From: doctor1@cbnewse.cb.att.com (patrick.b.hailey)
Subject: Re: "A kinder, gentler America"
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 06:37:20 GMT

In article <9207140441.AA18648@heartland.bradley.edu.> gledbet@heartland.bradley.edu writes:
>
>
>It is strange that I heard so little about the trial before Noriega was
>convicted -- considering that I heard plenty while the government and the press
>were demonizing Noriega in preparation for the U.S. invasion of Panama...
>Unfortunately, the government that claims to represent me violated
>international law, invaded a small and helpless nation, massacred many of its
>citizens, and abducted its head of state...
>If for no other reason, I will not vote for George Bush.

It's much worse than Gene indicates.  The following is from some Usenet posts 
from quite a while ago.  I wish I could attribute them, but I kept the info and
have long since lost the names of the authors.  I hope they'll forgive me, but
I never considered that a forum for this info would open up again, otherwise
I'd surely have asked permission.  I'm sure they'd like to see this get wider 
coverage, though.

E-mail me your $nail mail address for a free Libertarian Party info packet.
I'll get it to you quicker than they will.  Or call (800) 682-1776.

   Thanks awfully,
             Patrick
=============================================================================
Subject: Noriega Witness Deals

Here's a list of the deals cut by the witnesses against Noriega.  Keep in
mind that Noriega was only charge with offenses that would put him away for
240 years, and half that stuck.  I don't think that he was charged with
anything that would put him away for life---ALL of these witnesses could
have been put in for life (and not just a long term).

This information was published in the 13.April.92 edition of USA Today on
page 9A.  They attribute the information to the House Subcommitee on Crime
and Criminal Justice.

FORMAT:
Name, Job, Drug profits,  Maximum sentence before testifying,
        likely sentence after testifying, other stuff

The six really nasty fellows:

Jose Cabrera, Importer, $40-50 Million, Life + 200 years,
        under 15 years, keeps the money, 9 in Witness Protection Program.
Floyd Carlton-Caceras, Pilot, 6 Million, Life + 154 years,
        9 years, keeps his Panamanian properties, no tax penalties
                $211,000 expenses paid, family & babysitter in WPP.
Cesar Cura, Importer, $10 Million, Life + 145 years,
        up to 20 years, no forfeiture, plea covers 5 indictments,
                immunity from prosecution.
Steven Kalish, Smuggler, $20 Million, Life + 285,
        up to 10 years, keeps $700G's profits, immune from other
prosecution, he and wife in WPP.
Carlos Lehder, Co-founded Drug Cartel, $40 Million, Life + 510,
        a mere 135 years (likely parole), keeps $8 Million, no taxes,
                Family in WPP, he's a candidate (if paroled?).
Max Mermelstein, Shipper, $2.5 Million, Life + 90 years,
        2 years, $700,000 expenses paid, excused from tax penalties,
                17 friends and family members in WPP.

That's 6 life sentences dropped, about 1,200 years in prison dropped, about
$70 Million in bribes paid, over 30 people into the Witness Protection
program...
=========================================================================
FRAMED by Elliott Finesse
-----------------------------
"Dear General Noriega:
Your long standing support of the Drug Enforcement Administration is greatly
appreciated. Country Attache Bramble has advised me of no small number of
instances in which you have lent your personal support. Thank you very much for
the autographed photograph. I have had it framed, and it is proudly displayed in
my office.
      Francis Mullen Jr.   Chief Drug Enforcement Administration"

   The above letter is dated March 16, 1984
   There are also photos taken in happier times, warmly autographed to Manny, by
Peter Bensinger and John C. Lawn, Both former DEA chiefs during the Carter and
Reagan administrations respectively.(SF Chronicle, 6-2-88, pg. 1 section B)
   You think maybe they were all duped by this "low life"?
   Think again.
   Mullen, who headed the DEA from 1981-1985, was a willing defense witness and
testified on Noriega's behalf on March 5, 1992.  That shocking little bit of
news made page 10 of the March 6 issue of the SF Chronicle.
   Doesn't that disturb you .... just a little?
   No?  Ok. Do you have a copy of the Bill of Rights handy? Check out the 6th
Amendment. Can't find your copy? Ok I'll read it.

Amendment VI
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and
public trial, by an impartial jury OF THE STATE AND DISTRICT WHEREIN THE CRIME
SHALL HAVE BEEN COMMITTED........" Noriega was kidnapped from Panama and tried
in Miami -  unconstitutionally. 

   More? How about this:
   Birch Bayh, CHAIRMAN of the Senate Intelligence Committee in 1978 told a
closed session of the Senate at the time that, "...there was just a TREMENDOUS
amount ..." of evidence, allegedly showing both Panama and Noriega's involvement
in drug trafficking, as far back as the early 70's. (9-28-88 NEW YORK TIMES)
   George Bush was head of the CIA in 1976. He was also in Panama that year,
knew Noriega, and had contact.
   Do you suppose his CIA operatives - his EMPLOYEES - forgot to tell him about
this "drug felon" and soon to be dictator?
   This conviction stinks to high heaven.
   I was not prepared to believe that jury "tampering" was in the realm of
possibility for loyal American's no matter how "misguided" I think some serving
the criminal justice system may be.
   Now I'm not so sure.
   Look at the Government witnesses:
   Former Panama Defense Force officer Luis Del Cid, now serving time and
trading testimony for sentence reduction - And Money.
   Servants  of the Medellin and the Escobar drug families, trading testimony
for promised sentence reduction.
   Gabriel Taboda, another jail bird serving 21 years for cocaine smuggling,
trading testimony for sentence reduction. And Money. The prosecution refered to
Gabriel as a "key witness." Perhaps they meant "kilo witness."
   Floyd Carlton Caceres, former cartel pilot, currently serving a long sentence
for smuggling, trading testimony for possible sentence reduction - and Money.
   And the big daddy
   Carlos Ledher, serving a life sentence PLUS one hundred and thirty years(!).
Carlos was actually captured with the help of Noriega and extradited to the US
for prosecution, testifying in return for specially treatment in prison and for
giving his family prominent resident (green card) status in the US. I'd guess
that Carlos would have done it for nothing, though.
   U.S. Attorney, Robert Merkel who put Ledher away told The Washington Post, "I
don't think the government should be in the business of dealing with Carlos
Ledher. The guy is a liar from beginning to end."
   The Government's case rested almost entirely on ORAL testimony. This seems
strange when you consider that  hundreds of U.S. soldiers search Noriega's place
of business and residence, and those of his close aides, turning up nothing
except a fifty-pound bag of ............. tortilla flour. This was mistakenly
identified as cocaine at the time.  The U.S. military publicly corrected the
error a few days later. It appears that the "Justice" Department was forced to
purchase the testimony of convicted and incarcerated drug felons ( hand picked
by Fbi agents from only the best Florida prisons) because out of the hundreds of
thousands of documents taken during the illegal invasion of Panama, and
subsequent illegal search, none linking Noriega to drug trafficking were ever
found.
   The flow of drugs through Panama has not ceased or even diminished. Only the
attention paid to it has.
   But Hey. Maybe I'm just paranoid.
Elliott Finesse