Blog dedicated to reporting on Mexican drug cartels
on the border line between the US and Mexico
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Saturday, September 26, 2015

Zetas: Pancho Colorado wins another appeal, his bribery conviction is tossed out

by Lucio R. Borderland Beat

At the close of the Austin Texas Zetas Money Laundering trial, a stunning addendum intruded the Austin courthouse, when prosecutors made aware the business partner and the son of defendant Francisco “Pancho” Colorado Cessa, [below left] had attempted to execute a scheme that would bribe a U.S. District Court judge, on behalf of Colorado, for a favorable sentence.

In another one of those situations which could have easily been created in Hollywood, Francisco Colorado Jr. and Ramon Segura attempted to bribe the presiding judge, planning to pay him 1 million USD.

Judge Sparks was never aware of the scheme.  The plot included; an informant, secret meetings with undercover agents, code words and a fictitious story by the agents saying the judge had accepted the deal.

Colorado Jr. and Seguro pleaded guilty in exchange for Cessa receiving a light sentence, of about one year.  They were released and deported to Mexico, where they promptly declared they were railroaded by the U.S. government and were innocent.

For his part Cessa pleaded with the judge to punish him but allow his son to go free.  He then pleaded guilty.  He attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, but the presiding judge, in the bribery case, Donald Walter, ruled against Cessa rescinding his plea, saying “he had implicitly accepted the plea agreement”, thereby was prevented from repealing the agreement.

He was sentenced to 5 years. 

But a federal 5th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals, found in disagreement with the presiding judge, concluding that he had the right to rescind the plea agreement.

The conviction was overturned.





This was the second appeal in which Cessa prevailed.  In March his conviction in the Zetas trial was overturned.

He was convicted of laundering millions of dollars for Los Zetas cartel, in a quarter horse racing operation in the United States.  The April 2013 trial which initially included 15 defendants but after plea deals the number dropped down to five. 

Of the five who were tried;

Colorado Cessa found guilty sentenced to 240 months- conviction overturned on appeal

Fernando Solis Garcia, Guilty sentenced to 140 months

Jose Trevino Morales, brother of Omar and Miguel Trevino, found guilty sentenced to 20 years

Jesse Maldonado Huitron- Not Guilty

Eusevio "Chevo" Maldonado Huitron (brother of Jesse) Guilty- then conviction overturned and he was acquitted and freed with the appeals ruling “insufficient evidence”


At the time of the trial BB administrator Chivis, went on record saying the Huitron brothers should not have been charges in the first place, she was of the opinion that the brothers were innocent of the charges.

Cessa had predicted he would attain and overturn and eventual acquittal.  He contention is he had no choice, he was forced into helping the Zetas, it was that or die.

However, testimony in the case says otherwise, among testimony was that of the two:

There is testimony of Jesús Enrique Rejón Aguilar aka “El Mamito” or Z-7.

Rejón spoke to the court of Pancho Colorado Cessa and his relationship with Z-14. He said, "They were compadres and Z-14 helped him with his company in Veracruz." He was at the investigation/reorganization meeting at Colorado's ranch after the death of Z-14. Rejón testified that he attended many match races, "maybe 80" with 40 and 42 in Mexico, and Colorado Cessa was there sometimes, too. "He bought horses for them."

Another witness, José Carlos Hinajosa, was a law clerk at the Federal Attorney’s office in San Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, before becoming the account for Los Zetas. He testified Thursday that in 2004-2005, Francisco Colorado Cessa siphoned millions of dollars of drug money that was allocated for the horse racing operation and 12 million dollars to the PRI political party’s gubernatorial campaign in Veracruz. 

Although not named, the governor was Fidel Herrera Beltrán. He denies this to be fact, but the FBI suspected Francisco was giving money to Herrera.

Cessa will get a new trial in both cases, but don’t be surprised if he gets an attractive deal and one or both don’t make it to trial, seems Mexico’s narcos aren’t spending much time in prison after the dust settles.

For extensive background information, including information about the Zetas revealed in the trial, use the search bar, type in Zetas Trial or Zetas Money Laundering trial. Or use google to access the series and in the courtroom reporting of Havana and Chivis.

23 comments:

  1. off topic*
    but hey chivis what ever happened to el menchos son?
    i know he was re arrested but nothing else was said.
    did he get out of prison again or is he still locked up?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Menchito was re-arrested as you said and the court ruled there is enough evidence to charge him with organized crime and bribery.

      He was transferred 6 weeks ago to Altiplano No.1 the prison Chapo tunneled out of

      Delete
    2. Thanks Chivis.
      your a doll :)

      Delete
    3. Maybe after sitting in his cell for a while, he too will have tunnel vision.

      Delete
    4. Hey chivis when are you goin to do the article on the zambadas and mochomo?

      Delete
  2. Wow! And the government tells me to vote and particpate!
    Why? I have little money. Obviously I don't count.
    I guess I should suck up some dope, watch TV, and shut up! LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Queremos convertir a Estados Unidos en un lugar de mala calidad, como México. Con violencia, las drogas, la corrupción, violaciones, tráfico sexual, la trata de personas, el bienestar. Nuestro plan es chupar dinero de los impuestos de los Estados Unidos en seco. Eso luego que Estados Unidos sea pobre como México y luego el gobierno mexicano puede reclamar Texas, Nuevo México, Arizona y California. Incluso Queremos tomar Mississippi, Illinois y Michigan

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  4. Dang, Panocha Colorado wins

    ReplyDelete
  5. Arghhhh teta news again my God when r we ever gonna stop hearing bout Tetaz ???!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @12:How about you go home and read your bible instead?

      Delete
  6. What's the damn point of chasing these guys if only to have them out within a couple years?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They take away as much $ as they can.... And if they can't, they stay in jail..

      Delete
  7. well you have to tip your hat to mr. Colorado. he challenged the US Justice Department and he won.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The usa is like mexico with a little less killings what i meen is that money makes the monkey dance and this guy has a shit load of it so with a good lawyer its posible

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  9. Why is it that American inmates have to verify funds for attorneys yet the POS drug dealers who are non American can use blood money to pay attorney fees from their innocent victims? This is BULLSHIT. If they cannot verify through employment or otherwise these fucks do no deserve top dollar cartel attorneys. If this is going to be par for course then the attorneys finances and connections need to be checked into. Pro Bono my fucking ass when an offshore account is loaded. Execute all these POS's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because those non american narcos have more money than all these bs petty drug dealers in the USA and guess who's more greedy than even the non american narcos......the USA of course they don't do the whole dea business because drugs are bad they do it for the $$$$$$ duh if they lost money doing it they would stop and find another way trust me if it's 1 thing the white folks don't play about is money lol even when it's not theirs

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    2. Their $$$$$$$$$$ talks

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    3. Exactly good sir, at the end of the day it's the USA government that want those non american narco kingpins extradited not the other way around of course they rather stay in Mexico and still bribe their way around the law the USA wants them for their money they give 2 chits about what's going on in Mexico if that was the case they would save every one in Syria and other trouble countries from drug lords/ war lords wake up AMERICA it's not the non nationals tearing this country apart it's the good ol american greed every one wants more than just a piece of the pie they want it all and it's up to dumbass/onald trump to make America great again who's pretty much another Hitler going against exactly what he has done to be successful.

      Delete
  10. Shit got to give it to him!

    ReplyDelete
  11. He, he, heee...offshore accounts, verify...but damenet, you are right, they will try to find you, you know too much to left alone baby...

    ReplyDelete
  12. I guess they did find a way to give him that cool million. I bet other guys wanted their cut so they out for another 5 thats why it went the way it did. Now hes out. Hmmmm

    ReplyDelete
  13. Chess, son! It ain't checkers!

    ReplyDelete

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