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Friday, July 8, 2022

US Federal Judge Orders Juarez Cartel/La Linea to Pay $4.6 Billion in Wrongful Death Suit of LeBaron Family Mormons

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

A federal judge in North Dakota has issued a multibillion-dollar judgment against a Mexican drug cartel blamed for the deaths of nine people in 2019.

The judgment by U.S. Magistrate Judge Clare Hochhalter totals more than $1.5 billion to the families who sued the Juarez cartel, an organization labeled by the U.S. government as a known drug trafficker. Under the federal Anti-Terrorism Act, such awards are automatically tripled, making the true amount $4.6 billion.

Maria Rhonita LeBaron and four of her children, ages 12, 10, and 8-month-old twins; Christina Langford; and Dawna Langford and her children, ages 11 and 2, were attacked about 90 miles south of the U.S. border on Nov. 4, 2019. One hundred cartel gunmen split into two groups for the attack, during which hundreds of rounds were fired into three vehicles from a distance, according to court documents. The shooters then approached the vehicles and set fire to them, “a signature move” of the organization, the documents say.

Families of the victims filed civil lawsuits in 2020 that were later consolidated into one suit. LeBaron’s husband, Howard Miller, and Christina Langford’s husband, Tyler Johnson, lived in North Dakota at the time of the slayings. 

The people in the three-vehicle caravan were members of an offshoot Mormon community. Survivors accused the cartel of attacking them in retribution for their public criticism and protests against the cartel. Mexican authorities said in 2020 that the mastermind of the attack was one of 17 people arrested.

Court documents state the end goal of the cartel through such acts of terror was to take back territory from a rival drug organization. The Juarez cartel and its armed wing La Linea each is designated by the U.S. government as “a significant foreign narcotics trafficker,” court documents show. The legal action was brought under the Anti-Terrorism Act, and notice was served to the cartel through publication in Mexican newspapers.

Hochhalter during a weeklong trial in February heard testimony from witnesses and experts. One expert testified some of the victims survived the initial hail of gunfire and “were alive and conscious” when their vehicle was intentionally set on fire.

Burning is “arguably the worst way you can die,” said Dr. Sebastian Schubl, director of medical operations at the University of California-Irvine Health Administration. He added that LeBaron had the additional terror of being shot and unable to assist her children, who were still alive and able to see, feel and hear what was going on as the attackers poured fuel on the car and started it on fire.

“So you’re not only burning to death after being shot, but you’re also suffocating. You’re asphyxiating because there’s no oxygen left in the air. It’s just fire,” Schubl said.

The trial was held as a way to establish wrongful death and pain-and-suffering damages for the victims and their families. Court documents state children saw siblings die from gunshot wounds, and some, though injured by gunshots themselves, trekked in near-freezing temperatures to seek help. Family members later went to the scene to find their deceased loved ones.

It “was horrible, it was sickening,” LeBaron’s father, Adrian LeBaron-Soto, testified. “Me, my wife, and family were forced to do the unconscionable -- collect our families' bones and ashes.” Hochhalter after hearing testimony said he’d never seen “a more horrific set of facts” and told family members he would “do justice” and “read the statute the way it was meant to be read. I’m not afraid of big numbers at all,” he said. “There is no way that any big number is going to keep us from finding justice in this case.”

The cartel did not respond to the published summons or have representation at the trial.

The Langford family’s tripled judgment was just more than $2 billion.

“The horror that my children experienced and my entire family has been through as the result of the Nov. 4, 2019, killing of (wife) Dawna Langford and my two children by the Juarez cartel will never, ever be made right,” David Langford said. “We went into a United States courtroom in North Dakota seeking some acknowledgment of and measure of justice for the trauma inflicted on our family and we received it."

The families can seek the judgment amounts through a process similar to that used by the victims of the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. government can freeze the assets of terrorist organizations. The victims, in this case, would present their judgment to the U.S. Treasury Department, which holds such assets. It's unclear if the department holds any cartel assets.

Source Bismarck Times

54 comments:

  1. This is great news. Even when we know Juarez Cartel/La Linea will not pay, the blame and the hunt is on the right people. I sure hope the USA will get those criminals. Viva AMLO and USA.

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    1. Weren't some of the people responsible for the massacre apprehended? I think some may have even been killed in reported confrontations.

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    2. The united states'will find a way to make them pay... When they confiscate their $$$ here n there. That's payment coming

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    3. Yeah, yeah, yeah...
      all they want to get paid is:
      all the lithium in Chihuahua.

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    4. Why ?? They were involved in the criminal world !!! Not innocent at all it's a dirty Game....

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  2. Good luck getting that money

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  3. Keep dreaming stupid yankes

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    Replies
    1. Well thank you stupid pheasant.

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    2. 10:41 f**k you stupid gringo

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  4. What they make a payment plan lol

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  5. Would this even still be making news if they were an indigenous Mexican family? Hell would it have even made news at all?

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  6. There's millions of dead families in 🇲🇽 but one white Mormon family gets touched and the U.S gets involved.
    U.S motto
    "let the Mexicans kill each other but they touch a pale blue eye family we are after your ass" lol "we will even supply ALL cartels with military equipment to make kill8ngs easier"

    "BROWN LIVES MATTER"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mijo the US Courts got involved because the lebron's have some US Citizenship.

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    2. There are hundreds of US citizens killed in MX. @937 has a valid point.

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    3. Lebarons Lives Matter

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    4. 10:43 dont matter it happened in another country, imagine how much the usa has to pay for the killing of inoccent children in afghanistan? Shit usa would go broke in a day

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    5. Blackwater paid nothing for their murdering in Iraq, same as other private contractors for their murdering and torturing.

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  7. One of the Masters of extortion USA

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    1. One of the master's of accepting Bribes

      AMLO.

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    2. 10:44 lol 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

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    3. 10:44 not really...

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  8. The judge might be a mormon too, The Lebaron family aren’t saints.

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    1. The killers that killed 3 vans full of kids and ladies unarmed, aren't saints either.

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    2. 10:15 theres is just no excuse in this world to kill children, even if their parents are terrorists, with that been said USA dont have a saying in a matter that happened in mexico, its like a mexican getting killed by an us citizen in USA and a mexican court telling the killer that they gave to pay 10 millions for his death, inunderstand helping crarify the crime but to be a judge? I think thats out of their juresdiction

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    3. I agree with both of you gentleman. I however, find it repulsive that this process exists. It seems like an ad that says its okay and a new normal to massacre US citizens if you just pay 5 Billion dollars -- no problem. Okay go back to making fentanyl and killing our population, go back to trafficking explosives, humans, children, and help Iranians traffick heroin and kill Americans.

      As long as you have a few billion set aside for your speeding ticket AKA slaughter fine Your RICO Criminal Enterprise, Sex Cult, Terroristic Organization, and foreign DTO Drug Trafficking Organization aka Cartel -- will be fine and continue to operate fluidly.

      The banks laundered 500 billion USD from know drug cartel Sinaloa yet -- without laundering the money first -- yet none of the recipients' accounts were frozen and the bank employees responsible were not RICO(ed) arrested fined or investigated.

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    4. 3:19
      Sam saying That Mexico cannot sue Gun manufacturers, because guns being used by criminals killing people.
      The gun manufacturers did not tell the criminals to kill people. The criminals are to be held responsible, not the manufacturer. Also people that traffic weapons to Mexico, should be held responsible.

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    5. 3:59 🤦‍♂️ Man o man, its a lil different. so by your logic USA shouldnt go after mexican drug dealers cause the drug dealers didnt tell the addicts to use drugs? Think about what you are gonna say before you do

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    6. 3:53 500 million dollars laundered by "drug cartel sinaloa", "banks"???
      A day???
      Tás más Güey, Panocho, stop mainlining your grifa along with the Iranian heroin...

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    7. 3:19 border patrol on the US shooting mexicans on the mexican side dead have been getting away with murder, by US judges in cahoots with the powers that be, bit US weapons dealers refuse to be tried and proven guilty even if they would not have monetary liability...
      they keep running and hiding from a guilty conviction, same as the trumpanzee nation waiting for the moment their Dear Leader orders them to drink the Tea like Jim Jones followers, by the way, Jim jones was feon Indiana, land of Kukluxklanes and Mike Pence who knew that Kooley was full of shit...

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  9. To the guy that kept saying los prededes
    Cartel did it, well you were wrong. Here is shows La Linea cartel. What a surprise on 17 arrested of the 100 that were there. This is the 1st time I hear a terrorist cartel get sued.

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    1. That would be me yes los Paredes did do it it was deep in Paredes' territory. Chapitos along with El Jr paid big money to put the heat on la Linea when CDs was losing Madera which they did as result El coma 32 or El Mudo along with his Linces were apprehended. They even killed Cesar Carrillo to shut him up. Everyone should know already these are CDs tactics

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    2. @ Billy Jean … hasta te la crees wey… my family is from Madera and everyone I. Chihuas knows that La Linea has had it out for that family for over 10yrs.. and La Linea has a lot of influence in the region where this happened … quit spreading your fables … even the LeBarons have admitted that La Línea committed the massacre, if anyone it should be them doubting the official report.. and not some Juarez Cartel fan girl like yourself

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    3. For reals dude Cds tactics
      The governor did a poor job of investigating the situation at it's start. So is USA going for the right cartel to sue? It says Juarez/ la linea

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    4. @Anonymous For me as well, I have never seen a terroristic organization get sued. THE USA DOESN'T NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS......

      Where is Cartel Biden??? Where are the cruise missiles??? Where are the Navy Seals Army Rangers and Marines??

      This is way out of control and has been for decades now.

      The actions of the court / US sends a bad message with a negative connotation, in my opinion and perspective that I formed after skimming through the content provided.

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    5. 12:29 si deberas fueras de Madera guey no estuvieras de hablador porke la Linea te podria hacer pedazos.
      This is just the U.S. government trying to dismantle La Linea cartel like it did when Felipe Calderon was given the ok by the Gringos to get rid of all Cartels except CDS!

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    6. Ricardo del Rancho
      They actually have 2 choices.......

      1. Pay the tremendous fine and their account will not be frozen.


      2. Pay continue to bribe the government of Obrador. For protection from USA, new identities, new passports, change to another cartel, all tattoos removed
      Now which one do you think they will do?

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    7. @12:29 what's your families last name?? Ok how would they say it was la linea none of the Lebaron men was there and only a couple of kids survived?? Fan girl?? Ok your the one defending CDs

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    8. 4:49 no seas mamon🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 que baboso😂😂😂😂😂 so you are saying that Usa is saying "hey linea we have your accounts and if you dont pay up we are gonna freez them, but if you pay up you can keep on bringing tons of coke" 😂😂😂 if usa finds a illegal account they will be frozen regardless, all they care about is the money

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  10. LOL how many pinches pesos is that?

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    1. enough money to buy 10 billion tacos que tu quieres

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    2. Panocho, pasa la torta, ya...
      Too much mombo mombo.

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    3. 4:01 panocho, comes muchos pinches tacos de mugre gûey.

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  11. Fuck the Lebaron family. Sorry for the loss of those babies. But how many people have the cartel have killed that were not not blonde or white . LeBarons are cartel members themselves

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    1. Thats so fucking accurate. What a cowards to send their woman and children to smuggle cocaine through dangerous roads thinking nobody will harm them...

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    2. 2:07
      There were no drugs found in the 3 vans they had. They were headed to the US side to visit relatives for the holidays. But hey good try.

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    3. They just found a couple of burned suvs, of course they will not leave any evidence... good try justifying those thieves... The only people who use those roads are the ones smuggling cocaine, money and weapons. But hey... you can keep trying your best :)

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  12. Give me a brake 😂 that's not going too happen 🤣🤣

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    1. In fact, if on a future they get someone or their properties related to the cartel, mormons have now a legal resource to obtain those funds. But of course they will not pay voluntary.

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  13. Good luck collecting 😆😆😆

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  14. Fuck these gabachos!
    They’re in on the evil that happens in Mexico

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes yes let's blame them for all the violence that happens in Mexico

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    2. 10:09 I don't blame these or any other mormons for the mexican War ON Drugs, but the US paid for it, 3 billion dollars a year for 12 years, much of it went to US middlemen doing their own drug trafficking and the rest to their mexican accomplices like genarco, FECAL and EPN who sponsored their own drug traffickers...

      Delete

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