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4 Chavez Spies Charged in Miami/ Chavez Bought Argentina Elections
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by mpress | December 13, 2007 at 05:32 am
3719 views | 27 Recommendations | 13 comments
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Update: Charged with failing to register with the U.S. as an agent of a foreign
power are Venezuelan citizens Moises Roman Majonica, 36; Franklin
Duran, 40; and Carlos Kauffmann, 35; and Uruguayan citizen Rodolfo
Wanseele, 40. All will remain in custody pending a bail hearing Monday,
with pleas set to be entered on Dec. 28.
If convicted, the men each face up to 10 years in federal prison and $250,000 in fines.A fifth man is still being sought, but it is not the man who brought the suitcase, Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson.A spokesman said the Argentine president's office had no information about the charges in Miami."We
don't have the slightest idea. We're going to look into it," said an
official at the office who asked not to be identified.There was no immediate comment from the Venezuelan government, which has previously denied any link to Antonini.
Federal prosecutors dropped a bombshell in a federal courtroom in Miami on Wednesday, alleging for the first time that the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez secretly tried to funnel nearly $1 million in cash to the presidential campaign of newly elected Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.The accusation came during a hasty hearing for four foreign nationals — including two wealthy South Florida Venezuelans. Each is charged with being unregistered foreign agents for the Venezuelan government.
Their mission from the Chávez government, prosecutors say: to hush up a local Venezuelan man who was caught in August with a suitcase full of campaign cash as he arrived at a Buenos Aires airport with a high-ranking Argentine official. They pressured him not to reveal the source of the cash or its recipient.
”The money was meant for the campaign of Cristina Kirchner,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Mulvihill told U.S. Magistrate Robert Dube. “These defendants were instructed to keep the role of Venezuela in the matter quiet.”
Source: MH
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (13)
at 06:44 on December 13th, 2007
mpress, thanks for getting this story out so quickly. It will now show up on the home page for four hours. If new developments justify it, I'll renew this flag for another cycle.
Wow, if true this is really an incredible story. Unfortunately not surprising though.
Some more information here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/13/america/LA-GEN-Venezuela-Cash-Suitcase.php
U.S. prosecutors said a suitcase filled with nearly US$800,000
(€545,000) was a campaign contribution from the Venezuelan government
to the woman inaugurated this week as Argentina's president. Officials
in both South American countries denounced the charges as political.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-suitcase13dec13,1,1475479.story?coll=la-news-a_section&ctrack=1&cset=true
U.S. authorities have charged five foreign men as unregistered
Venezuelan agents in connection with an alleged scheme to smuggle
$800,000 to the election campaign of newly inaugurated Argentine
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, federal officials in Miami
said Wednesday.
at 06:59 on December 13th, 2007
Thanks for the input Rob...
at 08:30 on December 13th, 2007
mpress, good stuff.
Not surprising. My guess is that there will be more to come.
at 08:40 on December 13th, 2007
mpress, very good stuff! I think this is only the tip of the Chavez power ploys.
at 12:21 on December 13th, 2007
mpress, Good stuff. Seems while the rest of the world was asleep Chavez used his new 30 minutes to commit some crimes. It is obvious that his righteous Socialist agenda is imploding because of his power hungry ways. He is no Simon Bolivar and it is an insult for him to suggest that his intentions are a legacy of such a man.
at 12:57 on December 13th, 2007
Indeed, there's no truth in advertising: the package says "Socialist", but the product is oh-so-populist-unfriendly! Regardless of one's take on socialism, it seems clear that Chavez ain't it.
at 18:22 on December 13th, 2007
More often than not, socialism quickly turns into despotism.
at 13:25 on December 13th, 2007
mpress, thanks for posting this. Great discussion piece, as we can see with the comments. Good stuff.
at 19:26 on December 13th, 2007
Why would a man like Hugo Chavez, obviously a very intelligent man, send agents and cash to Miami to get something done in Argentina? Is that where Argentina is run from? It sounds like the kind of mistake Americans would make with their knowledge of geography and world affairs. Does that mean we'll have a roster of U.S. agents around the world? I'd love to meet one.:) Don't get me wrong, I love Americans and Hollywood movies, and I still drive American cars.:)
at 05:08 on December 14th, 2007
candidusmaximus as an American who knows my geography and world affairs I resent those childish remarks about us, are we in high school here? Don't get me wrong I love Canadians and Canadian movies too but I do not drive a Canadian car.....
at 10:07 on December 14th, 2007
Actually you may be driving a Canadian car if it's an American brand, the Auto Pact you know?
Please don't take this personally mpress, I'm sure you know your geography and world affairs, but you also know that some whose job it is to know in your country don't. When they drag the whole world and Americans, my favourite people, into a stupid mess that they don't know how to get out of on the other side of the world, I think you deserve better.
Coming back to the story, don't you think it odd that the people alleged to be rigging the Argentine elections are in Miami thousand of miles away from the crime scene? I'm asking this as one amateur journalist to another. Let's call it CSI Vancouver.
Take care
at 10:26 on December 14th, 2007
The money was confiscated in Argentina. The man delivering the money lives in Miami and the Chavez agents were in Miami warning the money man not to talk or his family would be in danger..
at 15:07 on December 14th, 2007
moonwolf you base your points on speculation without fact. The fact is these men are being charged with crimes, that is a fact. They are Venezuelan Nationals. The money was confiscated in Argentina that is also a fact. The President of Argentina will not confess that the money was for her, that would be the end of her if she does. It all depends who one believes. I live in South Florida and and I am not a fan of Chavez or Fidel so my bias is to not believe anything Chavez or Fidel say. Others may feel they can trust what Chavez or Fidel say it is what it is....mpress