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Ombudsman asks US for $100K ill-gotten wealth of Gen. Garcia's son


Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez has asked the United States government to return the $100,000 confiscated from two sons of Filipino Maj. General Carlos Garcia at a San Francisco airport in 2003. In a letter, Gutierrez explained that the money seized by the District Court of Northern California from Juan Paulo Garcia and Ian Carl Garcia seven years ago was part of their family's "ill-gotten wealth." Ian Karl was a retail Game Stop employee while Juan Paul was a computer help desk technician, before their arrest in December 2003. The two Garcias were apprehended at the US airport after allegedly trying to sneak in $100,000 in their luggage and misdeclaring the amount of money they were carrying at that time. They pleaded guilty on September 8 to charges of bulk smuggling, and US District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel has set the promulgation of their case on November 29 at 9:00 a.m. (US time). The Ombudsman's request to the US government came shortly after the US court hearing the case ordered the publication of the forfeiture notice for "any person other than the defendants, having or claiming a legal interest" in the forfeited property. The request was sent to the US government through the Department of Justice. "The undertaking recognizes the importance of the cooperation between the US Government Agencies... and the Office of the Ombudsman in the investigation and prosecution of corrupt public officials, and more importantly, in the recovery of the ill-gotten gains which are brought to the US," said Gutierrez in a statement. The two are detained at the Northern District of California in San Francisco. The brothers have spent approximately 100 days in custody and a year and a half on electronic monitoring. Extradition charges for plunder Meanwhile their mother - Clarita Garcia - is detained at the Wayne County jail in Detroit, Michigan. She is also facing extradition charges for plunder. A third son of the elder Garcia, Timothy Mark, was earlier arrested in New York for purchasing a $765,000 (P36.7 million) apartment using portions of the $2 million allegedly ill-acquired and transferred by the Garcia family from the Philippines. Except for General Garcia, all members of his family are United States citizens. The Garcia family is facing civil and criminal charges in the Philippines filed with the Sandiganbayan in 2005 for alleged plunder of around P300 million illegally obtained wealth while Gen. Garcia was serving in the military. Plunder carries a penalty of 30 years to life in prison. – VVP, GMANews.TV

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