Chilean National Pleads Guilty to Attempted ATM Scam

Chilean national Juan Espinosa SaaVerdra pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an ATM scam in Dangriga and Belize City; he was fined a total of six thousand dollars, which he met forthwith and has now been handed over to the Immigration Department for his expulsion from the country. Espinosa, along with two other South Americans, Luis Marroquin from Peru and Edgar Vargas Vaca from Colombia, was charged for the preparation of a crime. The trio was being monitored by police from November of last year and the men were charged in early February after investigators were able to retrieve a skimmer attached to an ATM in Dangriga with the intent to steal money from the bank’s customers. But in an interesting twist in March, at the instruction of the D.P.P., charges were withdrawn from Marroquin and Vargas. After spending almost four months on remand, Espinosa pleaded guilty to the charge. His attorney, Hurl Hamilton told News Five today that his client accepted the evidence as presented by the prosecution.

Hurl Hamilton

Hurl Hamilton, Attorney

“I was representing the Colombian and Mister Dickie Bradley was representing the Peruvian, however the charge remained for the Chilean, Mister Juan Espinosa and that’s where it culminated today in Belize City. He pled guilty to the offense of preparation to commit a crime which is theft. It was two counts. He pled guilty in Dangriga on the twenty-seventh of March and he has pled guilty today in Belize City for the similar offense, two counts. The learned chief magistrate was of the view that because my client has saved the court time and he readily pleaded guilty to both offense when he had the first opportune time, the chief magistrate was of the view that a non-custodial sentence would be appropriate in these circumstances. So he was fined the maximum that is allowed by law which is three thousand dollars. He is to pay that forthwith; that has been paid and it is now a matter for immigration to do what they need to do.”