a lot different. I did actually testify at my hearing, 0:23:16.040 --> 0:23:22.119 and I did take accountability for money laundering. However, I 0:23:22.160 --> 0:23:26.280 did believe that I had immunity. Whether the government agrees 0:23:26.320 --> 0:23:29.440 with that or not or just going to agree to disagree, 0:23:29.520 --> 0:23:32.959 but unfortunately I'm going to have to go to prison. 0:23:34.440 --> 0:23:37.840 Think that I'm fighting with that, I'm struggling with, you know. 0:23:37.880 --> 0:23:40.480 In court, I apologize to my children, you know, for 0:23:40.520 --> 0:23:44.760 the pain I caused, and I just regret putting them 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:49.199 through this again. But I feel really blessed with the 0:23:49.200 --> 0:23:51.200 time that I did get because I got three and 0:23:51.200 --> 0:23:53.080 a half years, and I feel like that was a 0:23:53.119 --> 0:23:57.280 blessing for me. Especially this is my second time going 0:23:57.320 --> 0:24:00.800 away for money laundering, so I think that I'm very 0:24:00.840 --> 0:24:04.120 fortunate because it could have went a lot different, that's 0:24:04.160 --> 0:24:04.600 for sure. 0:24:07.200 --> 0:24:10.240 You might remember back in season one that val has 0:24:10.240 --> 0:24:13.800 been to prison before. As a teenager, she fell in 0:24:13.840 --> 0:24:16.879 with the wrong crowd and was used as a drug mule. 0:24:17.560 --> 0:24:21.159 Before Jay, she was married to notorious Latin King's boss 0:24:21.280 --> 0:24:26.280 Rudy Cato Rankel, also known as King Kato. Before Cato, 0:24:26.680 --> 0:24:29.280 she was married at twenty one for a short time 0:24:29.520 --> 0:24:33.120 to Valentine Rivella's, who was working for the Juarez cartel. 0:24:33.800 --> 0:24:36.959 While she was married to Rivella's, she became caught up 0:24:37.000 --> 0:24:38.240 in his business dealings. 0:24:40.720 --> 0:24:44.639 Back in two thousand, in my prior marriage, I was 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:48.359 married to a drug dealer and he got indicted for 0:24:48.400 --> 0:24:54.879 a drug conspiracy. I deposited money in the bank for 0:24:55.000 --> 0:24:57.640 him in my accounts and that's what got me into 0:24:57.680 --> 0:25:01.399 trouble and he ended up cooperating against me and I 0:25:01.440 --> 0:25:05.720 went to prison for it. I received the ten months 0:25:05.720 --> 0:25:09.160 but sentence where I was in prison for five months 0:25:09.240 --> 0:25:11.720 and the other five months I was on house arrest. 0:25:12.800 --> 0:25:18.239 There's consequences to everything that we do. And sometimes when 0:25:18.280 --> 0:25:20.760 you're in love with someone, or sometimes when you're in 0:25:20.760 --> 0:25:23.320 a relationship, you don't think about certain things. You put 0:25:23.359 --> 0:25:27.600 yourself second and you don't realize how this can affect you. 0:25:28.680 --> 0:25:32.240 And I just hope that, like, by. 0:25:32.119 --> 0:25:33.960 Sharing my story, you know, I just want to bring 0:25:34.000 --> 0:25:36.840 awareness to like other women that have like walked in 0:25:36.880 --> 0:25:39.879 my shoes and that have that are going through this 0:25:40.119 --> 0:25:43.399 and sometimes you're living that life and it's like a 0:25:43.480 --> 0:25:47.920 really fast lifestyle, right and you don't realize the consequences 0:25:47.920 --> 0:25:52.800 that comes with this life. I'm hoping that other women 0:25:52.840 --> 0:25:56.280 can make better choices than I did. I mean, it 0:25:56.320 --> 0:26:00.840 could be anything taken a small gift from someone, or 0:26:00.960 --> 0:26:03.520 just trying to be loyal to the person that you're with, 0:26:03.840 --> 0:26:06.480 whether it's your husband or your boyfriend, and just trying to, 0:26:06.800 --> 0:26:10.480