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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | April 2008 
Martin Signs Documents for Transfer Home
 W. Brice McVicar - The Intelligencer
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| | Brenda Martin speaks to media in Guadalajara, Mexico April 22, 2008 shortly after a Mexican court found her guilty of accepting funds from an Internet scam and sentenced her to five years in prison. (Global TV) | | |
Brenda Martin has signed the necessary documents to be transferred to a Canadian prison after being found guilty of involvement in an Internet fraud scheme.
Judge Luis Nunez Sandoval delivered his verdict in a Mexican court on Tuesday with Martin being sentenced to five years in jail and a fine of 35,800 pesos. The verdict comes after Martin, a former Trenton-resident, has already spent more than two years in prison.
Martin's lawyer, Guillermo Cruz Rico, was with Martin when the verdict was delivered. He said her reaction was what anyone would expect.
"She was very, very sad," Cruz said. "It was a shock for her and she just kept asking me 'Why?'"
Cruz said he did not anticipate the guilty verdict. He said his arguments in the case focused on a lack of evidence tying Martin to the US$60 million fraud scheme which had been operated by Alyn Richard Waage.
The verdict means Martin has two courses of action available to her: appeal the decision or apply for a prisoner transfer to Canada.
Cruz said his client will not appeal.
"If she were to appeal the decision she's going to have to spend more time in Mexico," Cruz said. "The appeals process could take longer than six months."
Had Martin been found innocent she would have been released from prison Tuesday and back in Canada Thursday. The guilty verdict means she could still come home through the prisoner transfer process but just how soon she would be back on Canadian soil is unknown, Cruz said.
"If the Canadian and Mexican officials agree to that then things will move ahead," he said referring to the transfer. "I can't say more and I don't know when things will be done."
A spokeswoman for Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day indicated the minister could have Martin released from Mexican custody once she signs the necessary paperwork.
Federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney, who visited Martin in prison in March, said the federal government will act quickly in Martin's case.
"We certainly intend to expedite any applications she makes as quickly as possible to get her back to Canada," he told The Canadian Press.
Martin's mother, Marjorie Bletcher, was surrounded by media in her Trenton home as the verdict was delivered Tuesday afternoon. She said she had not been able to speak with her daughter since the verdict and was concerned about her well-being.
"I'm just worried about Brenda because this might have knocked her over the edge," Bletcher said. Martin's mental state has been deteriorating for months and she has threatened to commit suicide on a number of occasions.
Bletcher said the verdict shocked her though she believes the only reason her daughter was found guilty was because family and friends did not support the "corrupt system" in Mexico.
"I think they found her guilty just to save face. The $3,000 fine is only because we didn't pay any bribes. I'm thoroughly convinced of that," she said.
Martin was employed as a chef for former Albertan Waage, in Puerto Vallarta for 10 months in 2001. Waage was operating an Internet fraud scheme at the time though he pretended to be an investor. He was eventually arrested and is serving a 10-year sentence in an American jail.
Through further investigation Mexican officials came to believe Martin was also involved in the scheme. She was charged with money laundering and being part of a criminal conspiracy.
Despite a sworn affidavit provided by Waage saying Martin had no knowledge of his operations and her own continued profession of innocence Martin has remained in jail since Feb. 17, 2006.
(With files from The Canadian Press)
bmcvicar(at)intelligencer.ca |
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