Jury to hear convict's story

Source: Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, TexasAug.儲存倉 09--CORPUS CHRISTI -- Testimony regarding the relationship between ex-Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos and one of his then-employees and how this intersected with attorney Eduardo "Eddie" Lucio will be allowed in Lucio's trial on racketeering, conspiracy and extortion charges.U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen ruled Thursday that he will allow Carlos Justino Ramos to testify in Lucio's ongoing trial in federal court, finding that Ramos' claims relate to the government charges that the office of the district attorney was used by Villalobos to benefit himself and associates, and in furtherance of a conspiracy.The developments came during Day 3 of Lucio's trial, following Ramos' testimony Wednesday outside the presence of the jury that two criminal cases against him had been fixed after he bribed Villalobos.Ramos, who testified that he has known Villalobos since 2003 and helped him in his law office, his campaign for district attorney in 2005 and subsequently was employed in the DA's Office, said he met Lucio in 2007.Ramos said this is when Villalobos told him that Lucio would be his attorney on two state cases; a theft of a vehicle and theft by deception in the 197th and 357th state district courts.Ramos' testimony reflected that attorney Robert Mendoza was initially going to represent him, and that when he told Villalobos that he had not spoken to Mendoza, Villalobos told him that from that point on, Lucio would be his attorney."He gave me his name and address," Ramos testified, adding that he had not heard of Lucio prior to this.Questions posed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Wynne reflected that there had been an exchange of text messages between Ramos and Villalobos; Ramos kept them and provided them to the FBI."The plan was to try to get rid of both (cases), but he mentioned the feds were asking questions about me and I had to get charged for one of them," Ramos testified that Villalobos told him.Ramos testified that he gave Villalobos two payments of $1,500 and $2,000 at Villalobos' house.Ramos testified that a court appearance had been scheduled in the case before 197th Judge Migdalia Lopez, but his attorney had not been present and Lop迷你倉沙田z had said that the case would be going to trial.Ramos said he walked outside the courtroom and saw Lucio talking with now-District Attorney Luis V. Saenz, who at the time had been assigned by Villalobos as a special prosecutor on his cases.Ramos said that he asked Lucio what was going on. "He told me that Villalobos wanted more money," Ramos testified Wednesday."I got upset," Ramos recounted, adding that he told Lucio that if Villalobos was going to try to get more money, he would go straight to the newspaper."They talked among each other," Ramos said of Lucio and Saenz, adding that Saenz then went into Lopez's courtroom and the case was continued.This case was subsequently dismissed. Ramos testified that in the second case before then-357th Judge Leonel Alejandro he received probation.Ramos also testified that he had bribed Saenz with $1,000. Ramos maintained that Villalobos and Saenz had been in communication.In response to Ramos' allegation, Saenz called him a "scumbag liar" on Wednesday.Ramos said Wednesday that Lucio had told him that Saenz wanted him to serve two years in jail.Ramos described himself as a confidant and friend of Villalobos' and said that Villalobos had told him that both could make extra money by referring cases to Lucio.Lucio's defense attorney Luis M. Avila objected throughout Wynne's examination of Ramos, and about the amount of information the prosecutor included in the questions to Ramos: "This is not leading ... this is feeding."Ramos also testified that in another matter, he had paid Villalobos $1,500 at Ramiro Sanchez's wrecker yard in Los Fresnos. Sanchez is a former Cameron County constable.Hanen restricted the matters he will allow Ramos to testify to. Hanen said that his testimony regarding the controversial Amit Livingston case, an expungement, a forfeiture and a case in Willacy County did not relate to the government's claims.Ramos, who is under federal custody on a drug-trafficking conviction, is serving a six-year sentence. He said he has about 32 months left on his term.eperez-trevino@valleystar.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) Visit Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) at .valleymorningstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉價錢