Posted on 12/29/2002 10:03:02 PM PST by HAL9000
Suspect in Clinton-era scandal returns to Miami to face charges
MIAMI (AP) -- A wealthy Filipino businessman-turned-congressman accused of making illegal contributions to the Democratic Party returned to the U.S. on Sunday, accompanied by U.S. marshals to face an indictment in Miami.
Mark B. Jimenez, 55, arrived at Miami International Airport aboard a United Airlines flight at 6 p.m. after a two-day stay in Guam. He was immediately taken by U.S. Marshals to the Federal Detention Center in Miami, said a pilot, who declined to be identified. Jimenez was scheduled to be processed and spend the night at the detention center.
Jimenez is expected to make an initial appearance on Monday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Ted Bandstra. Defense lawyers in Miami filed a motion Friday seeking Jimenez's release on $100,000 bond.
Abbe Lowell, Jimenez' attorney, did not immediately return a phone call to his home Sunday.
Facing a U.S. extradition request, Jimenez voluntarily left the Philippines on Thursday to respond to the indictment produced by a federal task force investigating money illegally funneled to top Democrats.
Jimenez was flown to Guam Friday, and Philippine vice consul Charmaine Aviquivil told ABS-CBN television that Jimenez would spend the night at a federal facility and undergo a medical examination for sleep apnea.
Two Filipino congressmen, Reps. Willie Villarama and Prospero Pichay, awaited Jimenez's arrival at the airport. They had traveled with Jimenez to Guam and complained that they were mislead by federal agents when Jimenez was not on their flight to the United States on Friday.
Jimenez, Florida's largest donor to the national Democratic Party in 1996, was among at least 28 people charged by a Justice Department task force created by then-U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno in 1997 to investigate allegations of campaign violations.
In the other cases, 22 people were convicted, two are fugitives, one was acquitted, one was fined by the Federal Election Commission and another case is pending.
In its indictment, the U.S. government accused Jimenez of using corporate money to reimburse employees for illegal donations to Clinton and other candidates. Donors were employees of Future Tech International Inc., a Miami computer parts distribution business owned by Jimenez, and Mark Vision Computer, another Miami company owned by a relative.
Jimenez was accused of illegally routing $50,000 to the Democratic National Committee and $33,500 in donations to campaign committees.
The indictment also charged Jimenez with corporate fraud and tax evasion stemming from personal business dealings unrelated to the fund-raising allegations. He is accused of defrauding the IRS by taking business deductions for personal expenses and political contributions made with money from Future Tech.
From 1994 to 1996, the money went to Clinton, U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy and Robert Torricelli, U.S. Senate candidates Roger Bedford in Alabama and Thomas Strickland in Colorado, and U.S. House candidate Ann Henry in Arkansas, the indictment said.
As a citizen of the Philippines, Jimenez could not legally contribute to American political campaigns.
Jimenez left the United States in 1998 and was labeled a fugitive after the indictment was issued in Miami the following year.
In Manila, Jimenez became an adviser to Philippine President Joseph Estrada and helped broker several large business deals before the two had a falling out. He was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives in 2001 and exhausted his legal appeals challenging extradition earlier this month.
Days before his court-ordered departure, Jimenez sued the justice minister and two other people. Jimenez accused them of extorting $2 million from him last year so that he wouldn't have to testify against Estrada, who was ousted in 2001.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Too bad that AG Ashcroft disbanded that task force after getting into office. Too bad that Ashcroft made the head of that task force, Robert Conrad, who had told Reno to appoint an IC to investigate Gore, a US Attorney in NC rather than keeping him on the campaign finance job. Too bad that there is likely to be no pressure on this criminal to give up some higher ups.
Too bad that dealing with corruption in government, at least in the matter of the criminal conspiracy led by the Clintons, is unimportant to Bush and Ashcroft as we 'move on'.
Too bad.
Why should he? Campaign finance criminals just get a slap of the wrist and never talk. Between Abbe Lowell and the disinterest of the Bush/Ashcroft gang with respect to government corruption, he has little to fear.
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