Speaker 1: Hey, gebasa Latino USA listener, come stas so we have
Speaker 1: a bonus show for you today. It's the last and
Speaker 1: latest episode from our Futuro Investigates series. It's called Usa
Speaker 1: Versus Garcia Luna. You've heard it on this feed before.
Speaker 1: It's about the former powerful security head of Mexico who
Speaker 1: was finally sentenced in New York City. And yes, dear listener,
Speaker 1: we were there to bring you exactly what happened inside
Speaker 1: and outside of that courtroom and also why this actually
Speaker 1: isn't the end of Garcia Luna's legal troubles, just the
Speaker 1: end of this first case with the sentencing. Here's the show,
Speaker 1: and remember, let us know what you think, Ola.
Speaker 2: Nadia compan oh okayrio esor alian deja vu?
Speaker 1: Cold? And the reason why it's cold is because it's
Speaker 1: over and none of us have our winter coats out.
Speaker 1: We're still thinking it's gonna.
Speaker 2: Be like no nice and it's la pier There is
Speaker 2: no one here. Wow. Here we are.
Speaker 1: I'm Maria, you know, Josa.
Speaker 2: And I am Peny. Later meres and today we don't
Speaker 2: have to Kilda.
Speaker 1: We don't have to Gilda. But we've got a great
Speaker 1: show for you. There's a lot of news. So it's
Speaker 1: seven o'clock in the morning and we're in front of
Speaker 1: the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse. So what are you thinking about today, Pennileia.
Speaker 1: I mean, you've been covering Arcia Luna for over a decade.
Speaker 1: I mean, this is really I hate to say it,
Speaker 1: but it's kind of like the nail in the coffin
Speaker 1: for his case.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so he has been waiting for this moment for
Speaker 2: more than a year because he was convicted last year.
Speaker 2: It's important to remind or listen that this is not
Speaker 2: stand alone case. It's part of a series of cases
Speaker 2: that have been all of them in front of the
Speaker 2: same judge, starting with a Chapelsman trial, then Garcia Luna trial,
Speaker 2: and after this one, we have another major trial that
Speaker 2: is the trial of Ismael Mayo Sambala. It's a series
Speaker 2: of trials that are focusing on the Sinaloa cartel and
Speaker 2: this one is particularly special because it's the only one
Speaker 2: involving a high level person who was working for the
Speaker 2: cartail and at the same time was working with the
Speaker 2: Americans and with the Mexican government.
Speaker 1: So something big has happened. And that's the day before
Speaker 1: the sentencing Garcia Luna actually sends a letter to the
Speaker 1: judge what is this letter about?
Speaker 2: So in this letter, he said that he comes from
Speaker 2: a humble family in Mexico. He has been devoting all
Speaker 2: his life to the Mexican government and the Mexican people. Basically,
Speaker 2: he's trying to say, I'm a good guy, i should
Speaker 2: not be here. He even said that two of his
Speaker 2: brothers died while he has been in prison from COVID,
Speaker 2: and he said that he wishes to go back to
Speaker 2: his loving family. So he's asking the Dudge to consider
Speaker 2: all of that when sentencing him.
Speaker 1: Another big development has happened during the time that Garcia
Speaker 1: Luna has been found guilty and waiting the sentencing. He
Speaker 1: was actually trying to pay people inside the Brooklyn Federal
Speaker 1: Detention facility. So he's actually doing the same thing that
Speaker 1: he's been accused of using power, money and influence right
Speaker 1: in a criminal way. I'm not a good look Garcia Luna,
Speaker 1: that you now have been found out to be doing
Speaker 1: the same thing while you're being held in detention.
Speaker 2: And also one of the questions is about the money,
Speaker 2: because you said that you didn't have even money to
Speaker 2: hire a lawyer, and then you have two million dollars
Speaker 2: to pay a fellow inmate to sign an Afie David
Speaker 2: on your behalf to talk highly about you. So what
Speaker 2: is that money coming from. Is that money from the bribes?
Speaker 2: Is that money from corruption in Mexico. This is opening
Speaker 2: a whole new level of what Garcia Luna has been
Speaker 2: doing while here in the United States. We're just coming
Speaker 2: out of the courthouse right now. So now we know
Speaker 2: how much time he's going to spend in prison, and
Speaker 2: we can tell you is not the minimum, but it's
Speaker 2: not the maximum.
Speaker 1: The saga continues.
Speaker 2: The sentence in hearing was long, it was more than
Speaker 2: an hour, and Garcia Luna spoke, the defense spoke, the
Speaker 2: prosecutors spoke, and most importantly, for the first time, the judge,
Speaker 2: Brian Cogan spoke directly to Garcia Luna and told him
Speaker 2: directly what he thought about the things that he had
Speaker 2: been doing for years. And I think that for us,
Speaker 2: for our covers, what is important is the double life
Speaker 2: concept that we have been saying in our podcast from
Speaker 2: day one, which is he was working with the government
Speaker 2: of Mexico, with the government of the United States, and
Speaker 2: at the same time he's working with the cartel. He
Speaker 2: has been living a double life for many years, and
Speaker 2: even when incarcerated in the United.
Speaker 1: States, I mean, what was kind of extraordinary for me.
Speaker 1: I also thought that he was going to get life.
Speaker 1: I mean, it comes out to just under forty years.
Speaker 1: He's fifty six years old. That doesn't look good in
Speaker 1: terms of numbers, actual numbers. He could get out on
Speaker 1: good behavior, But I think the big message here was
Speaker 1: the judge lecturing literally lecturing Garcia Luna and saying, you know,
Speaker 1: I think if you were to take a polygraph and
Speaker 1: if you're asked a question if you believe in laws,
Speaker 1: you would pass right because you have convinced yourself that
Speaker 1: you believe that. And I think if he actually believed
Speaker 1: in laws, then he would have said, I have to
Speaker 1: take the judgment of this court and I have to
Speaker 1: accept that because I believe in the laws. And therefore
Speaker 1: I'm sorry for whatever you think I did. I'm sorry,
Speaker 1: no remorse, double life. And I think the clincher at
Speaker 1: the end when the judge says, and let's not forget
Speaker 1: the prosecution has proof that you were trying to bribe
Speaker 1: people inside the detention facility where you are being held
Speaker 1: right now. Case in point, you're living a double life.
Speaker 1: It was fascinating.
Speaker 2: And now the first find that he gets from the
Speaker 2: judge is two million dollars that he needs to pay immediately,
Speaker 2: and he's going to be living in a federal prison
Speaker 2: for at least at least twenty five of those thirty
Speaker 2: eight years, which means that most of his life is
Speaker 2: going to be in prison. And the judge said clearly
Speaker 2: that once he's released, he needs to go back to Mexico.
Speaker 1: Will be taken back to Mexico. I do think it's
Speaker 1: interesting that you could say that this was a win
Speaker 1: for Garcia Luna. What was it four hundred and sixty
Speaker 1: months that immediately sent. All the journalists were like, oh
Speaker 1: my god, four hundred and sixty months, what the hell
Speaker 1: is plus another six months ver et cetera. But it
Speaker 1: wasn't life. That is a huge statement. I also found
Speaker 1: it interesting for Judge Cogan to just kind of be like, hey,
Speaker 1: I know about cartels. Now, I know how the enablers work,
Speaker 1: and that's what you were. You didn't pull every single trigger,
Speaker 1: but it could not have existed without.
Speaker 2: You, exactly a high level enabler that help the sinal
Speaker 2: Or cartel to really do all the horrible things I
Speaker 2: have been doing, including bringing so many tons of drugs
Speaker 2: to this country that have been causing the deaths of
Speaker 2: hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Speaker 1: Except that the judge chest has the prosecution in saying
Speaker 1: you cannot hold Garcia Luna accountable for all of the
Speaker 1: tens of thousands of debts. You can't do that and
Speaker 1: shouldn't do that. But I think in terms of Garcia Luna,
Speaker 1: this is a win. This is not life in prison.
Speaker 1: They will appeal.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 1: They did a final request to put him in a
Speaker 1: federal facility near Washington, d C.
Speaker 2: And the reason is because that's where her daughter leaves
Speaker 2: and we're currently the White Nings.
Speaker 1: His wife did come better dressed, and apparently she was
Speaker 1: carrying a Kate Spade bag before she would come looking
Speaker 1: like she was dressed out of Find the Dime Store.
Speaker 1: And so that was another surprising thing that the judge said.
Speaker 1: He's like, I know there's hidden money someplace, which is
Speaker 1: why you're going to have to pay two million dollars.
Speaker 2: And also, Garcia Luna is not done because, as you
Speaker 2: will hear in the rest of this episode, he had
Speaker 2: other trials, other cases and.
Speaker 1: Now let's go back into the studio where it's nice
Speaker 1: and tusty and warm. Hey, dear listeners. So we're back
Speaker 1: in this studio. But if you think the gid what's
Speaker 1: the saga ends for Garcia Luna right here, well it doesn't.
Speaker 1: And that's because he is still facing three, yes, one
Speaker 1: to three more cases in Mexico and another one pending
Speaker 1: in Florida.
Speaker 2: Yes, Maria, I'm particularly excited about the one in Florida
Speaker 2: because it is not another USA versus Garcia Luna. Heyes,
Speaker 2: this one is a United Mexican States, so Mexico versus
Speaker 2: Garcia Luna, but in Miami.
Speaker 1: I love the fact that Penny's like, I'm excited about
Speaker 1: this trial. And that's because I mean, Penny, your investigative
Speaker 1: work was key to actually getting this two trial. So
Speaker 1: all of you that can you have a lot of
Speaker 1: feelings about.
Speaker 2: This because, as you said, I have been investigating for
Speaker 2: years this movement of Garcia Luna to Miami. It was
Speaker 2: more than a decade ago and I was publishing my
Speaker 2: first story about Garcia Luna and basically the story was
Speaker 2: revealing that he was moving to Miami. And in that
Speaker 2: story I explained how Garcia Luna was part of this
Speaker 2: complicated scheme that I did not understand myself back then
Speaker 2: about companies and properties. And then fast forward to September
Speaker 2: of twenty twenty one, so three years ago, the Mexican
Speaker 2: government filed a lawsuit in Miami, and this lawsuit is
Speaker 2: still undercurve review.
Speaker 1: So, dear listener, we have talked about this Miami case
Speaker 1: in the podcast before, right, but for those of you
Speaker 1: who don't remember, this is the case that involved members
Speaker 1: of a Mexican business family, lost Weinberg's Samuel Weinberg and
Speaker 1: his son Jonathan Weinberg, and they were business associates of
Speaker 1: Garcia Luna. And is it like that Jonathan Weinberg.
Speaker 2: Actually his full name is Jonathan Alexis Weinberg Pinto. And
Speaker 2: in my investigation, I found that the Weymberg family were
Speaker 2: supporting Garcia Luna and they were actually paying for the
Speaker 2: lifestyle that Garcia Luna was having in Miami, you know,
Speaker 2: this luxury lifestyle of houses and condos and cars and everything.
Speaker 1: And I got.
Speaker 2: So the thing is that I was investigating the case
Speaker 2: and then the Mexican government found and confirmed that Garcia
Speaker 2: Luna was taking bribes legisly in exchange for thirty security
Speaker 2: government contracts when Garcia Luna was in office in Mexico
Speaker 2: and even after he was out of office and he
Speaker 2: became like kind of associates with the Weinbergs. So why
Speaker 2: this case that is mainly due to contracts in Mexico
Speaker 2: et cetera, is now in Miami.
Speaker 1: I mean, how is it that the Mexican government is
Speaker 1: suing somebody living he has residency in the United States,
Speaker 1: So how are they able to do this?
Speaker 2: Well, basically what they are allegend is the Mexican government
Speaker 2: is that the contracts happen in Mexico, the payments for
Speaker 2: those contracts happened also in Mexico, but the properties were
Speaker 2: both in Miami. Therefore the money was quote unquote laundered
Speaker 2: in Miami. So therefore to recover the money they need
Speaker 2: to go to a Miami court.
Speaker 1: Hmm okay, fascinating And of course now we know Mexico
Speaker 1: was following this case super closely. Osa they were watching.
Speaker 4: Alenello Lo Remitien Tanto, the Nunbaki Jaga Panama, the Panama
Speaker 4: Stops and Las Impressons and Caragadas, the Parai nevel de
Speaker 4: Vida de Garziluna and Mayami.
Speaker 2: Yes, this is Santiagoto and he was the person within
Speaker 2: the Mexican government that started, you know, following the case.
Speaker 2: So before this it was just you know, this journalistic
Speaker 2: investigation that I did, and some other journalists were also
Speaker 2: investigating him. But then between twenty nineteen and twenty twenty one,
Speaker 2: Santiago was the head of the Mexican Financial Intelligence Unit
Speaker 2: and basically his job was to prevent and prosecute money laundering.
Speaker 1: Well that's a big job for one person to undertake, Okay,
Speaker 1: continue with the story.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so he was following different cases of money laundering
Speaker 2: and for this case, Yeto told me that now the
Speaker 2: waymburds who are also defendants in the Miami case are
Speaker 2: countersuing him.
Speaker 4: Les Patio Gista, ne Fendiendolo in Mexico, in Miami prescent Corucion.
Speaker 2: Contram So basically Santiagotto is working for the Mexican government.
Speaker 2: After my investigation, he pursues more investigative work. He sues
Speaker 2: in Miami and then the Weimbers are suing him and
Speaker 2: they are a legend that Nietto did not have the
Speaker 2: power to sign a contract to hire a lawyer in
Speaker 2: the United States to litigate the case against Garcia Luna
Speaker 2: and the Weinbers in Miami.
Speaker 1: Oh my god. This is why some people have a
Speaker 1: thing about lawyers, because can you imagine the level of
Speaker 1: detail and like counter detail and chess moves to come
Speaker 1: up with this. So the Mexican government is accusing Garcia
Speaker 1: Luna and his associates, by the way, including his wife
Speaker 1: Linda Christina Pereda, and what they are accused of is
Speaker 1: using more than forty four zero shell companies in Barbados,
Speaker 1: in Panama and in the United States in order to
Speaker 1: launder money and in order to hide some dirty money.
Speaker 1: And Mexico is seeking to recover check this out at
Speaker 1: least six hundred million dollars from Garcia Luna and from
Speaker 1: the Winebergs, because Mexico says, you know, you stole that
Speaker 1: from Mexico. We want it back.
Speaker 2: Yes, Maria, And my whole work around this story is here.
Speaker 2: That's what I'm excited because my findings were always pointing
Speaker 2: to the question how Garcia Luna could make millions of
Speaker 2: dollars while working for the Mexican government and just you know,
Speaker 2: shortly after he stopped working for the government. It's just absurd,
Speaker 2: and that's been my question all this time.
Speaker 4: Las contol giovado, Secretario publica postal and lepoka andete.
Speaker 2: So for Nieto, there is only one explanation that Garcia
Speaker 2: Luna's wealth had to do with the money he made
Speaker 2: during the Phelipe Caldern's administration, so when he was you know,
Speaker 2: this high security bus and then when he became a
Speaker 2: contractor during the Enrique pennanet To administration, so after Calderon.
Speaker 1: Now remember, dear listener, we are kind of on uncharted
Speaker 1: territory here because no other high ranking Mexican official has
Speaker 1: ever been tried in the US. Yes, you had a chapel,
Speaker 1: but he was an arcotraficante. This is a high ranking
Speaker 1: Mexican government official, and you know he could in fact
Speaker 1: be facing a second trial. So this really is like
Speaker 1: nothing we've ever seen before.
Speaker 2: But also not everyone in Mexico is super excited about
Speaker 2: this case or thinking that this case is going to
Speaker 2: have a real result.
Speaker 3: I don't trust that these investigations are really about bringing
Speaker 3: justice other than to use Garcia A Luna as a
Speaker 3: political prop That was.
Speaker 2: The security expert with Fernando Garcia, and he has been
Speaker 2: doing a lot of research on Garcia Luna for Retrezes
Speaker 2: R three D, a non profit organization based in Mexico
Speaker 2: that defends the digital rights.
Speaker 3: I don't really understand what the endgame of the Mexican
Speaker 3: government is other than to say that they are interested
Speaker 3: in prosecuting him.
Speaker 1: Today, there is a new president in Mexico. It's a
Speaker 1: woman for the very first time, Claudia Shameebaum just took office.
Speaker 1: But her predecessor, andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, used to bring
Speaker 1: up Garcia lu and the case in Miami during his
Speaker 1: morning press briefings. He would say how Garcia Luna enriched
Speaker 1: himself through federal surveillance contracts, and.
Speaker 4: Who's gadotarevos The Florida is in Floridas, Y doses Resolvio
Speaker 4: Louis and Florida.
Speaker 2: The key is the Mexico Razon.
Speaker 1: AMLO's government also said that they have already recovered almost
Speaker 1: two million dollars from Garcia Luna's companies based in Miami
Speaker 1: and Maria.
Speaker 2: When I was doing my research, at some point I
Speaker 2: partnered with Louis Fernando Garcia and we investigated together several
Speaker 2: of the contracts that we have been mentioning in this series,
Speaker 2: including high level surveillance contracts, And for example, Louis Fernando
Speaker 2: and his organization actually helped me to successfully force the
Speaker 2: government to declassify some key contracts, and those contracts then
Speaker 2: helped me to prove that the Weiber family was benefiting
Speaker 2: from the Mexican state therefore the Mexican government while Garcia
Speaker 2: Luna was in office.
Speaker 1: So let's just be clear about that. So basically, Garcia
Speaker 1: Luna is working for the Mexican government, but he's got
Speaker 1: this side gig going on where he's like, hey, you
Speaker 1: wanna do some contracts you want to do, like, I'll
Speaker 1: help you figure that out. I got an inside line
Speaker 1: essentially exactly.
Speaker 2: So this is my investigation and this is what is
Speaker 2: now in the lawsuit, and this is apart from the
Speaker 2: other side gig that was helping a chapous man, right,
Speaker 2: the guy was busy. But also Fernando told us that
Speaker 2: even former President Lopezo Ralo's government was also intersecting private
Speaker 2: communications and it also signed big surveillance contracts, and he
Speaker 2: told us that the Mexican military was monitoring publicly accessible
Speaker 2: information on the Internet and created profiles of journalists and
Speaker 2: even political adversaries of the president. At the time, of course,
Speaker 2: Lopez or Raloort's government denied all of this. Here is
Speaker 2: Luis Fernando again.
Speaker 3: It's a dream for organized crime to have all this
Speaker 3: Garcia Luna and El Chapo and Escobara and whoever will
Speaker 3: have dreamed to have all the power that the Mexican
Speaker 3: military has right now.
Speaker 1: I mean, that's pretty scary stuff right there. And the
Speaker 1: thing is, you can't really end this drug trafficking thing
Speaker 1: that brings around all of this corruption. I mean, we're
Speaker 1: reporting on it, but it's not like you can end
Speaker 1: just now. So what we do need to do is
Speaker 1: to close the Garcia Luna chapter in New York while
Speaker 1: we await what happens in Miami and in the other
Speaker 1: cases in Mexican courts. Because yes, the sentencing has happened
Speaker 1: in New York, but these guy's worries are not over.
Speaker 2: And the thing is right now, Maria, you know, we
Speaker 2: will see what happened with Garcia Luna. But I will
Speaker 2: say today I'm more interested in understanding if there are
Speaker 2: other Garcia Lunas out there. In other words, what other
Speaker 2: high ranking government officials from Latin America has been managing
Speaker 2: money from the United States and at the same time
Speaker 2: has been working for their local governments and for the narcos,
Speaker 2: as we saw in the case of Garciolu. So we
Speaker 2: know that Garcia Luna is far from being the only case,
Speaker 2: and now I want to investigate those other cases.
Speaker 1: So, yes, dear listener, who is interplaying this triple agent
Speaker 1: role with the government, with the narcos and with the
Speaker 1: United States. Well you know we're going to be looking
Speaker 1: into that next but for now it's time to say salude.
Speaker 2: This is the end of this season of USA.
Speaker 1: Versus Garcia Luna.
Speaker 3: Oh my god, zalualu.
Speaker 1: And that, dear listener, is it asta la proxima in
Speaker 1: a Yes, Usa Versus Garcia Luna is an original production
Speaker 1: by Futuu Investigates in collaboration with Latino USA. Lamonada Media
Speaker 1: is our advertising and distribution partner. Our hosts are yours Truly,
Speaker 1: Mariano Jos and Bennie Ramirez, executive producers of the Investigations
Speaker 1: and Special Projects division of Futuro Media. Our episode was
Speaker 1: produced by Guandio Ramirez. Our series is edited by Andrea
Speaker 1: Lopez Cruzado. Our associate producer is Roxanna Guire and fact
Speaker 1: checking by Arturo ahel Nancy Trujillo is our project manager.
Speaker 1: This episode was mixed by Stephanie Lebou, Julia Caruso and
Speaker 1: gabriel A Byez Music and scoring by Jacob Rosati. Our
Speaker 1: series is made possible with the support from the W. K.
Speaker 1: Kellogg Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Tao Foundation, and
Speaker 1: Hispanics in Philanthropy. Remember you can listen to any episodes
Speaker 1: of USA Versus Garzialuna today wherever you get your podcasts,
Speaker 1: or go to our website at futuro Investigates dot org.
Speaker 1: Visit there to find more information on USA Versus Garzia, Luna,
Speaker 1: Gracias e Chao Chao