Clinton Scandal Returns: Foreign Donor Faces Charges in U.S.

Mark B. Jimenez provided crucial testimony that led to the overthrow of a world leader. Jimenez fingered Philippine President Joseph Estrada in a series of bribery scandals that pointed directly toward Beijing and the Chinese Triad organized crime syndicates.

In the end, the Philippine president could not withstand the allegations. He left the office in disgrace.

Jimenez arrived Sunday in the United States, where he is rumored to be ready to testify against Bill Clinton.

In 1999, Jiminez, a Miami businessman, was charged with 17 counts of making illegal contributions to then-President Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign. Jimenez is accused of passing $50,000 in illegal contributions to the Democratic National Committee and of $33,500 in donations to campaign committees.

Jimenez reportedly donated the $50,000 to Clinton's re-election campaign immediately after attending a Feb. 6, 1996 coffee at the White House.

While Florida court records say his contributions to the Clinton/Gore campaign were only $50,000, the Associated Press has cited U.S. Secret Service records showing that Jimenez was invited to the White House 12 times between 1994 and 1996. Photos made available to the press by Jimenez showed him dining with Bill and Hillary Clinton.

"Rep. Jimenez has voluntarily relinquished his right to fight the extradition proceedings," stated Jimenez's lawyer, Abbe Lowell. "He was not extradited."

Curiously, Lowell has defended high-ranking Democrats before. Lowell recently defended U.S. Rep. Gary Condit after the disappearance of murdered intern Chandra Levy. Lowell was also the leading Democrat lawyer for the House Judiciary Committee during the Clinton impeachment hearings.

Perhaps Jimenez should consider Lowell's record of defending the Democrat president of lying to a federal judge. Jimenez's pick for his lead defense attorney does raise the question of whether Lowell is defending Jimenez or Bill Clinton.

Jimenez is the former chief executive of Future Tech International Inc., a distributor of computer components and peripherals in Miami. In 1999, he was charged with conspiring with his company and others to impede the Federal Election Commission in its role as regulator of federal election laws.

The federal grand jury indictment charged that Jimenez then reimbursed donors who made contributions to Clinton and other Democrat candidates. According to the indictment, the straw donors were employees of Future Tech and of Mark Vision Computer, a Miami company owned by a close relative of Jimenez.

The employees were paid for their contributions through the Future Tech and Mark Vision payrolls and later reimbursed by Jimenez. The grand jury charged that the straw contributions to the Clinton campaign totaled $23,000 and were made in connection with a Sept. 19, 1995, fund-raiser at the Sheraton Bal Harbor in Miami.

Jimenez, who was born in the Philippines as Mario Betacan Crespo, disappeared from South Florida in early 1998 while a Washington grand jury was investigating his fund-raising schemes. The 1999 indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, charged Jimenez with using straw donors to make contributions to the candidates.

"We are not letting up," Attorney General Janet Reno said when she announced the indictment.

Despite the bold statements, the Reno led Justice Department was not eager to bring Jimenez to the U.S. and did not press for an interview with the fugitive.

Jimenez reportedly fled the United States and sought refuge in the Philippines. Jimenez then used his influence inside the Philippine government to obtain access to then-President Joseph Estrada. Estrada later appointed Jimenez to be his adviser on South America.

Estrada would later regret his close association. Jimenez provided key testimony against him in corruption scheme worth millions of dollars. Estrada would finally resign from office and flee the country amid the allegations.

Evidence obtained from Jimenez and his records in the Philippines linked illegal payments to Estrada to business partners of Moctar Riady of the Lippo Group and Chinese billionaire Li Ka-Shing. The payments reportedly totaled over $20 million.

Jimenez also managed to get himself elected to office, despite the illegal payments and the resignation of Estrada.

Jimenez has been accused of laundering money in the Philippines for the Colombian cocaine cartel. U.S. officials are reported to be very interested in Jimenez's dealings with various officials in South America.

Philippine sources indicated that U.S. officials did not openly accuse Jimenez of being involved in smuggling but wanted to pressure him into telling exactly what he does know.

The Florida court indictment papers say Jimenez set up several layers of companies as well. He created Mark Vision Holdings Inc., with headquarters in the British Virgin Islands, to conduct the same business that his Florida based Future Tech did in South America.

Jimenez also set up two subsidiaries in Uruguay: MarkVision International Inc. and Mark Vision Zona Franca. Court documents also mention Kalisol, S.A., an Uruguay-based marketing firm purportedly owned by a Jimenez in-law, but which Jimenez allegedly controlled. Kalisol, along with Future Tech, figure prominently in the U.S. extradition papers on Jimenez.

Future Tech, in which Jimenez was majority owner and chief executive officer, had a contract with Quantum Corp. that called for the latter to reimburse the former for advertising expenses.

However, Jimenez allegedly created false advertising expenses, using the Jimenez-controlled Kalisol firm in Uruguay. These fake expenses were then submitted to Quantum. In so doing, Jimenez reportedly defrauded Quantum out of about $600,000.

During 1995 and 1996, Jimenez also allegedly transferred over $5,000,000 of Future Tech money out of the United States for himself. Jimenez reportedly then filed false tax returns, listing the money as advertising expenses.

Jimenez's return to the U.S. may have been driven by the desire to remain out of a Philippine prison, which is no where near the standard of the American jail system. Jimenez could get several years in U.S. prison if convicted of the illegal campaign contributions and money-laundering charges.

Bill Clinton, however, will remain free unless Jimenez gives some damning evidence. Hillary, of course, will remain silent about the illegal contributions except to call them another right-wing conspiracy.

Bill Clinton and illegal donations used to be old news in Washington, a town driven by fresh daily scandals. However, instead of fading into history, Clinton's foreign fund-raising follies have returned to U.S. shores.

Associated Press has cited U.S. Secret Service records showing that Jimenez was invited to the White House 12 times between 1994 and 1996.

When was ex42 taking care of the country? Oh, that wasn't important....stock market was up.

In the picture it is hard to figure out which one of them is the biggest procurer of vice! All three have pretty impressive credentials.

Jimenez arrived Sunday in the United States, where he is rumored to be ready to testify against Bill Clinton.

Photos made available to the press by Jimenez showed him dining with Bill and Hillary Clinton.

I wonder if Jiminez is going to be found dead all of a suddent like all the other friends of Bill (FOB disease). I also hope that this might finally destroy Hillary's career. She has to be found guilty of something. It is pretty obvious whether we talk about billing records, her trading in cattle futures, the FBI files, travel-gate, or a host of other things (including Vince Foster) that the Lady's fingerprints were all over all kinds of illegal things and yet no one ever has indicted her. How strange?

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