Cops statement questionable and money laundering charges dropped
Richard 'Dickie' Bradley
A sensational case of money laundering for sixty thousand U.S. dollars in cash fell apart in court today. It is the third case that has gone bad for the Financial Intelligence Unit in the past year. On April second, 2010 Scott Stringer and his girlfriend, Julia McCord, along with their friend, Sydney Ellis were charged with Money Laundering and Failure to Declare Cash. The Financial Intelligence Unit claimed it was the proceeds of crime. The police found a secret compartment in the vehicle where they found fifty-seven thousand ninety dollars in US currency along with two thousand four hundred and fifty dollars, again in US currency, inside a baby bag belonging to McCord. But today Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer, acquitted them all because she did not believe the evidence provided by police officer, Lincoln Hemsley. In his testimony Hemsley claimed that Ellis confessed that he got the money from a Mexican drug dealer to bring across for a Belizean drug dealer. There were also errors recorded that disputed when McCord entered the country and neither could it not be established if she was in the country at the time of the bust. But According to Attorney Dickie Bradley, McCord did not have enough money to warrant being charged for Money Laundering.
Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, Attorney
“The Matter of Sidney Ellis, Scott Stringer, who is I think is an American citizen and Julia McCord; they were picked up on second day of April of 2010 and charged for failing to report that they had more than ten thousand dollars when they entered Belize. A little later, about four days afterwards they were again charged for money laundering. The evidence in that case was that three persons were stopped at a checkpoint at the junction Sandhill Village and Maskall Village and the police did a search. They found a secret compartment in a vehicle which belonged to none of the complainants. The found a secret compartment and they found fifty-seven thousand dollars U.S. in the secret compartment. And then at the police station a knapsack belonging to Julia McCord which had her baby clothing, baba, milk and pampers and so on contained two thousand four hundred and fifty U.S. dollars. The police put the two money together and claimed that all three had failed to declare when they entered Belize and that also all three were money laundering. It’s easy to charge people, but the evidence in Court is first of all. From the immigration stamp, Julia McCord seem to have entered Belize from on the third or second of March. Nobody explained to the Court it was a mistake, I had my rubber stamp or something—so she’s not even in the country or did not enter the country on the day that they are charging her to enter. The second thing in relation to herself is that she owned up to the knapsack at the police station. One officer is testifying that she asked her if the money was hers and she said yes, everything in the knapsack belong to me including money. And that officer was dancing a kind of jankunu dance around the magistrate. She was trying to ask him a simply question; you are accepting that the person owned up to the knapsack and the contents. Did she said the money belong to her and he could not be straight forward with the Court. In any event, it really didn’t matter because if I own a knapsack, whatever is in there, I am responsible for. She can’t be charged for failing to declare two thousand four hundred and fifty dollars. I mean that is so unfair to the person to be dragged through the system. There is no evidence of money laundering. Money laundering is that you are dealing directly or indirectly with property which includes money which you know or reasonable grounds to know something di go on with it. Now how if somebody got money hide ina they vehicle, how can you be money laundering with somebody else money that you don’t know about.”
Bradley said that the vehicle did not belong to any of the occupants and therefore they could not know about the money found inside a compartment or whether or not it was the proceeds of money laundering. The other two cases that the F.I.U. has lost for money laundering are those of Dean Fuller and the Coye Family.
TRICKY DICKIE……………… WINS ANOTHER ONE.
Justice is not blind, we just have to have enough blood money to pay the price.
Who owned the car?…. Now it belongs to the people & can be auctioned off & thanks for the $57,000 donation, the BPD can use the money. Dickie if I heard you right, Officer Hemsley did nothing wrong other than show up to play his part in a rigged game.
The premise of the mask & the dance is the Garifunas way of showing us how they outsmarted the white man “Now you see me, now you don’t”. Justice is as illusive in our society as the Garifuna was to the white men who feared & hunted them.
dickie bradley the criminals best friend if you are a murderer or rapist or thief or gang member or drug dealer then dickie bradley is your bally for a few pieces of silver he will defend anyone and i do mean anyone without no concience what so ever and will sleep like a baby when he is done remember dickie karma is a b and your time is drawing near.
What a joke!
corruption at the highest level
and they call themselves the Financial “I N T E L L I G E N C E” Unit. They dont seem to have a clue of what they are doing!!! Most of the personell on the Unit were politically appointed and dont have the training that is required. They make Dickie Bradley’s job so easy cause the unit commits simple mistakes which the lawers take advantage of…
Robert – Democracy & freedom was lost the day Belize gained ‘Independence’ in 1981. the two party system has set Belize back 50 years in the 30 that it’s been a sovereign nation, and the UDP & PUP are still bleeding Belizeans dry…
I agree with you Oscar965 starting with the Director if she was not politically connected she would not even have that position, she only came back to Belize once she knew the UDP was in power and had the job before she even hit Belizean soil. What is her experience with handling Financial Intelligence can someone get her on the radio and ask her.
Further to m last comment, we go round and round in circles, and every general election, we take our pieces of silver, and vote the corrup, greedy & heartless people into power, then sit back and whinge as they give us yet another Royal Shafting!!!
I am sick tired of people using race or other people’s culture to define or explanation the negastivitys of other jack-as–s. These are stereotype that continue racism in our country. Since we are not as educated as BZBinCALI, atleast we the GARINAGUS try to select our words carefully not to offend other race & culture. We have been looked down upon since Jesus Christ was a boy and have dealth with it without offending others, knowing how painful it is. We are proud of our RACE, CULTURE, AND HERITAGE and we don’t need you or anyone to taint it with the bull–it in Belize City. Watch yoh damn mouth. If yoh noh have nothing good fi seh bout we, shet di f—up.
from the start no crime was commited it show how dum the people are at the fiu how will u declare money at sanhill you declare at point of entry u cant convict someone because an officer said he confess to him with no staement recorded the true money launders are the big business men out there the only evidence was that the officer said the guy confess to him he had to make something up its good the magistrate knows the law maybe the fiu need lot more training hat case would have been won without an attorney
@ Bulba Martinez, to quote Dickie “And that officer was dancing a kind of jankunu dance around the magistrate.” I was annoyed by the use of something that is a part of your culture used to show us this Officers mediocrity. We are all Belizeans regardless of our culture & we all belong to the human race. I thought it was a poor choice of words on Dickie’s part. I don’t believe I said anything offensive.
Yesterday, there was a story about Andy Palacio, who was loved by all Belizeans many outside Belize. One station described Dr. Joseph Palacio as his uncle. I chose not to correct it because it required explaining to people unfamiliar with your culture that calling someone Auntie & Uncle is a sign of respect & not necessarily family relation.
I wish we could eliminate all the drug dealers and drug dealings from belize but there is a way and the best way I klnow how is the rule of law. However, Belizeans need to understand that not because you are charged in court means that you are guilty. Many people travel to Belize with $2000 (USD) with them and as explained this is not illegal!
Thr problem always why cases fall through is because the prosecuting officers rush charges that they cannot prove in a court of law. Dickie is serving his client and doing a good job at it. The week link is the police who more than not rushes to judgement take a case to court and can’t prove anything that the defendant is being charged for.
Hello folks, lets not get too over sensative on this matter of race, its a reality unfortunately. How about the many Belizean with clear complexion that look down on those of darker skin? Older Belizeans who think positive should give much credit to the Garifunas who dealt with the bigotry that was the order of the day before independence, that Garifunas handled with much grace and patience as they worked their way out of been marginalized in this society. However I have to come to the defense of Dickie Bradley, ( not that he need it).Remember folks that jankunu dance is to make the on lookers laugh. And in that context what he meant is that the case the police presented was something to laugh at and not to be taken seriously.
Now for all you righteous ones who thinks that Dickie should go and climb under a rock with the accused, pray to God that you are not wrongfully accused. Little do you know how easy it is to be accused, and it could be very costly to un do it. Because the police accused someone of a crime does it mean that the person should roll over and capitulate?. There are moral, civil, and criminal laws. Moral laws are between man and his creator and subject to each individual levels of conciousness, as its said in the Bible, in the time of ignorance God winks. while civil and criminal law is between man and the state, and where there is no specifc law, it mean that no law has been broken, therefore one owe no debt to the society (the state). But here come the difference between man’s thinking and God’s knowing: man say that ignornace to the law is no excuse. This is why we need trained legal mind. The wise man Solomoin said, get knowledge,but in all thy getting get understanding. Finally folks, note: there are rational (good laws) and irrational (bad laws,) or stupid laws.
like weh ceo seh dickey is doing a good job, iam not a dickey fan he was on the defence team against me in a case in the supreme court but lost anyway hate to hear wen ppl be like tricky dickey an all dat nonesence,let the prosecution get on its job an give diclkey a run 4 his money.