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USA V. GARCÍA LUNA

EPISODE 4. OPERATION MIAMI

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

MARIA: DEAR LISTENER, JUST A QUICK WARNING: WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN AN EARTHQUAKE, SO IT MIGHT BE DISTURBING. YOU’VE BEEN TOLD. 

VOICE: PREVIOUSLY ON “USA VERSUS GARCÍA LUNA”

PENILEY: THE NEW YORK PROSECUTORS ARE ACCUSING HIM OF HELPING EL CHAPO TO SMUGGLE SEVERAL SHIPMENTS OF DRUGS TO THIS PLACE IN QUEENS.

MARIA: IT WAS RIGHT AFTER 9/11, THIS CABRON DECIDES THAT HE WANTS TO START IMPORTING DRUGS INTO NEW YORK CITY? 

PENILEY: IT WAS A BIG DEMAND.

MARIA: I FIND IT VERY INTERESTING THAT YOU HAVE A MEXICAN PRESIDENT SAYING “YOU CAN’T BLAME ME. I MEAN, I TRUSTED THE GUY, BUT COME ON, THE U.S. TRUSTED HIM.

MARIA: OKAY, PENI. SO WE’RE BACK IN THE STUDIO AGAIN AND WE’RE HERE TO RECORD ANOTHER EPISODE, SO HERE WE GO.

[CLINK]

AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THIS OBSESSION WITH GARCÍA LUNA HAS TAKEN US BOTH ON A VERY WILD RIDE. 

PENILEY: RIGHT. BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN MOVING BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE U.S. WE HAVE GONE TOGETHER TO QUEENS. BUT IN TODAY’S EPISODE, I WILL TELL YOU HOW THIS STORY IMPACTED MY LIFE DIRECTLY.

MARIA: SO, PENI, I JUST WANT YOU TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH. OKAY. BECAUSE I CAN TELL THIS IS GOING TO BE HARD, BUT THIS IS IT. THIS IS EPISODE FOUR OF USA VERSUS GARCÍA LUNA.

[THEME MUSIC]

PENILEY: SO I WANT TO START THIS EPISODE, MARIA, BY SHOWING YOU A PICTURE I FOUND FIVE YEARS AGO. I WAS LOOKING FOR IMAGES FOR ANOTHER STORY WHEN I FOUND THIS PICTURE IN AN ONLINE MAGAZINE. 

MARIA: SO I SEE A COUPLE. A VERY ATTRACTIVE OLDER COUPLE, VERY MUCH TOGETHER. AND BEHIND THEM IN GOLD BALLOONS IS THE NUMBER 70. 

PENILEY: SO THIS PHOTO IS FROM THE 70TH BIRTHDAY PARTY OF THIS GUY, SAMUEL WEINBERG. THIS HIM IN THE FIRST PICTURE. HE’S A MEXICAN BUSINESSMAN. HE WAS CELEBRATING HIS BIRTHDAY IN MIAMI IN OCTOBER OF 2015. SO NOW I’M SHOWING YOU A SECOND PICTURE. AND PLEASE DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE.

 MARIA: OKAY. OOH. OKAY. SO IN FRONT OF THE SAME BALLOONS, SAME PARTY, RIGHT? THERE IS OUR MAN, GARCÍA LUNA, STANDING NEXT TO A WOMAN, A VERY PRETTY WOMAN, BOTH VERY KIND OF HIGH-CLASS LATIN AMERICAN.

PENILEY: AND GARCÍA LUNA IS HERE IN THE PICTURE WITH CRISTINA PEREYRA, HIS WIFE. WE TALK ABOUT HER IN ANOTHER EPISODE. SHE USED TO BE ALSO AN AGENT, AND SHE HAS BEEN HIS WIFE FOR A LONG TIME NOW.

MARIA: SHE WAS PART OF THE CIA OF MEXICO?  

PENILEY: YEAH, SOME OF THEIR FORMER COLLEAGUES TOLD ME THEY MET BECAUSE THEY WERE WORKING TOGETHER AND THEN, THEY GOT MARRIED IN THE 1990S. SO I STARTED INVESTIGATING GARCÍA LUNA IN 2012 AT THE END OF THE TERM OF FELIPE CALDERON AS PRESIDENT OF MEXICO. AND I FOUND THESE PICTURES IN 2017, SO FIVE YEARS AFTER I STARTED MY INVESTIGATION. 

BY THAT MOMENT, I HAD BEEN LOOKING AT DOCUMENTS WITH THE NAMES OF SAMUEL WEINBERG, SAMI WEINBERG, THE GUY OF THE FIRST PHOTO, AND OTHER PEOPLE FOR FIVE YEARS. I HAVE ENTERED ALL THESE NAMES IN A DATABASE TO DETERMINE IF THEY WERE CONNECTED AND HOW THEY WERE CONNECTED. 

PENILEY: AND AS I WAS DOING THAT, IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT THE PEOPLE IN THE DATABASE AND GARCÍA LUNA WERE PARTNERS SOMEHOW. 

MARIA: RIGHT? YOU WERE LIKE, THEY WERE PARTYING TOGETHER.

PENILEY: AND AFTER I FOUND THIS BIRTHDAY PHOTOS, I DECIDED TO WRITE AN EMAIL TO GARCÍA LUNA DIRECTLY.

[RECORD SCRATCH]

MARIA: I MEAN, I. I FIND IT VERY INTERESTING THAT YOU WOULD JUST BE LIKE, “WELL, I’M GOING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH GARCÍA LUNA.” ONE, BECAUSE WE NOW KNOW THE LEVEL OF THIS GUY, RIGHT? YOU WERE ASKING HIM FOR A COMMENT, BUT I STILL THINK IT’S PRETTY, IT’S PRETTY BALLSY. 

PENILEY: I KNEW IT WAS THE TIME TO CONTACT HIM, SO I WROTE THE EMAIL. IT WAS APPROVED BY MY BOSS AND THEN I CLICK SEND. AND I REMEMBER EXACTLY THE MOMENT WHEN I SENT IT: 1:12 IN THE AFTERNOON OF SEPTEMBER 19, 2017. 

[OMINOUS MUSIC STARTS]

PENILEY: AND 2 MINUTES AFTER I SENT THE EMAIL.

[ARCHIVE]

NEWS ANCHOR 1: ​​GOOD DAY. WE’RE COMING ON THE AIR TO UPDATE YOU ON A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE THAT HAS ROCKED CENTRAL MEXICO, A 7.1 MAGNITUDE QUAKE THAT HAS CAUSED SOME BUILDINGS TO COLLAPSE IN AND AROUND MEXICO CITY.

PENILEY: I RAN AS FAST AS I COULD. THE FLOOR IN MY APARTMENT WAS SHAKING. THE WALLS WERE CRACKING. AND WHEN I REACHED THE DOOR, I BROKE THE KEY BECAUSE THE FRAME HAD SHIFTED, AND THE DOOR WAS BLOCKED, SO I WAS TRAPPED INSIDE MY APARTMENT, AND THE WINDOWS WERE FLYING, AND THE WALLS WERE CRACKING, AND EVERYTHING WAS FALLING APART AROUND ME. 

BUT I’M A JOURNALIST. SO IF YOU ARE A JOURNALIST AND YOUR OWN HOUSE IS FALLING APART IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EARTHQUAKE, WHAT DO YOU DO? 

MARIA: YOU TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE, AND YOU’RE JUST LIKE, “OH, MY GOD, I HAVE TO START TELLING THIS STORY RIGHT NOW.”

PENILEY: AND THIS IS THE VIDEO I RECORDED.

[VIDEO OF PENILEY]

PENILEY: SOY PENILEY RAMÍREZ. SOY PERIODISTA DE UNIVISION. ESTOY ENCERRADA EN MI CASA, EN MI DEPARTAMENTO EN LA COLONIA ROMA DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO. LA CASA ESTÁ DESTRUIDA. NO, NO SÉ DE CUÁNTO FUE EL SISMO. MI RODILLA ESTA, ESTÁ ABIERTO LA RODILLA. ESTOY ENCERRADO EN LA CASA Y NO PUEDO, LOS VECINOS ESTÁN TRATANDO DE DEJARME ENTRAR. ESTÁ DESTRUIDO EL TECHO. ASÍ QUEDÓ LA COCINA. PERO NO PUEDO SALIR.

MARIA: YOU WERE DOCUMENTING, BUT AT THE SAME TIME YOU WERE ASKING TO HAVE YOUR LIFE SAVED. I ACTUALLY THINK THAT WHAT IS MORE OVERWHELMING ABOUT THIS VIDEO IS NOT WHAT YOU CAN SEE, BUT WHAT YOU HEAR. YOUR VOICE AND YOUR PANTING, YOU’RE – YOU KNOW, YOU CAN TELL THAT YOU’RE IN SHOCK. AND THAT TO ME IS THE MOST SHOCKING THING, IS ACTUALLY THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE AND THE TERROR IN YOUR VOICE. I CAN ALSO TELL THAT YOU’RE IN SHOCK BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT HOLDING ANY OF YOUR SHOTS. THE CAMERA IS MOVING FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER TO ANOTHER TO ANOTHER TO ANOTHER. SO WE JUST SEE A PART OF THE CEILING THAT’S CAVED IN. WE SEE PART OF YOUR WALLS THAT ARE LIKE LITERALLY PEELING APART. YOU SEE YOUR KITCHEN. YOU SEE, LIKE CABINETS KIND OF TWISTED. YOU SEE A HOUSE THAT’S LITERALLY CRACKING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. YOU KNEW ENOUGH TO BE A JOURNALIST IN THE MOMENT, AND, YET, YOU WERE IN SUCH SHOCK THAT YOU WEREN’T ABLE TO ACTUALLY HOLD THE CAMERA AND SHOW US WHAT YOUR LEGS LOOKED LIKE.

 PENILEY: I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT I WAS BLEEDING UNTIL I SAW IT, WHICH IS CRAZY, AND THEN I WAS RESCUED FROM MY APARTMENT THAT SAME DAY. AND I STARTED REPORTING IMMEDIATELY. I DIDN’T HAVE TIME FOR MY OWN DRAMA. 

[PENILEY REPORTING]

PENILEY: MI NOMBRE ES PENILEY RAMÍREZ. SOY PERIODISTA DE UNIVISION. VIVO EN LA COLONIA ROMA EN LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO. EL EDIFICIO QUE VEN ACÁ ATRÁS, EL EDIFICIO DONDE YO VIVO EN LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO…

[CLIP ENDS]

MARIA: I GUESS I’M STUCK ON THE FACT THAT THE LAST EMAIL YOU SEND BEFORE THE EARTH STARTS SHAKING AND YOUR LIFE IS ALMOST LOST IS TO GARCÍA LUNA. AND YOU AND I HAVE CONSTANTLY BEEN JUST LIKE, “HOW IS IT THAT HE’S KIND OF EVERYWHERE?”

[PENILEY LAUGHS]

MARIA: I’M STILL JUST LIKE, “HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?” BUT IN FACT, THAT’S THAT’S WHY HE MATTERS TODAY, IS BECAUSE THAT DID HAPPEN ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2017.

PENILEY: AFTER A FEW DAYS, I START FEARING LIKE A NEW EARTHQUAKE ALL THE TIME. I WAS FEELING THE EARTH SHAKING AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. BUT I KEPT WORKING.

MARIA: YOU KNOW, AFTER SEPTEMBER 11. NO, QUÉ VA. WHEN IT HAPPENED, I WAS TOLD, GO DOWN THERE. AND I WAS LIKE, “SURE, I’M ON MY WAY.” LET ME JUST GET ON THE SUBWAY, RIGHT? AND THEN I’D GET PTSD AND THEN YOU NEVER TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING THAT AS A JOURNALIST IS VERY SHAMEFUL.

PENILEY: IN MY CASE, I REALIZED THAT I WAS EXPERIENCING PTSD MONTHS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE BECAUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT I WAS JUST WAKING UP, WAKING UP, WAKING UP, FEELING THAT I NEED TO BE READY. IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN. I NEED TO BE READY. I NEED TO BE READY.

MARIA: THAT’S WHAT TRAUMA LOOKS LIKE.

PENILEY: AFTER THAT, I COULDN’T EVEN CONTINUE WORKING ON THE GARCÍA LUNA STORY. I WOULD WORK ON OTHER INVESTIGATIONS, BUT EVERY TIME, MARIA, THAT I TRIED TO WRITE ABOUT GARCÍA LUNA, I WOULD THINK ABOUT THE DAY OF THE EARTHQUAKE, THE MEMORIES OF ME WRITING THAT EMAIL TO GARCÍA LUNA, AND I WOULD FEEL THE GROUND SHAKING AGAIN. 

MARIA: NO! SO YOU GOT STUCK ESSENTIALLY? LIKE, THE WHOLE THING ABOUT GARCÍA LUNA WAS NOW WRAPPED UP INTO YOUR TRAUMA. 

PENILEY: IN MY CASE, I PUT OFF THE GARCÍA LUNA STORY, AND I COULDN’T TOUCH THE STORY AT ALL FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.

MARIA: I DIDN’T KNOW THIS.

PENILEY: EVERY TIME I TRY TO START WRITING ABOUT THIS, I WAS LIKE, “NO, IT’S GOING TO IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.”

[MUSIC]

MARIA: SO, PENI, I’M SORRY THAT I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS, BUT, I MEAN, THERE’S THE EARTHQUAKE, THERE’S YOUR TRAUMA, THE FACT THAT YOU’RE, LIKE, TRYING TO SURVIVE ALL OF THIS, TODO ESTO, RIGHT? BUT DID GARCÍA LUNA REPLY TO YOUR EMAIL AFTER ALL?

PENILEY: YEAH, ONE DAY AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE, ACTUALLY. AT THE MOMENT, WHEN YOU WILL THINK THAT HE AND HIS TEAM AND EVERYONE ELSE WOULD BE OUT THERE TRYING TO HELPING PEOPLE, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM HIS REPRESENTATIVE IN MEXICO, AND IT SAID THAT GARCÍA LUNA DIDN’T HAVE A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WEINBERG FAMILY, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE FROM THE BIRTHDAY PARTY IN MIAMI. BUT EVENTUALLY I FOUND THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GARCÍA LUNA AND SAMUEL WEINBERG, HIS WIFE AND HIS SON, WENT BACK FOR DECADES, AND IT INVOLVED A LOT OF MONEY. 

MARIA, WE KNOW THAT THE NEW YORK PROSECUTORS ARE ACCUSING GARCÍA LUNA OF RECEIVING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM ALLEGED BRIBES FROM THE SINALOA CARTEL. AND RIGHT NOW, THE U.S. TAXPAYERS ARE PAYING FOR HIS DEFENSE.

 MARIA: RIGHT. AND THAT’S THE WAY IT IS. LIKE, IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD LEGAL REPRESENTATION, RIGHT, LEGAL REPRESENTATION WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU.

PENILEY: BUT IN THIS CASE IS NOT A REGULAR PUBLIC DEFENDER, BECAUSE, REMEMBER, THIS IS A HIGH PROFILE CASE, SO THE PROSECUTORS DON’T WANT GARCÍA LUNA TO CLAIM AFTER THE TRIAL AND SAY, “OH, I DIDN’T HAVE THIS ADEQUATE DEFENSE.” SO TAXPAYERS HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR THIS FANCY PRIVATE LAWYERS FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS SINCE HE WAS ARRESTED.

MARIA: I MEAN, I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE THIS GUY. 

PENILEY: WHEN I WAS INVESTIGATING GARCÍA LUNA, I FOUND A POTENTIAL DIFFERENT SOURCE FOR HIS FORTUNE. SO, STAY WITH ME MARIA, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE ARE MOVING FROM NEW YORK TO MIAMI. 

IN MY FIRST YEARS INVESTIGATING GARCÍA LUNA I FOUND THAT, WHEN HE WAS IN OFFICE, THE DEPARTMENT THAT HE WAS LEADING AWARDED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CONTRACTS TO COMPANIES THAT BELONGED TO THE WEINBERGS.  

THEN, THE WEINBERGS MOVED TO MIAMI, AND THEY BOUGHT LUXURY HOUSES AND APARTMENTS THERE. 

AND YEARS AFTER I PUBLISHED THIS, THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT FILED FIRST A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT IN MEXICO AND THEN A CIVIL LAWSUIT IN MIAMI AGAINST THE WEINBERGS AND GARCÍA LUNA. THE ALLEGATIONS FROM THOSE CASES SAY THAT GARCÍA LUNA CONSPIRED WITH THE WEINBERGS TO STEAL $600 MILLION FROM THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. 

MARIA: $600 MILLION? OH MY GOD! 

[MUSIC]

PENILEY: SO LET’S GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING. AND THE BEGINNING IS WHEN I STARTED INVESTIGATING GARCÍA LUNA. THIS WAS IN LATE 2012 WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO END HIS TERM AS SECRETARY OF PUBLIC SECURITY. MY FORMER BOSS HEARD FROM A SOURCE THAT GARCÍA LUNA WAS PLANNING TO MOVE TO MIAMI, BUT THERE WERE NO DETAILS. SO AT REPORTE INDIGO, A MEXICAN NEWSPAPER WHERE I WAS WORKING AT THE TIME, THAT WAS MY NEW JOB, SO I WANTED TO IMPRESS MY NEW BOSSES. WE WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT HE WAS MOVING TO MIAMI. AND MARIA, AN IMPORTANT DETAIL IS THAT IT WAS NEAR THANKSGIVING. AND I HAD ANOTHER REASON TO TRY TO GO TO MIAMI. MIAMI IS WHERE MY MOM LIVES, AND I DIDN’T HAVE ANY MONEY TO GO AND VISIT HER FOR THANKSGIVING. SO I KNEW THAT IF I COULD FIND A SOLID CONNECTION BETWEEN GARCÍA LUNA AND MIAMI, I COULD CONVINCE MY EDITORS TO SEND ME THERE TO FLORIDA. 

[LAUGHTER]

PENILEY: BUT I HAD NEVER COVERED THE WAR ON DRUGS BEFORE. I WAS A JOURNALIST IN THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER. I WAS 24 YEARS OLD, AND I HAD NO INTEREST IN EL CHAPO OR DRUG SMUGGLING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, SO I STARTED DIGGING INTO PUBLIC RECORDS IN FLORIDA. AND I FINALLY FOUND THAT GARCÍA LUNA’S WIFE, THE WOMAN FROM THE PHOTO, CRISTINA PEREYRA, SHE WAS THE OWNER OF A RESTAURANT IN AVENTURA IN THE NORTH OF MIAMI. SO I KEPT DIGGING. AND THEN I FOUND THAT THAT RESTAURANT OGGI CAFE, OGGI RESTAURANT IS CALLED NOW. 

MARIA: OGGI?

PENILEY: O-G-G-I.

MARIA: OGGI. 

PENILEY: YEAH. IT WAS AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT.

MARIA: OKAY. 

PENILEY: SO THE FACT THAT I FOUND THIS IN PUBLIC RECORDS GOT ME-– VOILA!–-TICKET TO MIAMI. 

MARIA: HAHAHA!

[MUSIC]

PENILEY: I WENT TO MIAMI. I SPENT A WEEK THERE AND I BROKE THE STORY THAT GARCÍA LUNA WAS MOVING TO FLORIDA.  

MARIA: AS A 24-YEAR OLD JOURNALIST.

PENILEY: YEAH. SO I WAS LIKE, “YEAH, I CAN DO IT. I CAN BE AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST NOW.”

MARIA: CAN I JUST ASK LIKE, IS IT NORMAL FOR MEXICAN WEALTHY PEOPLE, I DON’T KNOW, TO HAVE LIKE MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN RESTAURANTS IN SOUTH FLORIDA?

PENILEY: BUT THEY WERE NOT WEALTHY PEOPLE. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN OUR FIRST EPISODES.

MARIA: RIGHT. I’M THINKING OF THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE MIAMI PHOTOGRAPHS WHERE THEY’RE LOOKING KIND OF WEALTHY. BUT WHAT YOU’RE REMINDING US IS THAT THESE WERE PUBLIC SERVANTS, I.E., NOT BIG SALARIES.

PENILEY: SO I STARTED LOOKING INTO THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF THE RESTAURANT. AND I FOUND OTHER COMPANIES WITH MANAGERS AND LAWYERS, AND ADDRESSES IN COMMON WITH THE RESTAURANT. AND THEN, I FOUND THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED FOR THOSE COMPANIES ALSO HAD BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS WITH SAMUEL WEINBERG AND WITH HIS SON, ALEXIS. 

MARIA: OH, MY GOD. 

PENILEY: YOU REMEMBER SAMMY? 

MARIA: YES. OH, MY GOD.

 PENILEY: THE GUY FROM THE PHOTO AND ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES WAS CALLED. ICIT, I-C-I-T. IT WAS A PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY REGISTERED IN THE U.S., BUT IT HAD AN AFFILIATE IN MEXICO. I STARTED PUTTING INFORMATION REQUESTS TO THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO, AND I FOUND THAT THAT COMPANY WAS WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SECURITY IN MEXICO.

MARIA: YOU MEAN THE ONE THAT GARCÍA LUNA OVERSEES? [LAUGHS] OH, MY GOD. 

[MUSIC]

MARIA: SO YOU DO THIS DEEP INVESTIGATION TO GET A FREE TICKET TO MIAMI TO BE WITH YOUR MOM FOR THANKSGIVING. OKAY, PENILEY, WE GOT THAT. 

SO YOUR INVESTIGATION FINDS THAT A RESTAURANT THAT GARCÍA LUNA’S WIFE, CRISTINA PEREYRA, OWNED ACTUALLY HAD THIS WEIRD THING IN COMMON WITH A PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY?

PENILEY: CORRECT

MARIA: OKAY, THE PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY IS ICIT.

PENILEY: YEAH, I FOUND THAT A FEW DAYS AFTER GARCÍA LUNA LEFT OFFICE, HE OPENED HIS OWN PUBLIC SECURITY BUSINESS IN MIAMI, AND HE CALLED THIS BUSINESS “GL AND ASSOCIATES”—OR GLAC. IT WAS THE SAME NAME HE GAVE TO ANOTHER COMPANY HE CREATED IN MEXICO MONTHS BEFORE. SO IT WAS A GLAC MEXICO AND A GLAC U.S. BUT RIGHT NOW, THE COMPANY I WANT US TO FOCUS ON IS GLAC U.S. AND GLAC U.S. LISTED THE SAME LAW FIRM AS ICIT. SO THE PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT.  

MARIA: OKAY. I MEAN, THESE CONNECTIONS ARE ALL RIGHT THERE. IT’S RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF EVERYONE TO SEE IT BECAUSE IT’S ALL PUBLIC RECORDS, RIGHT? YEAH. OKAY. GO AHEAD.

PENILEY: YEAH. THE COINCIDENCES DIDN’T STOP THERE BECAUSE THE TWO PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANIES, SO GLAC AND ICIT, THEY HAD EXACTLY THE SAME WEBSITE DESIGN. THEY LOOKED EXACTLY THE SAME, AND EVEN HAD THE SAME TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR CONTACT.

 MARIA: WELL, IF THEIR INTENTION WAS TO HIDE ANY CONNECTION, I WOULD SAY THEY DIDN’T DO A REALLY GREAT JOB. I MEAN, THEY HAD THE SAME PHONE LINE FOR THESE TWO DIFFERENT SECURITY COMPANIES THAT WOULD APPEAR TO NOT BE RELATED, BUT THEY HAD THE SAME PHONE NUMBERS. 

PENILEY: SO THE FINAL COMPANY I FOUND CONNECTED TO THE WEINBERGS, WHICH HAD CONTRACTS WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IN THOSE YEARS, WAS CALLED NUNVAV.

MARIA: REALLY WEIRD NAMES. WHAT WHAT WAS?

PENILEY: NUNVAV. N-U-N-V-A-V

MARIA: NUNVAV.

PENILEY: NUNVAV.

MARIA: OK. 

PENILEY: THEY RECEIVED $30 MILLION IN CONTRACTS FOR SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT FROM 2011 TO 2012.

[END MUSIC]

PENILEY: SO, MARIA, I KNEW ABOUT THE COMPANIES THAT HAD CONTRACTS WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND WERE CONNECTED TO THE WEINBERGS AND TO GARCÍA LUNA. AND I HAVE MY DATABASES AND THOUSANDS OF PAGES OF DOCUMENTS. THIS WAS THE STORY I WAS WORKING ON WHEN I FOUND THOSE BIRTHDAY PHOTOS AND WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE HAPPENED. AND I DIDN’T PUBLISH THE STORY AFTER ALL THIS WORK.

MARIA: BECAUSE THE EARTHQUAKE LITERALLY SHOOK YOU AND SHOOK THIS STORY JUST KIND OF RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HANDS IN A WAY.

PENILEY: BUT I HAVE BEEN TO THERAPY, AND THEN I WAS TREATING MY TRAUMA. AND THEN IN LATE 2018, ACTUALLY, WHEN WE MET FOR THE FIRST TIME, SOMETHING I HAD NEVER EXPECTED HAPPENED. ONE OF THE WITNESSES IN EL CHAPO’S TRIAL SAID THAT HE HAD BRIBED GARCÍA LUNA ON BEHALF OF THE SINALOA CARTEL. I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT, AND I JUST KNEW I NEEDED TO GO BACK TO MY STORY. I TOOK A CHANCE AND I CONTACTED A PERSON VIA TWITTER AND THIS PERSON WAS VERY CLOSE TO GARCÍA LUNA.

SOMETIMES I TRY TO FOLLOW MY GUT. AND I SAID, “IF THIS PERSON ANSWERS, THAT’S A SIGN THAT I SHOULD GO BACK.” AND THEY SAID, “I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO REACH OUT.”

MARIA: OH, MY GOD. AND THIS IS SOMEONE WHO, YOU KNOW, WAS TIED AND CLOSE TO GARCÍA LUNA.

PENILEY: REALLY CLOSE. 

MARIA: OH, MY GOD. AND THEY ACTUALLY SAID THAT, “I’VE BEEN WAITING.”

PENILEY: YEAH. I FELT LIKE I WAS IN A MOVIE, YOU KNOW, LIKE IN ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN. 

[CLIP FROM ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN]

VOICE: GET OUR YOUR NOTEBOOK. THERE’S MORE. YOUR LIVES ARE IN DANGER.

[CLIP ENDS]

PENILEY: IN MY BOOK, I DECIDED TO CALL THIS PERSON CAMERON.

MARIA: CAMERON? 

PENILEY: CAMERON. YEAH. THEY ARE MY PROTECTED SOURCE THAT I MENTIONED TO YOU BEFORE, MARIA, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE WATERGATE.

MARIA: THIS IS YOUR DEEP THROAT. 

PENILEY: I CAN’T TELL YOU MUCH ABOUT THEM, THEIR GENDER, WHO THEY ARE. I CAN ONLY SAY THAT THEY WERE VERY CLOSE TO GARCÍA LUNA AND THAT I WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM MUCH OF THE INFORMATION THEY GAVE ME.

MARIA: WHY WOULD THIS PERSON DECIDE TO SPEAK WITH YOU? I MEAN, THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO IS CLOSE TO A VERY POWERFUL PERSON WHO IS ALLEGEDLY VERY CORRUPT. AND WE KNOW THAT THIS PERSON, GARCÍA LUNA, HAS A BIT OF A TEMPER AND DOESN’T LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE CHALLENGE HIM. 

 PENILEY: I ASKED CAMERON AND THEY SAID, “BECAUSE THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.”

[MIDROLL] 

PENILEY: SO I TALKED TO CAMERON. THEN I WENT BACK TO MY DATABASES AND CAMERON GAVE ME SOME INSIGHT INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WEINBERGS AND GARCÍA LUNA. SO I WENT BACK CON TODO. I FOUND NEW SOURCES BESIDES CAMERON, AND I FOUND THAT THE MAIN OFFICES OF ICIT IN MEXICO WERE IN POLANCO. POLANCO IS A VERY RICH AND EXCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOOD IN MEXICO CITY. ON PAPER, THEY WERE JUST ANOTHER SECURITY COMPANY THAT PROVIDED EQUIPMENT TO THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. BUT MY SOURCES—PEOPLE WHO HAD WORKED THERE IN THE POLANCO OFFICE OF ICIT—TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD ACCESS TO INFORMATION DIRECTLY FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO PASS TO THEIR PRIVATE SECURITY CLIENTS AND THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY USING THE EQUIPMENT THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD BOUGHT FOR THE INTELLIGENCE CENTERS. MAYBE YOU REMEMBER THIS SUPERCENTER THAT WE SAW IN ANOTHER EPISODE.

[ARCHIVE]

NEWS: HOY, CONSTRUIMOS EL NUEVO MODELO DE POLICÍA

[CLIP ENDS]

MARIA: RIGHT, THE SUPER MODERNIZED MEXICAN POLICE FORCE THAT’S JUST LIKE UNBREAKABLE AND CLEAN AND MODERN.

PENILEY: I ACTUALLY FOUND CONTRACTS AND A FEDERAL AUDIT, AND IT  SHOWED THAT ONE OF THE COMPANIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE WEINBERGS WON A CONTRACT. AND THAT CONTRACT, WHICH WAS ACTUALLY SIGNED BY SAMMY WEINBERG WAS TO PROVIDE MORE THAN 150 ROUTERS FOR LOCATING AND TRACKING COMMUNICATIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT’S FANCY INTELLIGENCE CENTER. BUT THE AUDIT FOUND THAT ONLY SIX OF THOSE ROUTERS WERE ACTUALLY INSTALLED.

MARIA: HOW MANY ACTUALLY WERE INSTALLED?

PENILEY: ONLY SIX. AND, AS FAR AS WE KNOW, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SECURITY, WHICH GARCÍA LUNA WAS LEADING BACK THEN, NEVER OPENED AN INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE MISSING UNITS, AND IT WAS EQUIPMENT THAT HAD BEEN PARTLY PURCHASED WITH THE MONEY FROM…

MARIA: THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. OKAY. YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK ACTUALLY GETTING LOST IN MEXICO.

PENILEY: BUT MY SOURCES TOLD ME THAT THE WEINBERGS HAD A REALLY SIMILAR EQUIPMENT IN THEIR OFFICES. WHEN I INTERVIEWED ALEXIS WEINBERG, HE TOLD ME THAT “NO, NO NO,” THEY USED A DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE SAME EQUIPMENT, AND THE ONES THEY WERE USING HAD FEWER CAPABILITIES. BUT THEN MY SOURCES SAID IT WAS ACTUALLY THE SAME, THE LOST EQUIPMENT. BUT WE CAN KNOW THIS FOR SURE. THESE ALSO, AND AGAIN, AS FAR AS I KNOW, WAS NOT OFFICIALLY INVESTIGATED. 

MARIA: SO IT SEEMS LIKE THEY’RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO SAY THAT THE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY HAVE IN THIS PRIVATE SECURITY FIRM IS NOT THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS PAID FOR BY U.S. TAX DOLLARS SENT TO MEXICO.  

PENILEY: SO MY SOURCES TALKED TO ME CONFIDENTIALLY, BUT I ASKED THEM FOR SOME PROOF ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THEY ARE PRETTY SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS. AND THEY SHARED WITH ME INTERNAL EMAILS THAT SHOW IN DETAIL HOW WERE THE DAILY OPERATIONS OF THE COMPANY. AND MARIA, MAYBE YOU ARE THINKING THAT THE WEINBERGS WERE RUNNING A SUPER PROFESSIONAL SPY OPERATION, BUT ACTUALLY THEIR COMPANY WORKED MORE LIKE A LOW BUDGET STARTUP. ONE PERSON WHO WORKED WITH THEM TOLD ME THAT SOMETIMES THEY WILL COME TO THE OFFICE AND THERE WAS NO POWER. SO THEIR FANCY FINGERPRINT SCANNER TO OPEN THE DOOR DIDN’T WORK, AND THEY COULDN’T GET INSIDE THE BUILDING. 

MARIA: I MEAN, I JUST THINK IT’S KIND OF FUNNY THAT THIS IS LIKE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGICAL SECURITY. IT’S LIKE, “SORRY, YOUR FINGERPRINT PAD DOESN’T WORK. SORRY, YOU CAN’T GET IT TO THE BUILDING.”

PENILEY: AND THEY EVEN TOLD ME ABOUT THIS ONE TIME WHEN THEY HAD TO CARRY THEIR GIANT IMAC DESKTOP COMPUTERS TO A NEARBY STARBUCKS BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T WORK IN THE OFFICE SINCE THEY DIDN’T HAVE INTERNET THAT DAY.

MARIA: [LAUGHS} AND THIS IS A SUPER, SUPER HIGH-TECH POLANCO, MEXICO CITY PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY THAT’S GOING TO PROTECT YOU FROM EVERYTHING. OH, MY GOD.

PENILEY AND MARIA, WE HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS. WE KNOW THAT THE SECURITY COMPANY BELONGED TO THE WEINBERGS. AND AT THE TIME, THEY WERE SAYING PUBLICLY THAT THEY WERE NOT CONNECTED TO GARCÍA LUNA. BUT MY SOURCES TOLD ME THAT EVERYONE THAT WORKED IN ICIT THEY KNEW IT, THAT GARCÍA LUNA WAS CONNECTED TO THIS COMPANY. 

MARIA: SO HOW COULD THEY KNOW THAT?  

PENILEY: BECAUSE SOME OF MY SOURCES WERE WORKING AT THE SAME TIME FOR THIS PRIVATE COMPANY AND FOR THE GOVERNMENT.

[MUSIC] 

PENILEY: AND ACCORDING TO MY SOURCES, THEY WERE DOING THIS FOR MONTHS, MOST OF 2012. SO THE LAST YEAR OF GARCÍA LUNA’S IN OFFICE.

MARIA: AND WHAT WAS THE INTEREST? THE INTEREST WAS WHAT? 

PENILEY: SO, ACCORDING TO THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT, THE ONE IN MEXICO AND THE CIVIL COMPLAINT IN MIAMI, GARCÍA LUNA’S INTEREST WAS TO CREATE GLAC, YOU KNOW, THE PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY THAT HE COULD LEAD AFTER HE LEFT OFFICE. AND BY 2012, WHEN GARCÍA LUNA MOVED TO THE U.S., THE WEINBERGS HAD CREATED A NETWORK OF COMPANIES. SO NOW, THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT ALLEGES THAT GARCÍA LUNA AND THE WEINBERGS WERE CO-CONSPIRATORS. AND GARCÍA LUNA HAS NOT RESPONDED TO THE ALLEGATIONS IN MIAMI YET, SO HE HASN’T DENIED OR ADMITTED ANYTHING IN THAT CASE. 

AND IT IS KEY THAT HE RESPONDS, MARIA. BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS FORTUNE. EVEN BACK IN MEXICO, WHEN HE WAS WORKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT, GARCÍA LUNA’S LIFESTYLE EXCEEDED ANYTHING YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM A PUBLIC SERVANT. SO NOW WE ARE GOING BACK TO THE ACCUSATIONS IN NEW YORK, AND WE ARE DOING SOME MATH.

MARIA: GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD. GIVE ME SOME NUMBERS.

PENILEY: SO WHEN GARCÍA LUNA WAS THE HEAD OF THE EQUIVALENT OF THE FBI IN MEXICO HE BOUGHT HIS FIRST BIG HOUSE. AND IN MY RESEARCH, I NOTICED THAT HE BOUGHT THE HOUSE JUST A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST DRUG SHIPMENT CAME TO NEW YORK. 

MARIA: I MEAN, THAT’S REALLY CRAZY.

PENILEY: AND NOW THE NEW YORK ATTORNEYS ARE SAYING THAT HE RECEIVED BRIBES FOR THAT SHIPMENT TO COME, SO I STARTED COMPARING THE DATES WHEN THE OTHER DRUG SHIPMENTS CAME.

MARIA: YOU ARE CRAZY. YOU ARE SO OBSESSED.

PENILEY: SO I SAID, OKAY, THIS IS THE ACCUSATION IN NEW YORK. THESE ARE THE DATES OF THE SHIPMENTS. EVERY TIME A SHIPMENT CAME, BOOM! GARCÍA LUNA GOT A NEW PROPERTY OR BUY A NEW HOUSE.

MARIA: THIS IS CRAZY. I MEAN, HOW MANY HOUSES DID GARCÍA LUNA NEED IN MEXICO?

PENILEY: I REVIEWED PUBLIC RECORDS, AND I FOUND THAT WHEN HE WAS SECRETARY OF PUBLIC SECURITY, HE WAS MAKING IN THE SIX YEARS, ABOUT EIGHT-HUNDRED GRAND.

MARIA: FOR THOSE SIX YEARS. THAT’S THE TOTAL MONEY THAT HE MADE AS A PUBLIC SERVANT: EIGHT-HUNDRED GRAND.

PENILEY: YEAH. SO LESS THAN A MILLION DOLLARS IN SIX YEARS. BUT IN THE SAME PERIOD, THE MEXICAN PRESS REPORTED THAT HE WAS BUYING HOUSES FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN MEXICO.

MARIA: OKAY, SO WHAT YEAR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THEN? 

PENILEY: SO THAT’S FROM 2002 TO 2012, WHEN HE LEFT OFFICE AND HE WAS READY TO MOVE TO THE U.S. BUT OF COURSE, GARCÍA LUNA NEEDED A VISA TO COME TO THE U.S. SO HE APPLIED FOR AN INVESTMENT VISA BECAUSE OF THE RESTAURANT THAT HIS WIFE OPENED IN MIAMI. AND SO I RECENTLY FOUND NEW COURT DOCUMENTS THAT SHOWED THAT HE RECEIVED MORE THAN A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE WEINBERG FAMILY, AGAIN, TO OPEN A RESTAURANT IN MIAMI AND TO KEEP THE RESTAURANT OPERATING.

MARIA: I MEAN, THIS JUST KEEPS ON GETTING MORE AND MORE OUTRAGEOUS. I MEAN, ANYBODY WOULD SAY, WHERE IS THIS MONEY COMING FROM?

PENILEY: RIGHT. AND THINGS ONLY GOT BETTER FOR HIM BECAUSE WHEN HE MOVED TO MIAMI, HE DIDN’T MOVE TO A, YOU KNOW, NICE LITTLE APARTMENT. HE MOVED TO A $3.3 MILLION HOUSE. THE HOUSE WAS NOT UNDER HIS NAME. IT WAS ALSO OWNED BY A COMPANY CONNECTED TO THE WEINBERG FAMILY.

MARIA: GOD. THE WEINBERG FAMILY. 

PENILEY: ACTUALLY IN NEW YORK, THE PROSECUTORS FOUND THAT GARCÍA LUNA LIVED IN THIS $3 MILLION HOUSE, AND HE ONLY PAID THE RENT FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS. AND HE WAS LIVING IN THIS HOUSE ALMOST FOR FOUR YEARS RENT FREE. AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT WAS NOT A MODEST HOUSE. THE HOUSE EVEN CAME WITH A “YASHT.”

MARIA: A WHAT? 

PENILEY: A “YASHT.”

MARIA: OH, A YACHT.

PENILEY: OKAY.

MARIA: WHAT DID YOU CALL IT?

PENILEY: YASHT.

MARIA: OH, THAT’S A GOOD ONE. SAY IT AGAIN.

PENILEY: NO!

MARIA: YASHT.

[MUSIC ENDS]

PENILEY: THE COMPANIES CONNECTED TO THE WEINBERGS HAD STARTED BUYING REAL ESTATE IN MIAMI JUST AFTER GETTING THOSE MULTI-MILLION DOLLARS CONTRACT WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT.  BUT THEN I FOUND COURT DOCUMENTS THAT SHOWED THAT WHEN THE WEINBERG FAMILY SOLD THE HOUSE, THE MONEY WENT TO GARCÍA LUNA’S BANK ACCOUNTS.

MARIA: SO THE HOUSE GOES FOR SALE AND HE GETS THE MONEY FROM THE SALE. I MEAN, THAT’S KIND OF THE DEFINITION OF OWNERSHIP. I DON’T KNOW. THAT’S JUST ME. MAYBE I’M WRONG ABOUT THIS.

PENILEY: SO, IT WASN’T JUST HOUSES. I FOUND THAT THE WEINBERGS DEVELOPED A TASTE FOR OTHER EXPENSIVE THINGS. SO THEY HAD A COLLECTION OF PATEK PHILIPPE WATCHES. THESE SUPER EXPENSIVE WATCHES AND SEVERAL YACHTS. AS YOU CAN SEE, MARIA, THEY WERE NOT TRYING TO HIDE THE MONEY. IT WAS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE. THEY WANTED PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THEM. THEY WANTED TO BE PART OF THE SOCIAL ELITE IN MIAMI. AND I KNOW THAT BECAUSE THEY CREATED THEIR OWN MAGAZINE TO DOCUMENT THEIR LIFESTYLE. 

MARIA: NO, COME ON. 

PENILEY: IT WAS CALLED THE SOCIAL FLORIDA’S GUIDE MAGAZINE.

MARIA: SOCIAL FLORIDA’S GUIDE MAGAZINE. THAT’S A REALLY BAD NAME.

PENILEY: THAT WAS THE MAGAZINE WHERE I FOUND THE BIRTHDAY PARTY PHOTOS, ACTUALLY, THAT CONNECTED GARCÍA LUNA AND THE WEINBERG FAMILY. SO THEY HAD PUT THE PHOTOS ONLINE THEMSELVES. THE MAGAZINE WILL POST PICTURES OF THEIR OWN PARTIES AND EVENTS. THEY ALSO ADVERTISE THEIR OWN RESTAURANTS AND CRISTINA’S RESTAURANT, THE OGGI CAFE.

MARIA: SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IS, IF HE WASN’T GOING TO BE ACCEPTED TO THIS SUPER ELITE MEXICANS, WHICH ARE NOT NECESSARILY TIED TO POLITICS, NECESSARILY, HE WAS GOING TO CREATE HIS OWN SOCIETY.

PENILEY: RIGHT. AND THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE AROUND GARCÍA LUNA IN HIS SOCIAL LIFE IN MIAMI. BUT THE WEINBERGS WERE HIS CLOSEST PARTNERS. I FOUND COURT DOCUMENTS SHOWING THAT IN THE SIX YEARS THAT GARCÍA LUNA LIVED IN MIAMI, THE WEINBERGS MADE PAYMENTS TO HIM FOR MORE THAN $10 MILLION. BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO THE MONEY THAT THEY SENT TO HIM FIRST FOR THE RESTAURANT AND THEN AFTER THEY SOLD THE HOUSE, GARCÍA LUNA WAS ALSO RECEIVING MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF CLOSE TO $60,000. 

OFFICIALLY, THAT PAYMENT WAS A SALARY FOR GARCÍA LUNA AS HE WAS WORKING AS A CONSULTANT FOR A COMPANY IN PANAMA, SO I LOOKED UP THAT COMPANY IN PUBLIC RECORDS THERE IN PANAMA. BUT I COULDN’T FIND ANY OFFICES. THEY HAD NO WEBSITE. THEY HAD NO PUBLIC ACTIVITY. SO NOW, THESE COURT DOCUMENTS SAY THAT, ACTUALLY THE MONEY WAS COMING, AGAIN, FROM THE WEINBERGS.

MARIA: SO, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE UNDERSTANDABLE THAT THERE WOULD BE PEOPLE WHO WOULD SAY, LOOK, GARCÍA LUNA WAS GETTING THESE PAYMENTS FOR ALL OF THESE MULTIMILLION DOLLAR SECURITY CONTRACTS THAT HE HELPED THE WEINBERGS GET WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. 

PENILEY: AND ACTUALLY HE KEPT RECEIVING THE MONEY UNTIL 2018 AND THE YEAR AFTER THAT, IN 2019, WHEN THE POLICE FINALLY CAUGHT GARCÍA LUNA IN TEXAS, SEVERAL SOURCES TOLD ME THAT THE FIRST PEOPLE THAT GARCÍA LUNA’S WIFE, CRISTINA, CALLED AFTER THE ARREST LOOKING FOR MONEY TO TRY TO BAIL GARCÍA LUNA OUT OF JAIL WAS INDEED THE WEINBERG FAMILY. BUT GUESS WHAT, MARIA … THE FAMILY NEVER ANSWERED.

MARIA: OKAY, SO BASICALLY, GARCÍA LUNA AND HIS WIFE ARE, LIKE, REALLY CLOSE TO THE WEINBERGS. THEY’RE PALS, THEY’RE BUSINESS PARTNERS. BUT THEN GARCÍA LUNA GETS ARRESTED AND THEY’RE LIKE, “UH, SEE YA.” I MEAN, IT’S LIKE A TELENOVELA. 

PENILEY: YEAH. I TRIED TO CONTACT ALEXIS WEINBERG, THE SON OF SAMMY WEINBERG A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE ARREST. I WAS WRITING A PIECE ABOUT ALL THE COMPANIES AND THE PROPERTIES AND EVERYTHING. AND I WANTED HIS COMMENT. SO I TEXTED HIM ASKING FOR HIS RESPONSE, AND HE RESPONDED TO ME WITH THIS VOICE MEMO. LET’S HEAR THE MEMO.

[CLIP OF ALEXIS WEINBERG]

ALEXIS WEINBERG: ¿CÓMO ESTÁS, PENI? COMO ES ESTADO? ESPERO QUE TODO SUPER BIEN. ES QUE VENGO JUSTO MANEJANDO. ESTE, VENGO MANEJANDO. TE CONTESTÓ ALRATITITO, YA CHECO BIEN LOS MENSAJES Y TODO. ESTE, TE MARCO AL RATITO. UN BESO Y BONITA TARDE. GRACIAS.

[CLIP ENDS]

MARIA: ALL RIGHT. SO THIS IS HIS SON, ALEXIS. AND THE WAY THIS MESSAGE IS LEFT TO YOU IS LIKE, “I’M DRIVING AROUND. AND LET ME JUST GET TO A PLACE WHERE I CAN CHECK MY MESSAGES, AND I’LL CALL YOU IN A LITTLE BIT.” 

PENILEY: YEAH. BUT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR HIM TO CALL ME BACK FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS NOW. I SENT HIM ANOTHER MESSAGE ASKING HIM FOR AN INTERVIEW FOR THIS PODCAST AND HE HASN’T RESPONDED EITHER. I ALSO REACHED OUT TO HIS FAMILY’S LAWYER IN MEXICO AND THE LAWYER TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD ASK IF THEY WERE INTERESTED IN RESPONDING TO MY QUESTIONS, BUT AFTER THAT, HE DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING MORE. 

[MUSIC]

PENILEY: MARIA, I WANT TO MAKE CLEAR THAT ALL THIS MONEY THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE $600 MILLION IN CONTRACTS, THE MORE THAN $10 MILLION IN PAYMENTS TO GARCÍA LUNA – NONE OF THIS IS PART OF THE TRIAL HERE IN NEW YORK. THE NEW YORK ACCUSATIONS AGAINST HIM ARE ONLY FOR THE BRIBES THAT ALLEGEDLY HE TOOK FROM THE SINALOA CARTEL. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENING IN THE COURTS IN CONNECTION TO ALL THIS MONEY. BACK IN 2020, I INTERVIEWED SANTIAGO NIETO.

[CLIP OF SANTIAGO NIETO]

PENILEY: AT THE TIME, NIETO WAS THE HEAD OF THE FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT IN MEXICO, AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD STARTED INVESTIGATING GARCÍA LUNA A FEW MONTHS BEFORE HE WAS ARRESTED, AND IT WAS AT A REQUEST OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. 

[CLIP OF SANTIAGO NIETO]

PENILEY: SO FAR, MEXICO HAS BEEN TRYING TO PROVE IN THAT COURT IN MIAMI THAT THE WEINBERG FAMILY AND GARCÍA LUNA RECEIVED ALMOST $600 MILLION IN CONTRACTS FROM THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. AND THEY’RE SAYING THAT THESE PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN AWARDED THOSE CONTRACTS. 

SO THEY WANT TO PROVE THAT THE MONEY, AND I’M QUOTING, “WAS STOLEN FROM THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT.” SO THEY CLAIM THAT ANY ASSET – SO ANY HOUSES OR APARTMENT OR ANYTHING THAT THEY BOUGHT WITH THAT MONEY THEY GOT FROM THE CONTRACTS BELONG TO THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT.  

MARIA: OKAY. SO NOW THE MEXICAN STATE IS SAYING, “HELLO, WEINBERG FAMILY, WE WANT ALL THAT MONEY THAT WE PAID YOU BACK.”

PENILEY: EXACTLY. AND THIS CASE IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE SINCE NONE OF THE ASSETS ARE PART OF THE FEDERAL CASE AGAINST GARCÍA LUNA HERE IN NEW YORK, IF THE WEINBERGS DEFEAT THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IN COURT, THEY JUST KEEP EVERYTHING.

[MUSIC]

PENILEY: MARIA, I THINK THAT WHAT GETS ME THE MOST ABOUT EVERYTHING IN THIS STORY IS THAT WHEN I THINK GARCÍA LUNA IN THAT $3 MILLION HOUSE, HE HAS ALL THAT MONEY THAT AGAIN, ACCORDING TO THE COMPLAINT, WAS MONEY THAT CAME FROM THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT, AND THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT WAS SUPPOSED TO USE THAT MONEY TO FIGHT THE WAR ON DRUGS. 

MARIA: YEAH, SO IT’S LIKE THIS CONTRAST BETWEEN GARCÍA LUNA’s YACHT IN MIAMI, RIGHT? AND THE MEXICO THAT GARCÍA LUNA LEFT BEHIND. 

BECAUSE THE THING IS THAT GENARO GARCÍA LUNA LEAVES OFFICE IN 2012, BUT THAT SO-CALLED “WAR ON DRUGS” THAT THE CALDERÓN ADMINISTRATION STARTED, IT DIDN’T END WITH HIS GOVERNMENT ENDING, RIGHT? THE VIOLENCE IN MEXICO, OF COURSE WE HAVE SEEN THIS, IN FACT, IT HAS GROWN SINCE THOSE YEARS.

PENILEY: WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THE TRIAL WILL BE. WE DON’T KNOW THAT IF GARCÍA LUNA, AT THE END, WILL BE ONE OF THE WINNERS OF THIS WAR ON DRUGS. WHAT WE KNOW FOR SURE IS WHO ARE THE LOSERS … AND THEY ARE THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LEFT IN MEXICO, WHO HAVE LOST THEIR FAMILIES SINCE THIS SO-CALLED “WAR ON DRUGS” WAS DECLARED, AND IT IS PEOPLE LIKE LUCIA DIAZ. 

[CLIP OF LUCIA DÍAZ]

LUCIA DÍAZ: MY NAME IS LUCIA DÍAZ GENAO. I AM THE FOUNDER OF COLECTIVO SOLECITO.

PENILEY: LUCIA IS THE FOUNDER OF A COLLECTIVE OF MOTHERS IN VERACRUZ IN THE SOUTH OF MEXICO. AND THEY CONTINUOUSLY LOOK FOR THE PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE LOST BECAUSE OF THE VIOLENCE IN MEXICO. AND LUCIA KNOWS ABOUT THIS BECAUSE HER OWN SON DISAPPEARED.

[CLIP OF LUCIA DÍAZ]

LUCIA: AFTER IT HAPPENED, I HAVE NEVER HEARD ABOUT HIM AGAIN. DON’T KNOW ABOUT HIS WHEREABOUTS. SO THIS IS WHAT I AM CONFRONTED WITH AT THE MOMENT: NINE YEARS OF AN ENDLESS SEARCH.

PENILEY: SO SOLECITO, THE COLLECTIVE THAT LUCIA LEADS, THEY HAD TO DO RAFFLES AND SELL FOOD AND CLOTHES TO BE ABLE TO DO THE SEARCHES BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ANY MONEY. 

[CLIP OF LUCIA]

LUCIA: WE NEED TO BUY CONSUMABLES. WE NEED TO BUY TOOLS. SOME OF THE TOOLS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE. AND WE ALSO HAVE TO PAY FOR WORKERS TO HELP US WITH THE HARD WORK, BECAUSE THE GROUP IS MADE UP OF WOMEN. AND IT’S NOT THAT WOMEN CANNOT WORK HARD, BUT THOSE GRAVES ARE VERY DEEP, SOMETIMES THREE METERS DEEP, AND IT’S HARD WORK.

[MUSIC]

PENILEY: LUCIA KNOWS THAT GARCÍA LUNA IS AWAITING TRIAL IN NEW YORK. WHEN WE ASKED FOR FOR HER REACTION TO THAT, THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID: 

[CLIP OF LUCIA]

LUCIA: THEY WERE LEFT UNSCATHED, AND WE ARE IN THIS SITUATION FOREVER. BECAUSE IN MY CASE, AND IN THE CASE OF THE MOTHERS IN THE SOLECITO, WE ARE FOREVER, FOREVER MARKED BY THIS TRAGEDY.

[CLIP ENDS]

MARIA: SO THE FAMILIES IN MEXICO, THEY’RE LOOKING FOR THEIR LOVED ONES – THEIR LOST LOVED ONES. IN MIAMI, GARCÍA LUNA WAS LIVING THIS PRETTY EXTRAORDINARY, WEALTHY LIFESTYLE.

 PENILEY: THESE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THIS BY THEMSELVES FOR YEARS WITHOUT ALMOST ANY SUPPORT FROM THE AUTHORITIES. AND THEY’RE JUST SOME OF THE THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS OF THE FAILED WAR ON DRUGS, BOTH IN MEXICO AND IN THE U.S. 

WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THEIR STORIES IN OUR NEXT AND FINAL EPISODE. BUT WE WILL ALSO TAKE A VERY CLOSE LOOK AT THE MAIN AGENCY WORKING HERE IN THE U.S. WITH A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR BUDGET TO FIGHT THE WAR ON DRUGS. AND THAT AGENCY IS THE DEA. 

MARIA: AND THAT’S GOING TO BE THE FINAL EPISODE OF OUR SERIES U.S.A. VERSUS GARCÍA LUNA. SO STAY TUNED. 

[MUSIC]

MARIA: SALUD.

PENILEY: SALUD.

[END OF EPISODE]

VOICE: ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF USA VERSUS GARCÍA LUNA:

MARIA: SEVERAL OF THE PEOPLE WHO ACCUSE GARCÍA LUNA OF CORRUPTION AND WORKING WITH THE CARTELS ENDED UP IN JAIL, IN PRISON, ACCUSED OF DOING THE SAME THINGS THAT THEY WERE DENOUNCING.

PENILEY: AFTER INVESTIGATING WE ONLY FOUND 14 CASES OF DEA AGENTS PROSECUTED FOR CORRUPTION IN ABOUT 30 YEARS.

KEITH MCNICHOLS: AND HERE I AM, COMING FORWARD AND REPORTING THE WRONGDOING AND THE SAME PEOPLE IN OPR TURNAROUND AND THEY MAKE A CASE AGAINST ME.

PENILEY: I HAVE ONE MORE REVELATION FOR YOU. SO WILL YOU GO WITH ME FOR A FINAL ROAD TRIP?

CREDITS: USA VERSUS GARCÍA LUNA IS AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION BY FUTURO INVESTIGATES, A DIVISION OF FUTURO MEDIA IN COLLABORATION WITH LATINO USA. LEMONADA MEDIA IS OUR ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION PARTNER. 

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

THIS SERIES IS EDITED BY ANDREA LÓPEZ-CRUZADO. OUR ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS ARE ROXANA AGUIRRE, SOFÍA SÁNCHEZ AND OSCAR DE LEON. 

FACT CHECKING BY AMY TARDIF. 

NANCY TRUJILLO AND RAUL PEREZ-HINOJOSA ARE OUR PROJECT MANAGERS. 

OUR ENGINEERS ARE STEPHANIE LEBOW, JULIA CARUSO AND LEAH SHAW DAMERON.

ORIGINAL THEME SONG BY JACOB ROSATI. 

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

YOU CAN LISTEN TO “USA V. GARCÍA LUNA” WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS AND ON OUR WEBSITE: FUTUROINVESTIGATES.ORG — THAT’S FUTURO INVESTIGATES DOT-O-R-G. 

VISIT OUR SITE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION ON “USA V. GARCÍA LUNA”. 

WE CONTACTED OR ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ALL THE INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE. SOME COULD NOT BE REACHED OR DECLINED TO COMMENT, AND OTHERS DID NOT REPLY TO OUR EMAILS OR PHONE CALLS. THE ANSWERS WE DID RECEIVE ARE INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE.

The work of Futuro Investigates is made possible by the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Tow Foundation, the Geraldine H. Dodge Foundation, Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden, and Hispanics in Philanthropy.

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