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USA V. GARCÍA LUNA

EPISODE 13. 38 YEARS FOR A DOUBLE LIFE

PRODUCED BY FUTURO INVESTIGATES AND LATINO USA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEMONADA MEDIA. 

[FUTURO SONIC ID]

[FUTURO INVESTIGATES SONIC ID]

PENILEY: HOLA, BUENOS DÍAS. BUENOS DÍAS. CÓMO ESTÁN? OH, QUÉ FRÍO. IT’S TOTALLY A DEJA VU.

MARIA: IT’S COLD, AND THE REASON WHY IT’S COLD IS BECAUSE IT’S OCTOBER, AND NONE OF US HAVE OUR WINTER COATS OUT. WE’RE STILL THINKING IT’S GONNA BE LIKE NICE

PENILEY: LAS PIERNAS, TENGO FRIO. THERE IS NO ONE HERE. WOW.

MARIA: HERE WE ARE. I’M MARIA HINOJOSA.

PENILEY: AND I AM PENILEY RAMIREZ AND TODAY WE DON’T HAVE TEQUILITA.

MARIA: WE DON’T HAVE TAQUILITA, BUT WE’VE GOT A GREAT SHOW FOR YOU. THERE’S A LOT OF NEWS.

SO IT’S 7 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING, AND WE’RE IN FRONT OF THE BROOKLYN FEDERAL COURTHOUSE. SO WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT TODAY PENILEY? I MEAN, YOU’VE BEEN COVERING GARCÍA LUNA FOR OVER A DECADE. I MEAN, THIS IS REALLY, I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT IT’S KIND OF LIKE THE NAIL IN THE COFFIN FOR HIS CASE.

PENILEY: YEAH. SO, HE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR MORE THAN A YEAR BECAUSE HE WAS CONVICTED LAST YEAR. IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMIND OUR LISTENERS THAT THIS IS NOT STAND ALONE CASE. IT’S PART OF A SERIES OF CASES THAT HAVE BEEN IN COURT. ALL OF THEM IN FRONT OF THE SAME JUDGE, STARTING WITH EL CHAPO GUZMÁN TRIAL, THEN GARCIA LUNA TRIAL. AND AFTER THIS ONE, WE HAVE ANOTHER MAJOR TRIAL THAT IS THE TRIAL OF ISMAEL ELMAYO ZAMBADA.

IT’S A SERIES OF TRIALS THAT ARE FOCUSING ON THE SINALOA CARTEL AND THIS ONE IS PARTICULARLY SPECIAL BECAUSE IT’S THE ONLY ONE INVOLVING A HIGH LEVEL PERSON WHO WAS WORKING FOR THE CARTEL AND AT THE SAME TIME WAS WORKING WITH THE AMERICANS AND WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT.

MARIA: SO SOMETHING BIG HAS HAPPENED, AND THAT’S THE DAY BEFORE THE SENTENCING, GARCÍA LUNA ACTUALLY SENDS A LETTER TO THE JUDGE? WHAT IS THIS LETTER ABOUT?

PENILEY: SO IN THIS LETTER, HE SAID THAT HE COMES FROM A HUMBLE FAMILY IN MEXICO. HE HAS BEEN DEVOTING ALL HIS LIFE TO THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT AND THE MEXICAN PEOPLE. BASICALLY, HE’S TRYING TO SAY, I’M A GOOD GUY. I SHOULD NOT BE HERE. HE EVEN SAID THAT TWO OF HIS BROTHERS DIED WHILE HE HAS BEEN IN PRISON FROM COVID.

AND HE SAID THAT HE WISHES TO GO BACK TO HIS LOVING FAMILY. SO HE’S ASKING THE JUDGE TO CONSIDER ALL OF THAT WHEN SENTENCING HIM.

MARIA: ANOTHER BIG DEVELOPMENT HAS HAPPENED DURING THE TIME THAT GARCIA LUNA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY AND WAITING THE SENTENCING. HE WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO PAY PEOPLE INSIDE THE BROOKLYN FEDERAL DETENTION FACILITY. SO HE’S ACTUALLY DOING THE SAME THING THAT HE’S BEEN ACCUSED OF USING POWER MONEY AND INFLUENCE, RIGHT? IN A CRIMINAL WAY, AND NOT A GOOD LOOK, GARCIA LUNA, THAT YOU NOW HAVE BEEN FOUND OUT TO BE DOING THE SAME THING WHILE YOU’RE BEING HELD IN DETENTION.

PENILEY: AND ALSO, ONE OTHER QUESTION IS ABOUT THE MONEY, BECAUSE YOU SAID THAT YOU DIDN’T HAVE EVEN MONEY TO HIRE A LAWYER AND THEN YOU HAVE 2 MILLION TO PAY A FELLOW INMATE TO SIGN AN AFFIDAVIT ON YOUR BEHALF TO TALK HIGHLY ABOUT YOU. SO WHAT IS THAT MONEY COMING FROM? IS THAT MONEY FROM THE BRIBES? IS THAT MONEY FROM CORRUPTION IN MEXICO? THIS IS OPENING A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF WHAT GARCÍA LUNA HAS BEEN DOING WHILE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

CHANTS OUTSIDE THE COURT HOUSE

PENILEY: WE’RE JUST COMING OUT OF THE COURTHOUSE RIGHT NOW. SO NOW WE KNOW HOW MUCH TIME HE’S GONNA SPEND IN PRISON. WE CAN TELL YOU IT’S NOT THE MINIMUM, BUT IT’S NOT THE MAXIMUM.

MARIA: THE SAGA CONTINUES.

PENILEY: THE SENTENCING HEARING. IT WAS LONG, IT WAS MORE THAN AN HOUR, AND GARCIA LUNA SPOKE, THE DEFENSE SPOKE, THE PROSECUTORS SPOKE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, JUDGE BRIAN COGAN SPOKE DIRECTLY TO GARCIA LUNA AND TOLD HIM DIRECTLY WHAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT THE THINGS THAT HE HAD BEEN DOING FOR YEARS.

AND I THINK THAT FOR US, FOR OUR COVERAGE, WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THE DOUBLE LIFE CONCEPT THAT WE HAVE BEEN SAYING IN OUR PODCAST FROM DAY ONE, WHICH IS HE WAS WORKING WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO, WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES. AND AT THE SAME TIME, HE WAS WORKING WITH THE CARTEL. HE HAS BEEN LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE FOR MANY YEARS, AND EVEN WHEN INCARCERATED IN THE UNITED STATES.

MARIA: I MEAN, WHAT WAS KIND OF EXTRAORDINARY FOR ME, I ALSO THOUGHT THAT HE WAS GOING TO GET LIFE. I MEAN, IT COMES OUT TO JUST UNDER 40 YEARS. HE’S 56 YEARS OLD. THAT, THAT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD IN TERMS OF, OF NUMBERS, ACTUAL NUMBERS. HE COULD GET OUT ON GOOD BEHAVIOR, BUT I THINK THE BIG MESSAGE HERE WAS THE JUDGE LECTURING, LITERALLY LECTURING GARCIA LUNA AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, I THINK IF YOU WERE TO TAKE A POLYGRAPH AND IF YOU’RE ASKED THE QUESTION, IF YOU BELIEVE IN LAWS, YOU WOULD PASS, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU HAVE CONVINCED YOURSELF THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT. AND I THINK IF HE ACTUALLY BELIEVED IN LAWS. THEN HE WOULD HAVE SAID, I HAVE TO TAKE THE JUDGMENT OF THIS COURT AND I HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN THE LAWS. AND THEREFORE I’M SORRY FOR WHATEVER YOU THINK I DID. I’M SORRY. NO REMORSE, DOUBLE LIFE. AND I THINK THE CLINCHER AT THE END WHEN THE JUDGE SAYS, AND LET’S NOT FORGET THE PROSECUTION HAS PROOF THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO BRIBE PEOPLE INSIDE THE DETENTION FACILITY WHERE YOU ARE BEING HELD RIGHT NOW, CASE IN POINT, YOU’RE LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE. IT WAS FASCINATING.

PENILEY: AND NOW THE FIRST FINE THAT HE GETS FROM THE JUDGE IS 2 MILLION THAT HE NEEDS TO PAY IMMEDIATELY AND HE’S GOING TO BE LIVING IN A FEDERAL PRISON FOR AT LEAST, AT LEAST 25 OF THOSE 38 YEARS, WHICH MEANS THAT MOST OF HIS LIFE IS GOING TO BE IN PRISON. AND THE JUDGE SAID CLEARLY THAT ONCE HE’S RELEASED, HE NEEDS TO GO BACK TO MEXICO.

MARIA: HE WILL BE TAKEN BACK TO MEXICO.

I DO THINK IT’S INTERESTING THAT YOU COULD SAY THAT THIS WAS A WIN FOR GARCÍA LUNA. WHAT WAS IT, 460 MONTHS? THAT IMMEDIATELY SENT ALL THE JOURNALISTS WHO WERE LIKE, OH MY GOD, 460 MONTHS, WHAT THE HELL IS IT, PLUS ANOTHER SIX MONTHS OR ETC. BUT IT WASN’T LIFE. THAT IS A HUGE STATEMENT. I ALSO FOUND IT INTERESTING FOR JUDGE COGAN TO JUST KIND OF BE LIKE, HEY, I KNOW ABOUT CARTELS NOW. I KNOW HOW THE ENABLERS WORK. AND THAT’S WHAT YOU WERE. YOU DIDN’T PULL EVERY SINGLE TRIGGER, BUT IT COULD NOT HAVE EXISTED WITHOUT YOU.

PENILEY: EXACTLY. A HIGH LEVEL ENABLER THAT HELPED THE SINALOA CARTEL TO REALLY DO ALL THE HORRIBLE THINGS THEY HAVE BEEN DOING, INCLUDING BRINGING SO MANY TONS OF DRUGS TO THIS COUNTRY THAT HAVE BEEN CAUSING THE DEATHS OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS.

MARIA: EXCEPT THAT THE JUDGE CHASTISED THE PROSECUTION IN SAYING YOU CANNOT HOLD GARCIA LUNA ACCOUNTABLE FOR ALL OF THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DEATHS.YOU CAN’T DO THAT AND SHOULDN’T DO THAT BUT I THINK IN TERMS OF GARCÍA LUNA, THIS IS A WIN. THIS IS NOT LIFE IN PRISON. THEY WILL APPEAL NOW, THEY DID A FINAL REQUEST TO PUT HIM IN A FEDERAL FACILITY NEAR WASHINGTON, D. C.

PENILEY: AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE THAT’S WHERE HER DAUGHTER LIVES AND WHERE CURRENTLY THE WIFE LIVES.

MARIA: HIS WIFE DID COME BETTER DRESSED, AND APPARENTLY SHE WAS CARRYING A KATE SPADE BAG. BEFORE, SHE WOULD COME LOOKING LIKE SHE WAS DRESSED OUT OF FIND THE DIME STORE, AND SO THAT WAS ANOTHER SURPRISING THING THAT THE JUDGE SAID. HE’S LIKE I KNOW THERE’S HIDDEN MONEY SOMEPLACE, WHICH IS WHY YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY 2 MILLION DOLLARS.

PENILEY: AND ALSO GARCIA LUNA IS NOT DONE BECAUSE AS YOU WILL HEAR IN THE REST OF THIS EPISODE, HE HAD OTHER TRIALS, OTHER CASES.

MARIA: AND NOW LET’S GO BACK INTO THE STUDIO WHERE IT’S NICE AND TOASTY AND WARM.

MARIA: HEY, DEAR LISTENER. SO WE’RE BACK IN THE STUDIO BUT IF YOU THINK DE QUE THE SAGA ENDS FOR GARCIA LUNA RIGHT HERE, WELL IT DOESN’T AND THAT’S BECAUSE HE IS STILL FACING THREE, YES, ONE, TWO, THREE MORE CASES IN MEXICO AND ANOTHER ONE PENDING IN FLORIDA.

PENILEY: YES, MARIA. I’M PARTICULARLY EXCITED ABOUT THE ONE IN FLORIDA BECAUSE IT IS NOT ANOTHER USA VERSUS GARCIA LUNA CASE. THIS ONE IS A UNITED MEXICAN STATES. SO MEXICO VERSUS GARCIA LUNA, BUT IN MIAMI.

MARIA: I LOVE THE FACT THAT PENI’S LIKE, I’M EXCITED ABOUT THIS TRIAL. AND THAT’S BECAUSE I MEAN, PENI, YOUR INVESTIGATIVE WORK WAS KEY TO ACTUALLY GETTING THIS TO TRIAL. SO OBVIO DE QUE YOU HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT THIS.

PENILEY: BECAUSE AS YOU SAID, I HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING FOR YEARS THIS, YOU KNOW, MOVEMENT OF GARCÍA LUNA TO MIAMI. IT WAS MORE THAN A DECADE AGO, AND I WAS PUBLISHING MY FIRST STORY ABOUT GARCÍA LUNA, AND BASICALLY THE STORY WAS REVEALING THAT HE WAS MOVING TO MIAMI, AND IN THAT STORY I EXPLAIN HOW GARCIA LUNA WAS PART OF THIS COMPLICATED SCHEME THAT I DID NOT UNDERSTAND MYSELF BACK THEN ABOUT COMPANIES AND PROPERTIES. AND THEN FAST FORWARD TO SEPTEMBER OF 2021. SO THREE YEARS AGO, THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT FILED A LAWSUIT IN MIAMI, AND THIS LAWSUIT IS STILL UNDER COURT REVIEW.

MARIA: SO, DEAR LISTENER, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS MIAMI CASE IN THE PODCAST BEFORE, RIGHT. BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T REMEMBER, THIS IS THE CASE THAT INVOLVED MEMBERS OF A MEXICAN BUSINESS FAMILY, LOS WEINBERGS, SAMUEL WEINBERG, AND HIS SON, JONATHAN WEINBERG, AND THEY WERE BUSINESS ASSOCIATES OF GARCIA LUNA. AND IS IT LIKE THAT JONATHAN WEINBERG?

PENILEY: ACTUALLY, HIS FULL NAME IS JONATHAN ALEXIS WEINBERG PINTO. AND IN MY INVESTIGATION, I FOUND THAT THE WEINBERG FAMILY WERE SUPPORTING GARCIA LUNA AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY PAYING FOR THE LIFESTYLE THAT GARCIA LUNA WAS HAVING IN MIAMI.

YOU KNOW, THIS LUXURY LIFESTYLE OF HOUSES AND CONDOS AND CARS AND EVERYTHING.

MARIA: AND A YACHT.

PENILEY: SO THE THING IS THAT I WAS INVESTIGATING THE CASE AND THEN THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT FOUND AND CONFIRMED THAT GARCIA LUNA WAS TAKING BRIBES, ALLEGEDLY, IN EXCHANGE FOR 30 SECURITY GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS WHEN GARCIA LUNA WAS IN OFFICE IN MEXICO AND EVEN AFTER HE WAS OUT OF OFFICE AND HE BECAME LIKE KIND OF ASSOCIATES WITH THE WEINBERGS. SO WHY? THIS CASE THAT IS MAINLY DUE TO CONTRACTS IN MEXICO, ET CETERA, IS NOW IN MIAMI.

MARIA: I MEAN, HOW IS IT THAT THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IS SUING SOMEBODY LIVING? HE HAS RESIDENCY IN THE UNITED STATES. SO HOW ARE THEY ABLE TO DO THIS?

PENILEY: WELL, BASICALLY WHAT THEY ARE ALLEGING IS THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IS THAT THE CONTRACTS HAPPEN IN MEXICO. THE PAYMENTS FOR THOSE CONTRACTS HAPPEN ALSO IN MEXICO, BUT THE PROPERTIES WERE BOUGHT IN MIAMI. THEREFORE, THE MONEY WAS QUOTE UNQUOTE LAUNDERED IN MIAMI. SO THEREFORE TO RECOVER THE MONEY, THEY NEED TO GO TO A MIAMI COURT.

MARIA: HMM. OKAY. FASCINATING. AND OF COURSE, NOW WE KNOW MEXICO. WAS FOLLOWING THIS CASE SUPER CLOSELY, OSEA. THEY WERE WATCHING.

SANTIAGO NIETO CASTILLO: EL DINERO LO REMITÍAN TANTO EN NUMBA, QUE LLEGABA A PANAMÁ, DE PANAMÁ A ESTADOS UNIDOS, Y ERAN LAS EMPRESAS ENCARGADAS DE PAGAR EL NIVEL DE VIDA DE GARCÍA LUNA EN MIAMI.

PENILEY: YES, THIS IS SANTIAGO NIETO, AND HE WAS THE PERSON WITHIN THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT THAT STARTED, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING THE CASE. SO BEFORE THIS, IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, THIS JOURNALISTIC INVESTIGATION THAT I DID, AND SOME OTHER JOURNALISTS WERE ALSO INVESTIGATING HIM. BUT THEN BETWEEN 2019 AND 2021, SANTIAGO WAS THE HEAD OF THE MEXICAN FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT AND BASICALLY, HIS JOB WAS TO PREVENT AND PROSECUTE MONEY LAUNDERING.

MARIA: WELL, THAT’S A BIG JOB FOR ONE PERSON TO UNDERTAKE. OK, CONTINUE WITH THE STORY.

PENILEY: YEAH, SO HE WAS FOLLOWING DIFFERENT CASES OF MONEY LAUNDERING. AND FOR THIS CASE, NIETO TOLD ME THAT NOW THE WEINBERGS, WHO ARE ALSO DEFENDANTS IN THE MIAMI CASE, ARE COUNTER SUING HIM.

SANTIAGO NIETO CASTILLO: EL DESPACHO QUE ESTÁ DEFENDIÉNDOLO EN MEXICO Y EN MIAMI PRESENTÓ UNA DENUNCIA EN LA FISCALÍA ANTICORRUPCIÓN A CONTRA MÍ.

PENILEY: SO BASICALLY, SANTIAGO NIETO IS WORKING FOR THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. AFTER MY INVESTIGATION, HE PURSUES MORE INVESTIGATIVE WORK. HE SUES IN MIAMI AND THEN THE WEINBERGS ARE SUING HIM. AND THEY’RE ALLEGING THAT NIETO DID NOT HAVE THE POWER TO SIGN A CONTRACT TO HIRE A LAWYER IN THE UNITED STATES TO LITIGATE THE CASE AGAINST GARCIA LUNA AND THE WEINBERGS IN MIAMI.

MARIA: OH MY GOD. THIS IS WHY SOME PEOPLE HAVE A THING ABOUT LAWYERS BECAUSE CAN YOU IMAGINE THE LEVEL OF DETAIL AND LIKE COUNTER DETAIL AND CHESS MOVES TO COME UP WITH THIS?

SO THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IS ACCUSING GARCIA LUNA AND HIS ASSOCIATES, BY THE WAY, INCLUDING HIS WIFE, LINDA CRISTINA PEREIRA, AND WHAT THEY ARE ACCUSED OF IS USING MORE THAN 40, FOUR ZERO SHELL COMPANIES IN BARBADOS, IN PANAMA, AND IN THE UNITED STATES IN ORDER TO LAUNDER MONEY AND IN ORDER TO HIDE IT. SOME DIRTY MONEY. AND MEXICO IS SEEKING TO RECOVER. CHECK THIS OUT, AT LEAST 600 MILLION DOLLARS FROM GARCIA LUNA AND FROM THE WEINBERGS BECAUSE MEXICO SAYS, YOU KNOW, YOU STOLE THAT FROM MEXICO. WE WANT IT BACK.

PENILEY: YES, MARIA AND MY WHOLE WORK AROUND THIS STORY IS HERE. THAT’S WHAT I’M EXCITED BECAUSE MY FINDINGS WERE ALWAYS POINTING TO THE QUESTION, HOW GARCIA LUNA COULD MAKE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BY WORKING FOR THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. AND JUST, YOU KNOW, SHORTLY AFTER HE STOPPED WORKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT, IT’S JUST ABSURD. AND THAT’S BEEN MY QUESTION ALL THIS TIME.

SANTIAGO NIETO CASTILLO: TENÍA QUE VER, PUES, EVIDENTEMENTE, CON TODAS LAS CONTRATACIONES QUE HABÍA ÉL LLEVADO DESDE LA ÉPOCA DE SECRETARIO DE SEGURIDAD PÚBLICA. Y, POR SUPUESTO, EN LA ÉPOCA EN DONDE ERA CONTRATISTA DEL GOBIERNO DE PEÑA NIETO

PENILEY: SO FOR NIETO, THERE IS ONLY ONE EXPLANATION, THAT GARCÍA LUNA’S WEALTH HAD TO DO WITH THE MONEY HE MADE DURING THE FELIPE CALDERÓN’S ADMINISTRATION. SO WHEN HE WAS, YOU KNOW, THIS HIGH SECURITY BOSS, AND THEN WHEN HE BECAME A CONTRACTOR DURING THE ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO ADMINISTRATION, SO AFTER CALDERÓN.

MARIA: NOW, REMEMBER, DEAR LISTENER, WE ARE KIND OF ON UNCHARTERED TERRITORY HERE BECAUSE NO OTHER HIGH RANKING MEXICAN OFFICIAL HAS EVER BEEN TRIED IN THE U.S. YES, YOU HAD EL CHAPO, BUT HE WAS, IS A NARCOTRAFICANTE. THIS IS A HIGH RANKING MEXICAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL. AND, YOU KNOW, HE COULD IN FACT BE FACING A SECOND TRIAL. SO THIS REALLY IS LIKE NOTHING WE’VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.

PENILEY: BUT ALSO, NOT EVERYONE IN MEXICO IS SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS CASE OR THINKING THAT THIS CASE IS GOING TO HAVE A REAL RESULT.

LUIS FERNANDO GARCIA: I DON’T TRUST THAT THESE INVESTIGATIONS ARE REALLY ABOUT BRINGING JUSTICE, OTHER THAN TO USE GARCIA LUNA AS A POLITICAL PROP.

PENILEY: THAT WAS THE SECURITY EXPERT, LUIS FERNANDO GARCIA, AND HE HAS BEEN DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH ON GARCIA LUNA FOR R TRES D, R3D, A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION BASED IN MEXICO THAT DEFENDS THE DIGITAL RIGHTS.

LUIS FERNANDO GARCIA: I DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, ENDGAME OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IS OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT THEY ARE INTERESTED IN PROSECUTING HIM.

MARIA: TODAY, THERE IS A NEW PRESIDENT IN MEXICO. IT’S A WOMAN FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM JUST TOOK OFFICE. BUT HER PREDECESSOR, ANDRÉS MANUEL LÓPEZ OBRADOR, USED TO BRING UP GARCÍA LUNA AND THE CASE IN MIAMI DURING HIS MORNING PRESS BRIEFINGS. HE WOULD SAY HOW GARCÍA LUNA ENRICHED HIMSELF THROUGH FEDERAL SURVEILLANCE CONTRACTS.

AMLO: EN UN JUZGADO ESTAN LAS PRUEBAS DE FLORIDA, Y SI SON FLORIDA PORQUE AHI ESTAN LOS BIENES. Y ENTONCES RESOLVIO EL JUEZ EN FLORIDA QUE EL GOBIERNO DE MEXICO TENIA RAZON.

MARIA: AMLO’S GOVERNMENT ALSO SAID THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY RECOVERED ALMOST 2 MILLION FROM GARCÍA LUNA’S COMPANIES BASED IN MIAMI.

PENILEY: AND MARIA, WHEN I WAS DOING MY RESEARCH AT SOME POINT, I PARTNERED WITH LUIS FERNANDO GARCIA, AND WE INVESTIGATED TOGETHER SEVERAL OF THE CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE BEEN MENTIONING IN THIS SERIES, INCLUDING HIGH LEVEL SURVEILLANCE CONTRACTS. AND FOR EXAMPLE, LUIS FERNANDO AND HIS ORGANIZATION ACTUALLY HELPED ME TO SUCCESSFULLY FORCE DECLASSIFY SOME KEY CONTRACTS. AND THOSE CONTRACTS THEN HELPED ME TO PROVE THAT THE WEINBERG FAMILY WAS BENEFITTING FROM THE MEXICAN STATE THEREFORE THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT, WHILE GARCIA LUNA WAS IN OFFICE.

MARIA: SO LET’S JUST BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. SO BASICALLY GARCIA LUNA IS WORKING FOR THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT, BUT HE’S GOT THIS SIDE GIG GOING ON WHERE HE’S LIKE, HEY, YOU WANT TO, YOU WANT TO DO SOME CONTRACTS YOU WANT TO DO? LIKE, I’LL HELP YOU FIGURE THAT OUT. I GOT AN INSIDE LINE, ESSENTIALLY.

PENILEY: EXACTLY. SO THIS IS MY INVESTIGATION AND THIS IS WHAT IS NOW IN THE LAWSUIT. AND THIS IS APART FROM THE OTHER SIDE GIG THAT WAS HELPING EL CHAPO GUZMÁN.

MARIA: RIGHT. THE GUY WAS BUSY.

PENILEY: BUT ALSO FERNANDO TOLD US THAT EVEN FORMER PRESIDENT LÓPEZ OBRADOR’S GOVERNMENT WAS ALSO INTERSECTING PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS AND IT ALSO SIGNED BIG SURVEILLANCE CONTRACTS. AND HE TOLD US THAT THE MEXICAN MILITARY WAS MONITORING PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET AND CREATED PROFILES OF JOURNALISTS AND EVEN POLITICAL ADVERSARIES OF THE PRESIDENT. AT THE TIME, OF COURSE, LÓPEZ OBRADOR’S GOVERNMENT DENIED ALL OF THIS. HERE IS LUIS FERNANDO AGAIN.

LUIS FERNANDO GARCIA: IT’S A DREAM FOR ORGANIZED CRIME TO HAVE ALL THIS. GARCIA LUNA AND EL CHAPO AND ESCOBAR AND WHOEVER WOULD HAVE DREAMED TO HAVE ALL THE POWER THAT THE MEXICAN MILITARY HAS RIGHT NOW.

MARIA: I MEAN, THAT’S PRETTY SCARY STUFF RIGHT THERE. AND THE THING IS, YOU CAN’T REALLY END THIS DRUG TRAFFICKING THING THAT BRINGS AROUND ALL OF THIS CORRUPTION.

I MEAN, WE’RE REPORTING ON IT, BUT IT’S NOT LIKE IT CAN END JUST NOW. SO WHAT WE DO NEED TO DO IS TO CLOSE THE GARCÍA LUNA CHAPTER IN NEW YORK WHILE WE AWAIT WHAT HAPPENS IN MIAMI AND IN THE OTHER CASES IN MEXICAN COURTS. BECAUSE YES, THE SENTENCING HAS HAPPENED IN NEW YORK, BUT THIS GUY’S WORRIES ARE NOT OVER.

PENILEY: AND THE THING IS RIGHT NOW, MARIA, YOU KNOW, WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENED WITH GARCIA LUNA, BUT I WILL TELL YOU TODAY, I’M MORE INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING IF THERE ARE OTHER GARCIA LUNAS OUT THERE. IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT OTHER HIGH RANKING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM LATIN AMERICA HAS BEEN MANAGING MONEY FROM THE UNITED STATES.

AND AT THE SAME TIME HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND FOR THE NARCOS, AS WE SAW IN THE CASE OF GARCIA LUNA. SO WE KNOW THAT GARCIA LUNA IS FAR FROM BEING THE ONLY CASE. AND NOW I WANT TO INVESTIGATE THOSE OTHER CASES.

MARIA: SO YES, DEAR LISTENER, WHO IS INTO PLAYING THIS TRIPLE AGENT ROLE WITH THE GOVERNMENT, WITH THE NARCOS AND WITH THE UNITED STATES. WELL, YOU KNOW, WE’RE GONNA BE LOOKING INTO THAT NEXT, BUT FOR NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY SALUD.

PENILEY: THIS IS THE END OF THIS SEASON OF USA

MARIA: VERSUS GARCIA. LUNA. OH MY GOD. SALUD.

PENILEY: SALUD.

MARIA: AND THAT DEAR LISTENER, IS IT. HASTA LA PROXIMA. Y NO TE VAYAS

USA VERSUS GARCIA LUNA IS AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION BY FUTURO INVESTIGATES IN COLLABORATION WITH LATINO USA, LEMONADA MEDIA IS OUR ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION PARTNER.

OUR HOSTS ARE YOURS TRULY MARIA HINOJOSA AND PENILEY RAMIREZ, EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF FUTURO UNIDAD HINOJOSA, THE INVESTIGATIONS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION OF FUTURO MEDIA.

OUR EPISODE WAS PRODUCED BY JUAN DIEGO RAMIREZ.

OUR SERIES IS EDITED BY ANDREA LOPEZ CRUZADO.

OUR ASSOCIATE PRODUCER IS ROXANA AGUIRRE AND FACT CHECKING BY ARTURO ANGEL.

NANCY TRUJILLO IS OUR PROJECT MANAGER.

THIS EPISODE WAS MIXED BY STEPHANIE LEBOW, JULIA CARUSO, AND GABRIELA BAEZ.

MUSIC AND SCORING BY JACOB ROSATI.

OUR SERIES IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION, THE CHAN ZUCKERBERG INITIATIVE, THE TAO FOUNDATION, AND HISPANICS IN PHILANTHROPY.

REMEMBER, YOU CAN LISTEN TO ANY EPISODES OF USA VS. GARCIA LUNA TODAY, WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS, OR GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT FUTUROINVESTIGATES.ORG. VISIT THERE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION ON USA VS. GARCIA LUNA.

GRACIAS Y CHAO.

PENILEY: CHAO.

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