BYVMS/EP-T"DA Saenz named in Lucio case Convict testifies he bribed the then-special prosecutor with $1,00 Cameron County DA Luis Saenz Posted: Wednesday, August 7, 2013 11:21 pm By EMMA PEREZ-TREVINO Valley Morning Star CORPUS CHRISTI — A witness in the government’s case against attorney Eduardo “Eddie” Lucio testified Wednesday that he bribed now-Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz with $1,000 for favorable resolution of criminal cases against him when Saenz was a special prosecutor under then-DA Armando R. Villalobos. Government witness Carlos Justino Ramos said that Villalobos had appointed Saenz as special prosecutor on two criminal cases that Ramos had in state district courts several years ago. Lucio was Ramos’ attorney on the cases. For his part, Saenz told the Valley Morning Star late Wednesday that he couldn’t say much because Lucio’s defense attorneys have subpoenaed him to testify in Lucio’s trial. Saenz, who took office as district attorney in January this year, did say, however, that Ramos, “is a scumbag liar and I wish I could tell him to his face.” Ramos testified that he had helped Villalobos in his campaign for district attorney, at his law office too, and that Villalobos subsequently employed him at the DA’s Office. “He created a position for me,” Ramos said, adding that to this date, “I don’t know what it was.” Ramos testified that he gave the cash to Saenz on the second floor of the Cameron County Courthouse by a justice of the peace office toward resolving the two cases involving theft of a vehicle and theft by deception. “He really didn’t say anything,” Ramos said of Saenz. “He just smiled at me,” Ramos added. Ramos also testified that he made two payments to Villalobos of $1,500 and $2,000. One of the cases was dismissed and a probationary sentence came on the other, testimony showed. Ramos also testified that he paid Lucio $500 on a forfeiture-related case. Ramos’ testimony, which was elicited by Lucio’s defense attorney Luis M. Avila, came during an unscheduled hearing Wednesday outside the presence of the jury, which had been released for the day due to equipment failure. “No comment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Wynne said after Ramos’ time on the stand, including testimony that Ramos paid now-444th District Judge David Sanchez $1,000. Sanchez was the special prosecutor that Villalobos appointed to handle a request by Ramos to have a conviction expunged. Ramos testified that he paid Sanchez not to challenge his request, which was before ex-404th District Judge Abel C. Limas. Ramos also testified that Villalobos knew that he, Ramos, was involved in drug-trafficking. He also testified that Villalobos told him that they both could make extra money by referring cases to Lucio. Federal prosecutors had previously disclosed the alleged payment from Ramos to Sanchez, who did not respond to requests for comment at the time. Wynne and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Surovic are requesting that Ramos’ testimony be admitted, contending that it shows motive, opportunity, intent, plan and absence of mistake, furthering the alleged conspiracy involving Villalobos, Lucio and Limas. “Lucio profited,” Wynne told the court. “It doesn’t take long to connect that together,” he added. “(Ramos) paid for a result and he got it,” Wynne said. Presiding U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen said he expected to make a ruling today. Ramos, who is under federal custody on a drug-trafficking conviction, serving a six-year sentence, arrived shackled into the courtroom in an orange prison jumpsuit. His arms were released from restraint at Hanen’s direction. On questions that Avila posed, Ramos testified that he contacted federal prosecutors and investigators sometime last year to tell them what he knew, that he does not have any agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, that federal prosecutors have not offered him any deal and that he hasn’t asked for anything in return. Ramos said he contacted officials because everybody else was getting arrested and he wanted to let them know what he had done, “since I already was doing my time.” Ramos also said that he never saw Lucio giving money to Villalobos or visa versa. ON TWITTER: Follow Emma’s BLOW-BY-BLOW coverage @StarEmmaPT
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 00:47:34 +0000
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