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Wednesday, October 12, 2016

At the service of Washington and the Milenio Cartel

Original article available at Proceso, Written by Andrew Kennis
Translated by El Wachito

He was friends with some of the most prominent Panistas (members of the PAN party) while laundering money for the Cartel del Milenio. Marco Antonio Delgado, was also an informant for the Office of Immigration and Customs and a boyfriend of Ms. Lilian de la Concha, who is ex-wife of former president Vicente Fox. His history, according to the documents provided by the Texas court, show the hypocrisy of the informant system of the United States, which allowed Delgado to continue with his illegal activities until he was stopped. 

 

The hidden story behing the lawyer Marco Antonio Delgado was exposed during the trial conducted by the Texas Federal court: while maintaining a relationship with Lilian De la Concha - ex wife of former President Vicente Fox-, he was laundering millions of dollars, he maintained contacts within the Cartel del Milenio and he was an informant for the Office of Immigration and Customs (ICE).



Even more shocking was the fact that ICE allowed him to continue laundering money while he was an informant from septermber 2007 to july 2008, according to documents consulted by the journalist Andrew Kennis.

In Januray, 2014 a federal court in el Paso, declared Delgado guilty of laundering 600 millions of dollars and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, Delgado appealed the decision of the fifth court and in may of 2015 he received a reduction of 4 years.

Delgado is currently facing another trial for money laundering, not related to anterior cases. En his new case, authorities are accusing Delgado of negotiating  121 millions of dollars as a legal representative of FGG Enterprises inc., with the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) a Mexican government energy agency. The contract pretended to install an energy plant in Agua Prieta, in Sorona and it was a tool that Delgado used in an illegal manner to deposit money in the Turk and Caicos islands.


"El Chico"

Victor Pimental was 29 years old and a student at the University of Texas, in El Paso. In Septermber of 2007 he was stopped by the Atlanta Police. He was driving a car with Mexican plates and was ordered to pull over by David Elliot, a cop from Carroll county.


Elliot requested Pimentel for his license but he started showing signs of nervousness. Instead of giving the cop his drivers licence, he pulled out a picture of his daughter of two months and he show it to the cop. According to the testimony of the cop before the court, Pimentel was literally shaking and he told the cop that he had almost 1 million dollars in his back seat: there is big stacks of money pack in lunch bags. An ICE investigation unit on money laundering offered Pimentel a good shower, a delicious breakfast and an offer for him to become an informant.


Pimental was Delgado's right hand and he was the main witness used by the Texas court against Delgado.


Pimental had a fake educational degree that was bought by Delgado in the known Plaza de Santo Domingo, in downtown of Mexico City. And even though Pimentel had frequent meetings with high level drug traffickers and had even lied to investors and businessman about him being a legal representative, that crucial day that he pulled over by Elliot, he failed to carry on an important money laundering operation.


ICE agents referred to Pimentel as "The boy", because he was really young and naïve, explained to the court and ICE agent from Atlanta identified as Alex Ascencio.


"A successful immigrant"

Delgado history was that of a successful immigrant. Born in Mexico City, he emigrated to the United States at the age of 16. He studied law at Carnegie Mellon University. In march of 2005 he began his career as an independent lawyer and he established his offices in el Paso and in Mexico City. He was also a member of the council of his administration at his alma mater. he was a recognized philanthropist who was in charge of collecting money for scholarships destined to Latino students.
Delgado donated 250000 USD to establish the Marco Delgado Fellowship (Photo taken from the CMU website)


Delgado was also an adviser to the ex-governor of Texas, Ann Richards. According to Delgado, he also advise public functionaries of Mexico, including the transition team of 2012 of the elected President, Enrique Peña Nieto, according to the curriculum that he turn into Carnegie Mellon University. Ken Walters, spokesman of the university, confirmed to CBS news that Delgado provided the university with the biography, and that he requested a period of absence to collaborate with the elected Mexican president. Eduardo Sanchez, spokesman of the Mexican Presidency, denied to CBS such links. Peña Nieto's government didn't answer any questions to the journalists.


In 2002, Delgado's life changed when he met the ex president Vicente fox, first wife, Lilian De La Concha. Witnesses swore in under jury claimed that De la Concha was introduced to Delgado by Nareo Vargas, who was the leader of Sindicato Unico de Trabajadores Electricistas de la Republica Mexicana (SUTERM). Delgado knew Vargas since they were kids.

Marco Delgado and Lilian De la Concha

 Due to the fact that De la Concha was well connected to prominent members of the Partido Accion Nacional (PAN), Delgado had the opportunity to network with several of them. That's how he also met, Felipe  Calderon. In fact, Calderon, Delgado and De la Concha appear together in a picture taken in September of 2006, such picture is now being used in the case against Delgado.


During the case, it was revealed that De la Concha sent e-mails to  members of Felipe's Calderon cabinet, Jalisco ex governor, and the Ambassador of Spain, Francisco Ramirez Acuña to try to convince them to hire Marco Delgado for lobbying duties in Washington, D.C. (Document 122, of case 3:12-cr-02106)


As Brothers

According to court witnesses under the Court of Texas, Delgado and De la Concha designed plans to delay the extradition of prominent drug lords, and to launder millions of dollars that came from the sale of drugs. There was no mention of the drug lords that they were trying to protect.


Suppodsely, the person of most trust of Delgado was Pimentel. Delgado utilize him to cover himself and to make money laundering deals. His relationship was describe by the court as that of an older brother with a younger brother.


During their business and friendship relationships, according to the court- Delgado invited Pimentel to a luxury thanksgiving dinner party in a ski resort in Ruidoso, Nuevo Mexico; he took him a "frequent reunions" with cartel representatives and he sent him in private and commercial flights to destinations such as Turk and Caicos islands. Those are the places where Delgado and Pimentel deposited money in banks that were protected from supervision of US authorities.


Pimentel describe the period as a "period of exploration". For him, such reunions were similar to job interviews and he confessed that he was impressed by the high level of the people of the cartels that he was working with. But they started to spend long periods of time working with them and that made him nervous, he said. Delgado told him to calm down: once the deal was settle, everything will be okay.


According to the testimony of Pimentel (Document 121 del caso 3:12-cr-02106), there was no direct link with the Milenio Cartel till the end of the "period of exploration". This happened during the spring of 2007, when Delgado and Pimentel met with a drug lord from the Milenio Cartel known only by El Chuy (his real name was never revealed in court). The reunion was conducted at the Camino Real hotel of Mexico city and several business partners of De la Concha were present.


Controlled deliveries under ICE supervision

After authorities confiscated the money that Pimentel was transporting in the backseats of his vehicles, ICE recruited him as an informant. The investigators weren't impressed with "El Chico" and they wanted to make their way into Delgado. Thanks to Pimentel, they were able get close to Delgado.


"Next afternoon we boarded a plane. My cop partner, homeland security officers, and ICE agents carried the money. We took it to El Paso and we proceeded the steps to make a "controlled delivery". Explained Elliot during his testimony in the court in reference to the fact that they gave the money back to Pimentel in order for him to deliver it to Delgado and then to return it to the Milenio Cartel.


An helicopter followed Pimentel, along with Delgado, they drove by Mesa street, the principal street of Paso, pretending to deliver the money. It was September 7 of 2007, just a couple of days after Pimentel's detention in Atlanta, and Delgado didn't know anything. The plan was to cross into Mexico with the money and take it to Colima, the headquarters of the Milenio Cartel.


When Pimentel delivered the money, the ICE agents intercept him, Delgado was nervous just like his employee in Atlanta and soon he was at the offices of ICE in El Paso. It was no surprise to anyone that Delgado also accepted to become an informant.


However, the agents complained about Delgado. They claimed that Delgado had an arrogant attitude. Things got worse when they decided that the information that Delgado was giving was not good enough.

During Ascencios testimony, he claimed that the investigations are not going anywhere and he felt that his security and the security of his partners were at risk. He only thing he was able to accomplish was a meeting between Ascencio and several members of the Milenio Cartel in the McAllen city of Texas. Isidro Vega, who was identified as a cousin of el Chuy was present at the meeting.

However a few weeks after the meeting, the contact with Ascencio vanished. During his time as an ICE informant, Delgado continue to launder money.

During the court session, Debra Kanof a public proseccutor ask Ascencio if it was commong for an imformant to continue his illicit activities and them for informing the agency?

Ascencio replied: "Yes".

Kanof ask again: "Its really common?"

Ascencio afirmed again.

Even though the revelations were made, no legal action was taken against Delgado, till july of 2008 when Pimentel revealed to ICE another delivering of money. It was a second "controlled delivery" organized by ICE, however it was not "authorized" by the dependency: this meant that it was not conducted to protect Delgado and an undecover informant, but to coolect evidence against him, evidence that was key to prosecute him.

The agents didnt like Delgado and his cooperation didnt take them anywhere, so they wanted to catch him..... and they did.

The "controlled delivery" of Pimentel almost failed when the cartel contact notice that Delgado was being followed by ICE agents. The man that was going to receive the money, identify as Martell, threw the bag with 50 thousand dollars, and ran away. He was arrested by the agent moments later. But now the agents had clear evidence against delgado because this was not an authorized delivery in Chicago and this key evidence drove him to his sentence.

New case

For Ken Rijock- a lawyer who launders millions of dollars for colombian cartels and author of the book "The laundy man"- theres a series of lessons and thoughts that can be learned from Delgado's case. This case exposes a "small and dirty subworld of the application of the law, because it was a shame that Delgado was able to launder huge quantities of money before being arrested, while actiong as a confidential informant of the government", said Rijock to Proceso magazine.

He was not only a local lawyer, but an international one", because he had access to the family of the president and PAN. He considers that the coming case will expose other parts of the operation, "because he is also involved with a public service agency (CFE).

In regard of the future of Delgado, this second process against him accusses him of laundering dozens of millions of dollars. He could spend more than 20 years in prison. However, taking in consideration potential reductions in sentence due to good conduct, the appeal that he won, and a possible succesful defense, he could leave jail in six years.














45 comments:

  1. I live in georgia and you dont drive through the ATL or anywhere in this state with mexican plates! YOU WILL BE STOPPED guaranteed by the police here! these rednecks dont like mexicans for reasons i dont understand but they dont! Not sayin its right but like i said i live here and i know how it is!

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    1. Relax with the "these rednecks" comments, dickhead. I'm white and live in ATL and wouldn't call you or my beautiful Mexican wife or any other Mexican a "wetback". If you aren't happy here, leave.

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    2. Im a mx southern cali SD boy and back in 2013 I lived in ATL Buckhead area for a year with an old girlfriend of mine. I was 22 and riding solo in ATL like it was the thing to do. I went everywhere since my ex's family lived in Buford and all over the backwoods. Good times. If you impose self respect nobody will fuck with you. Another experience outside of my comfort zone.

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    3. 6:17 you're so lucky to have a Mexican wife :)

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    4. I got stopped for having Texas plates

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    5. @6:17 i live in the north ga mtns and i didnt say that i thought it was ok because its not but there are alot of very racist ppl up here in these hills including some of the cops! Ive seen and heard it but i dont bother with these kind of ppl! By the way im native american/irish originally out of oklahoma which my family goes way back there! Not cool to be racist but sad to say there will always be them assholes around!

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    6. How the hell are all white people half native american. That is B.S.

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    7. @ 6:17, You relax, dickhead! I'm pretty sure @ 5:05 wasn't referring to you personally or "all" gueros in ATL as "Rednecks". I believe he was referring to police in ATL who will use people driving with placas from Mexico as a reason to stop said driver. Thus, calling those police profiling drivers with Mex plates as "rednecks."

      Make sense, now?

      If not, you might want to re-read his/her comment again.

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    8. Why deny there is racism or that people notice differences among themselves?
      Even police officers can't control their feelings of supremacy most anywhere in the US and all over the world, and when somebody gets 'arrested' for a check-up there is nobody's mexican wife defending them...that is deplorable...

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    9. @5:32 a.m same way any two races end up half one half the other! I have researched my familys history in oklahoma and turns out my dads side goes all the way back to n.c before the trail of tears! Im not making any of this up! Ive researched ALL of it!

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    10. What about Mexican cops stopping people with foreign licence plates?Is that racist or do they just want $$.Of course I'm being sarcastic but it is racist profiling because they think you have $$.

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    11. Canadian photographer murdered and robed in yucatan peninsula by a former police officer, recently, "did not have a car", canna...
      --She was not exactly hippie material either, nice use of Merida Accords billions of dollars...
      --nearby in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Rodolfo Leon Aragon, PRIISTA lawyer and former boss of the policia judicial federal of carlos salinas de gortari, in charge of murdering cardinal juan jose posadas ocampo in guadalajara, got his ass elected "presidente municipal" as crime spikes and raises all over Oaxaca and surrounding states...

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    12. Foreign license plates, KEEP OUT!
      Unless the risk is worth it, but mexican cops will stop anybody, and if they can't get their time's worth from the mark right there, they will just call it in to somebody else down the road, only pendejos believe they can be safe in mexico, due to news blackouts too...

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    13. Here we go with the race shit,hypocrisy at its finest

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  2. For you that don't know, El Mencho was from that cartel until Nachos death and milenio joined Nachos crew and became the boss.

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    1. Exactly. Mencho is like an octopus with arms in different cookie jars. He's not new to the game. El Nemesis-

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    2. @533...mencho was from what cartel? Milenio? U don't know shit,he didn't get along with Armando Valencia,mencho raised Armando Valencia's son!the kid calls mencho dad and not armando

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    3. Mencho was from the Milenio before he joined nacho, after nacho he created cjng, this didnt too well with Milenio since they thought that they where now in Charge of Jalisco and saw cjng as the competition and war broke out. thats when cjng was somewhat part of CDS so Milenio teamed up with La Familia and Golfo and created La Resistencia to figh CJNG/CDS

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    4. lol mencho is all hype

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    5. 9:58 well, he has to have some kind of relationship with Valencias if he raise his kid.

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    6. Mencho was the armed arm of cartel del milenio they never betrayed the cartel lobo got caught for his own falt and pilo and molca where greety and did not want mencho as leader molca started killing menchos people. Los cuinis stopped the money flow to cartel de milenio and molca and pilo had to go crying to chango and nazario to lend them money to pay his people haha

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    7. @542...once again u don't know shit! Mencho wasn't from milenio,mencho in that time was in michaocan doing his own thing! cuinis were milenio! Armando valencia and cuinis arnt related other that their brother in laws! Their both Valencia's but not blood! And @724 u just wrote what uv read on here,u don't know shit!

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    8. Chema your wrong mencho used to operate in colima for cartel del milenio because lfm did not allow him in colima mencho got more power when he became family of los cuinis

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    9. Chema since you know so much I really want to know the song se pasaron de la raya by Los Inquestos who was it dedicated to. Don't give me names just hints if you want.

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    10. Chema don't know nada either, they were all working together at one point but things for sower and they went against each other.

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  3. "Controlled deliveries under ICE supervision?"
    Is this the same stupid playbook they borrowed from the ATF?
    Not are only CPB and BP agents earning extra cash, you have idiots running ICE and ATF in allowing "controlled deliveries" of cash and guns in Mexico. Is the DEA also allowing "controlled deliveries" of drugs into the USA or getting chummy with the cartels? Nothing surprises me at this point at how bad the corrupt the system is.

    Uncle Sam spends way too much time with sketchy individuals as a means to justify the "War on Drugs".

    My wish for voters in the 5 states with initiatives to legalize marijuana. To pass those initiatives to usurp Federal law and the broken system. It's time for voters to decide our destiny and run the State how we want it run!

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    1. Lol stfu man l. I'm from Cali and weed won't be legalized.. read what your laws imply. Lol you don't even know what your voting for

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    2. There are definitely "controlled drug deliveries" by DEA and CBS. I know as a fact there are. Just one case through the Nogales entry port a "large" shipment of powder was caught by ICR agents. That same cargo was then picked up by a DEA plane and was delivered next day to NY. Whose cargo was it? I can't say but that is not the only case of course and it continues to this day. All in the name of building a case supposedly against someone.

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    3. welcome 2 the real world my friend. Its amazing how true the sayin everybody has there price. All it takes is that 1 time and you can black mail that person till they get caught. My dummy uncle was a crooked I.c.e BOSS in the tucson sector
      -CDS nutthuger

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    4. So who gets the money?

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    5. 9:06 I think you mean TELEVISA
      --I doubt CBS has anything to do with high crimes and misedemeanors other than covering them up for government...

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  4. Off topic cjng is putting mantas and tagging walls declaring war on cds in guerrero

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  5. It is funny (but understandable) Proceso reports Delgado at service of cartel milenio. Marco Delgado is arrogant and maybe he will do USA Federal for a year and cooperate to give a low level narco that serves little purpose while the billions in Caicos remain clean and accessible to the politicos, narcos, DEA, and interests he served. Nothing changes in Mexico except narco gossip while business proceeds (pun intended)

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    1. Things do change in mexico, like the bright future the mexicans were promised with the reformas to fack up the state owned enterprises property of all the mexicans and not of a few corrupt politicians to steal or give away, "like pemex" or power generation, beaches, potable water, health and education, it has all changed hands, even corruption has changed hands and changed for the worse, carretero...
      --even the expectations have been changed for more "brighter promises" and requests for forgiveness in the middle of historic failures of historic truths and plain governmental lies and murdering.

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  6. Why doesn't this guy have a nickname? El Lavandero? El Chilango? El Abogado?

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  7. Very interesting circle this Delgado money launderer hung with.The elites,Fox's ex wife,Calderon and EPN.Makes you wonder.I'm sure he was laundering their money and not necessarily drug money but I'm thinking stolen treasury money that belonged to the good civilians of Mexico like the fake contract for the electricity money.Wonder how that was divided up percentage wise in kickbacks?

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  8. Just look at the movie SICARIO!!

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  9. When i lived in México I read an artículo in paper saying employees of the Hacienda were stealing the income tax money the citizens were paying in. This kind of thing common there.

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    1. You would think the municipality would want that money to operate the city when something breaks down rather than have their employees steal it.What do they do come back to the citizens and confiscate their properties for non payment of taxes?

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    2. It's like the IRS in the US. It's income taxes.

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  10. No money is good enough for being the boyfriend of old bag Mrs De La Concha, is she related to Rafael Macedo de la Concha, the MOSSAD FRIEND who released the terroristas that were caught inside the mexican congress with weapons and explosives? They were caught OCT 10/2001 when fox was "presidente"...

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  11. All that money I would have a smile on my face all day just like Marco. He is even smiling when ICE caught him he's probably thinking "I'm good, I'm protected so I'm going to get out soon"

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  12. Mexican plates in Georgia are a tipoff, unfortunately, like foreign plates in Mexico. I know. I lived there twenty years and never made it from the border to south of MexCity without getting pulled over for bribes multiple times.

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