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Austin, TX Lawyer Goes Up the Brazos River for 15-1/2 years
[Dallas News] An Austin lawyer known as the "DWI Dude" for his area of practice was sentenced on Monday to about 15 1/2 years in federal prison for shaking down Colombian drug traffickers for over $1 million on the false promise of being able to make their charges go away.Austin resident and lawyer. A win-win!  Mr. Jamie Balagia, a veteran Austin lawyer who made a name for himself defending people charged with drunken driving, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.Shaking down Colombian drug traffickers - another win! He also was found guilty of attempting to violate the Kingpin Act for accepting money from men whom the feds designated as significant drug traffickers without official government permission. If only he'd gotten the appropriate permission! I wonder if there's any grift in getting 'official government permission'? U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant on Monday noted that the over 200 pages of character letters about Balagia which he received was the most he had ever seen in a case. The judge said he "struggled" with his sentencing decision but noted that Balagia was an officer of the court. "A message has to be sent for future lawyers," Mazzant said. The message is, "work for the government." Balagia, who still maintains his innocence, asked [Judge] Mazzant to consider his age, noting that men in his family rarely live past 70. "I am not a threat to any community," he told the judge. But assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Rattan said Balagia was "one of our own" who "made a mockery" out of the U.S. justice system. "He portrayed our system of justice as being for sale," she said. said Balagia was "one of our own" who "made a mockery" out of the U.S. justice system. "He portrayed our system of justice as being for sale," she said. Can't do that without 'official government permission'. "This defendant and his group were running a scam on drug dealers — some of the biggest drug dealers in the world," former U.S. Attorney Joe Brown said at the time. "Fortunately for him, these drug dealers chose to turn him into the FBI rather than handle it any other way. It is important for the American justice system that we prosecute those who represent that the justice system is for sale. We can't allow Americans to cheat drug dealers! That's not who we are! Balagia is the second Texas lawyer in a decade to be sent to prison for shaking down drug dealers by claiming to have Washington, D.C., contacts who could pull strings for sweetheart deals or dropped charges. Should've used Perkins-Coie. Balagia, Perea and Morgan in 2014 told the three Colombians they could have their charges reduced or dismissed in exchange for a seven-figure sum, court documents show. They said they would use some of the money to bribe "high-profile" U.S. officials, according to government evidence.Only Colombian drug dealers would believe that! Aldemar Segura met with Balagia and Morgan at the Collin County jail in October 2016 to discuss payments, court records show. The meeting was taped. Segura persuaded the pair to also meet with his bookkeeper and personal representative, who was an undercover FBI agent, court records show. In November 2016, the undercover FBI agent met with Morgan at a North Texas restaurant to deliver a $300,000 partial payment, court records say. Morgan was arrested when he took a suitcase full of cash from the agent's vehicle, records show. Government cash or Colombian drug kingpin kash? Aldemar Segura and Ordonez pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and were given lengthy prison terms. But because they cooperated with authorities in the government's criminal case against Balagia, they stand to benefit from reduced sentences. FBI wins all the way around. Posted by: Bobby 2021-05-05 |
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