Ok, so when I left off, the mule was in FBI custody and had agreed to let the agents search her luggage and to cooperate fully with them. The two agents and the mule boarded another Southwest flight (with fake cocaine), and eventually, made it to Pennsylvania. Once there, the mule called the person we shall refer to as "the driver", to alert him that she had landed and was ready to be picked up. The driver picked the mule up, took her luggage, and put it in the trunk. At this point, the FBI agents were following the driver and the mule; they had to drive back to a town in Ohio, which was going to take about an hour. Any conversation between the driver and the mule were NOT recorded.
After driving back into Ohio, the driver and the mule finally arrive at the dealer's house. The driver takes the mule's luggage into the dealer's house, and about 5 minutes later the DEA busts in a pretty much arrests everyone. The FBI take the mule into the garage; during this time, the defendant is attempting to contact the mule and the dealer, all to no avail, since they are both in custody. At the dealer's house, the DEA seizes nearly $188,000, scales, and other drug paraphernalia.
Once the raid at the dealer's house is done, the FBI escort the mule back to the airport in Pennsylvania, and back onto a plane which eventually lands back in Oakland. At the exact moment she is supposed to land, the defendant calls her, and although she landed 25 minutes early, she doesn't answer because the FBI agents she is with want to attach a recording device to her phone.
Once the recording device is attached, the mule calls (actually chirps on a push-to-talk phone) the defendant back; he answers and is clearly pissed about having no contact with anyone involved for the past 12-14 hours. She explains that the dealer's house was raided and they got all the cocaine and all the money, and let her go only because the driver had been carrying the luggage and she was just a guest, and had distanced herself. He apparently buys this story and when she tells him she just wants to go to Reno to see her kids, he says that she needs to meet him before she does anything.
Once the mule arrives back at her brother's mobile home, she chirps the defendant to let him know she is there, and about 10 minutes later, two FBI agents see the defendant arrive in a silver Mercedes SUV. The conversation that takes place at the mobile home is mostly about how he is annoyed that he lost $177,000, but is glad that he at least didn't send 7 kilos, which was the original plan, and that he has 3 more kilos in play here in California, and can try to make up some of the money that way. He assures the mule that they can't touch her now that she is back in California, and that he wasn't at the scene, so he is immune also.
-----------------------
Cut to October...
The FBI and DEA execute a search warrant on the home owned by the defendant's estranged wife. In the home, underneath the washing machine, they find more than $40,000. Under the wife's bed, they find another $8,000. The wife claims in court that she likes to keep half of her liquid assets in cash in her home because she doesn't trust banks. Keep in mind that, at the time, this same woman was making approximately $50,000 a year, and she had almost that much in her house. I personally, found this whole thing really odd, but whatever.
The FBI finally caught up with the defendant on October 8, and there were seriously SO many cell phones entered into evidence. In my mind, he was guilty, and I am glad the jury felt the same.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Jury Doody...part 1
Ok, so I just got a call from the court clerk that my fellow jurors reached a verdict of guilty on all three counts, so I can dish about the trial.
The defendant was charged with (1) Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; (2) Attempted distribution of cocaine; and (3) Distribution of cocaine. Here is the glossy overview of testimony and evidence:
On 9/16/08, the FBI intercepted the defendant's drug mule carrying 6 kilos of cocaine at Oakland International Airport. They had been monitoring her flight activity, since she was taking frequent trips to and from OAK to Philadelphia and not even staying more than 24 hours at a time. Allow me to back up and provide a timeline of that day, as based on phone calls and witness testimony (both the mule and the FBI agents).
The mule woke up around 3:30am, and from that time until the time she went through TSA security (at 5am), she was in contact with the defendant. On her way to the airport, she stopped by some hotel in Emeryville and dropped off 1 kilo to the defendant. Around 4:45am, she went to the Park and Call lot at the airport, and handed off the remaining 6 kilos of cocaine, in a black duffel, and her green roller bag to another guy who had a standby ticket on a different flight. At around the same time (5:05am), both she (the mule), and the guy she'd handed off her bag to went through 2 different security checkpoints at the airport. By this time, the guy with the mule's luggage has been in contact with a Southwest employee, and presumably, handed the cocaine over to said employee. This employee was on video entering the airport through the employee secure entrance wearing a humongous jacket, despite the testimony that it was a warm day. We see on video the guy with the luggage in the bathroom at the same time as the Southwest employee; we infer that they are transferring the cocaine from the jacket to the duffel bag at this point.
After both men exit the restroom, the man who had met the mule in the Park & Call met her again, in the cafe at the airport, and handed back her luggage to her. She then went to the bathroom and, again, we reasonably presume, transferred the cocaine from the duffel to her roller and her oversize Coach handbag. It was at this point that she went to her gate, and was intercepted by FBI agents.
Keep in mind, that during this entire time period the defendant was in phone contact with the man the mule met at the Park & Call and the mule herself, and the Park & Call guy was also in phone contact with the Southwest employee. The mule had already texted the defendant to say that everything was okay.
While in FBI custody, one agent took the mule's luggage and had it x-rayed and sniffed by a drug-sniffing dog. The x-ray showed 5 unusual square shapes in the roller bag and one in the Coach bag. At this point, when confronted with the mounting evidence, the mule agreed to cooperate and work with the FBI on the case. By this time, the mule had missed her original flight, and so ended up on a flight several hours later with 2 FBI agents.
Part 2 later....
The defendant was charged with (1) Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; (2) Attempted distribution of cocaine; and (3) Distribution of cocaine. Here is the glossy overview of testimony and evidence:
On 9/16/08, the FBI intercepted the defendant's drug mule carrying 6 kilos of cocaine at Oakland International Airport. They had been monitoring her flight activity, since she was taking frequent trips to and from OAK to Philadelphia and not even staying more than 24 hours at a time. Allow me to back up and provide a timeline of that day, as based on phone calls and witness testimony (both the mule and the FBI agents).
The mule woke up around 3:30am, and from that time until the time she went through TSA security (at 5am), she was in contact with the defendant. On her way to the airport, she stopped by some hotel in Emeryville and dropped off 1 kilo to the defendant. Around 4:45am, she went to the Park and Call lot at the airport, and handed off the remaining 6 kilos of cocaine, in a black duffel, and her green roller bag to another guy who had a standby ticket on a different flight. At around the same time (5:05am), both she (the mule), and the guy she'd handed off her bag to went through 2 different security checkpoints at the airport. By this time, the guy with the mule's luggage has been in contact with a Southwest employee, and presumably, handed the cocaine over to said employee. This employee was on video entering the airport through the employee secure entrance wearing a humongous jacket, despite the testimony that it was a warm day. We see on video the guy with the luggage in the bathroom at the same time as the Southwest employee; we infer that they are transferring the cocaine from the jacket to the duffel bag at this point.
After both men exit the restroom, the man who had met the mule in the Park & Call met her again, in the cafe at the airport, and handed back her luggage to her. She then went to the bathroom and, again, we reasonably presume, transferred the cocaine from the duffel to her roller and her oversize Coach handbag. It was at this point that she went to her gate, and was intercepted by FBI agents.
Keep in mind, that during this entire time period the defendant was in phone contact with the man the mule met at the Park & Call and the mule herself, and the Park & Call guy was also in phone contact with the Southwest employee. The mule had already texted the defendant to say that everything was okay.
While in FBI custody, one agent took the mule's luggage and had it x-rayed and sniffed by a drug-sniffing dog. The x-ray showed 5 unusual square shapes in the roller bag and one in the Coach bag. At this point, when confronted with the mounting evidence, the mule agreed to cooperate and work with the FBI on the case. By this time, the mule had missed her original flight, and so ended up on a flight several hours later with 2 FBI agents.
Part 2 later....
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A brutally honest assessment of this year
So, some people write Christmas newsletters; I will attempt to give you a look at what life was really like this year, without glossing it over.
In January, I had an endoscopy to confirm my diagnosis of Celiac disease. The results, as you know, came back positive, so I have been on a gluten free diet ever since. On the 9th, I turned 30, which is fine; age is just a number, and since I still act like a teenager (in some respects), it's all good. Many friends came for my birthday party, which was a gluten free potluck. It was really nice to see everyone; I have the BEST friends!
In March, I celebrated 3 years at Cropper Accountancy, which sorta blows my mind. Yes, sometimes work is completely exasperating, especially since most of us are LDS and are all up in each other's business.
In late spring, I adopted a precious little Chihuahua mix from ARF, and kept her name as Darla. I like to think that she was like me; getting a little older, and sometimes a bit snarky, but if you loved her, she loved you back 10 times more. She got excited whenever I came in, and loved to go on walks and play with me. Unfortunately, the last time I saw her was on September 20, when I dropped her off at Michelle's house. Shortly thereafter, she was sent on to dog heaven; I feel a sense of guilt that I didn't say a proper goodbye to her, and hope that she is there in whatever degree of heaven I go to.
The middle part of the year was mostly boring; I did learn a lot about how to remodel bathrooms and kitchens. I also learned that you have a good chance of getting a free backyard remodel if you hang out at the West Sacramento Ikea.
September brought a big change; on a sunny Sunday, Mike came over and watched X-Files on my TV for several hours, then we went to the Athey's for dinner, and so I could see my dog (and walk her). While we were there, I answered a question that had been posed by Mike's brother, and apparently my response was not appreciated. We got into a little tiff, which ended back at my house with this exchange:
ME, "Are you EVER going to trust me as much as you trust your mom and your brother?"
MIKE (after several seconds of silence), "Probably not. I prayed about it this morning, and I'm not supposed to marry you."
I am the first to admit that he was right; we were not supposed to get married. It took me about 36 hours to figure that out and be okay with it. What I didn't understand, and quite frankly, still don't, is why he needed 8 hours to "mull it over" while watching TV at my house. HUH??? Anyway, I learned a lot from our year together, and am super thankful to the amazing people I still have in my life who happily let me make mistakes. Having the gospel, and knowing how much God loves me (and Mike, for that matter), made a HUMONGOUS difference. Terri told me I should write a book called How to Handle a Breakup. The draft is still forthcoming ;)
In October, I went to Disneyland with Lisa, Hillary, and Rachel. It was amazingly fun; I had forgotten how much I love that place, and traveling in general. The Tower of Terror still makes me giggle like a little girl every time, and the Halloween event was super fun; the Imagineers at Disney do great work. On Saturday night, we met up with Shaine and Kevin for a nice dinner; having that many friends with me at Disneyland was simply amazing.
Nothing super spectacular happened in November, but Lisa and I did do Black Friday shopping. Also, we are going on a cruise to the Caribbean in January - this is something I'd wanted to do for a long time, and no time like the present. The only other thing happening is that I have jury duty this next week. Once the trial is over, I will blog about that as well.
Happy ChristmaHannaWanzaaKah!
Katy
In January, I had an endoscopy to confirm my diagnosis of Celiac disease. The results, as you know, came back positive, so I have been on a gluten free diet ever since. On the 9th, I turned 30, which is fine; age is just a number, and since I still act like a teenager (in some respects), it's all good. Many friends came for my birthday party, which was a gluten free potluck. It was really nice to see everyone; I have the BEST friends!
In March, I celebrated 3 years at Cropper Accountancy, which sorta blows my mind. Yes, sometimes work is completely exasperating, especially since most of us are LDS and are all up in each other's business.
In late spring, I adopted a precious little Chihuahua mix from ARF, and kept her name as Darla. I like to think that she was like me; getting a little older, and sometimes a bit snarky, but if you loved her, she loved you back 10 times more. She got excited whenever I came in, and loved to go on walks and play with me. Unfortunately, the last time I saw her was on September 20, when I dropped her off at Michelle's house. Shortly thereafter, she was sent on to dog heaven; I feel a sense of guilt that I didn't say a proper goodbye to her, and hope that she is there in whatever degree of heaven I go to.
The middle part of the year was mostly boring; I did learn a lot about how to remodel bathrooms and kitchens. I also learned that you have a good chance of getting a free backyard remodel if you hang out at the West Sacramento Ikea.
September brought a big change; on a sunny Sunday, Mike came over and watched X-Files on my TV for several hours, then we went to the Athey's for dinner, and so I could see my dog (and walk her). While we were there, I answered a question that had been posed by Mike's brother, and apparently my response was not appreciated. We got into a little tiff, which ended back at my house with this exchange:
ME, "Are you EVER going to trust me as much as you trust your mom and your brother?"
MIKE (after several seconds of silence), "Probably not. I prayed about it this morning, and I'm not supposed to marry you."
I am the first to admit that he was right; we were not supposed to get married. It took me about 36 hours to figure that out and be okay with it. What I didn't understand, and quite frankly, still don't, is why he needed 8 hours to "mull it over" while watching TV at my house. HUH??? Anyway, I learned a lot from our year together, and am super thankful to the amazing people I still have in my life who happily let me make mistakes. Having the gospel, and knowing how much God loves me (and Mike, for that matter), made a HUMONGOUS difference. Terri told me I should write a book called How to Handle a Breakup. The draft is still forthcoming ;)
In October, I went to Disneyland with Lisa, Hillary, and Rachel. It was amazingly fun; I had forgotten how much I love that place, and traveling in general. The Tower of Terror still makes me giggle like a little girl every time, and the Halloween event was super fun; the Imagineers at Disney do great work. On Saturday night, we met up with Shaine and Kevin for a nice dinner; having that many friends with me at Disneyland was simply amazing.
Nothing super spectacular happened in November, but Lisa and I did do Black Friday shopping. Also, we are going on a cruise to the Caribbean in January - this is something I'd wanted to do for a long time, and no time like the present. The only other thing happening is that I have jury duty this next week. Once the trial is over, I will blog about that as well.
Happy ChristmaHannaWanzaaKah!
Katy
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