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EDNY COURT, Dec 14 – Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares is charged with money laundering tens of millions of dollars in bribes on behalf of a close relative who was a high-ranking government official in Panama.

After fighting extradition including by skirting Panama lockdown, he says he's ready to plead guilty but does not want to be detained. But he has been detained.

 On December 14, this: "(Ricardo Martinelli Linares) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in a massive bribery and money laundering scheme involving Odebrecht S.A. (Odebrecht), a Brazil-based global construction conglomerate. On December 2, 2021, Luis Martinelli Linares, the defendant’s brother, pleaded guilty to engaging in the same scheme. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Raymond J. Dearie. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Kenneth A. Polite Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Jay Greenberg, Acting Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Investigative Division (FBI), announced the guilty plea. “The Martinelli Linares brothers have admitted to establishing secret bank accounts in the names of shell companies in foreign countries and the United States in order to disguise close to $30 million in Odebrecht’s bribe payments to one of their close relatives, a high-ranking public official in Panama,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Through the tenacious efforts of the Department of Justice, this Office and our law enforcement partners, the defendants have now been held to account for their corrupt schemes.” “Ricardo and Luis Martinelli Linares played integral roles in the corrupt scheme to funnel Odebrecht bribes to a high-ranking Panamanian government official,” stated Assistant Attorney General Polite."

On December 2 (during the US v. Ghislaine Maxwell trial in SDNY), this: "– Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares (Luis Martinelli Linares) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in a massive bribery and money laundering scheme involving Odebrecht S.A. (Odebrecht), a Brazil-based global construction conglomerate. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Raymond J. Dearie.  Luis Martinelli Linares and Ricardo Martinelli Linares were initially arrested at el Aeropuerto Internacional la Aurora in Guatemala on July 6, 2020, pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States as they were attempting to depart Guatemala on a private plane. The defendants were charged on February 4, 2021, in an indictment in connection with this bribery and money laundering scheme. The United  2  States has also requested to extradite Ricardo Martinelli Linares, and those proceedings are ongoing." And now, the plea. 

     On November 16, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York Magistrate Judge Marcia M. Henry held a detention proceeding. Inner City Press live tweeted it here. Martinelli was detained.

 Martinelli's lawyer appealed to EDNY District Judge Raymond J. Dearie, who heard the appeal (and dismissed it) on November 23. Inner City Press live tweeted it here:

Martinelli's lawyer: My client is in administrative segregation in the MDC. We had an emergency call with him on Friday but we're told he can't be produced today.

Judge Dearie: Let's proceeding. I have read all the pleadings.  Martinelli's lawyer: We are appealing

 Martinelli's lawyer: There has been a long relationship between US DOJ and Mr. Martinelli. Perhaps some of this should be sealed. This is a sophisticated chess game to charge Person-1, the unnamed person in the indictment.

 Martinelli's lawyer: I've seen murderers get US immigration deferred action in a week. But not Mr. Martinelli. So he left his home in Miami and left the country. Martinelli's lawyer: They we offered to wire them $7 million from his Swiss bank account. But they turned it down. 

 AUSA: Martinelli used proceeds from the sale of his yacht to pay the $1 million ICE bond. His proposed suretor just sold a house at $15 million. He got fake papers from the Central American Parliament to flee. He is a flight risk

 Judge Dearie: I'm generally in favor of bail. This case is unusual. Mr. Martinelli's lawyer calls it a long relationship with DOJ, but I would call it a courtship which has not yet lead to any action.

Judge Dearie: I'm reminded of the old bromide: Fool me one, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Being in the MDC is unfortunate. But there are boats to the Bahamas, chartered flights, false diplomatic credentials...

 Judge Dearie: He is a demonstrated flight risk. The proposed conditions do not assure the court of this gentleman's return. I enter a permanent order of detention for Mr. Martinelli.

Inner City Press will stay on the case(s) #CourtCaseCast

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