The Coye family of Moneygram fame – they’ve been in and out of the court since January of 2009 when they were first charged for money laundering after police and the Financial Intelligence Unit found a large quantity of cash insider their home. Today that case was called up at the start of the April session in the courtroom of Troadio Gonzalez. The Coye’s, and other related persons were there along with their attorneys, but the Financial Intelligence Unit was not. That was an absence of consequence for Coye attorneys Dickie Bradley and Arthur Saldivar and they didn’t hold back on the FIU.
Richard Dickie Bradley, Attorney for Coye Family
“The judge had expressed some I think beyond disappointment. Justice Gonzalez says he has never seen the state so disorganized in terms of persons
have no indictments so they are not properly legally before his court. Nobody knows what it is like to be charged and waiting one year four months and then you come to court for the April session and the judge says I don’t have an indictment. The crown counsel tells the judge I have none too. We have no further information on this matter. I cannot help the court because we have no instruction on the matter. The Coyes are not indicted for this session.”
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Coye Family
“I think it is a matter for the court to decide if they will continue to entertain this kind of disrespect. Not only is constitutional for a person to be given a charge, made to got through preliminary inquiry and have the expectation of due process and have it be denied in this way. It is rank disrespect to the court because it is a waste of the court’s time, it is waste of the judge’s time to have to sit there and go through the process only to realize that no indictment has produced.”
Jules Vasquez,
“But at the same time it could be argued that it is a minor procedural setback, these things happen, the case stands. A lot of work has been put into
it and they will get up to speed on it. That argument could be made.”
Arthur Saldivar,
“From your position of mind that may be so, it may be minor to us, we have access to income and we can eat everyday. We are talking about a family that has been out of income for a year and two months. This is totally unacceptable. We are talking about a family who has been basically robbed of everything by the state and the state has no interest in doing justice. This is again, it is tyranny by any other word.”
Jules Vasquez,
“According to the documents I’ve seen, we’re also talking about a family that made a hell of a lot of money off lucrative Moneygram transfers, has made in the past according to the documents I’ve seen.”
Arthur Saldivar,
“Making a lot of money is not a crime.”
Jules Vasquez,
“Identity theft is a crime however.”
Arthur Saldivar,
“We don’t know that, that ever occurred.”
Jules Vasquez,
“We know that people’s names, my father’s name was on a Moneygram transfer paper involved in gambling transactions.”
Arthur Saldivar,
“Yes but anyone could have put that name Jules. This is the reason why we have the court process because something appears doesn’t make it a fact. It is a fact when it is tested in court. Allegations can be made, documents can be produced but it is still to be determined who made those documents. That is not a settled matter.”
Jules Vasquez,
“Fair enough but your clients aren’t the only victims in this. You are portraying them as victims of extreme unkindness from the FIU but there are many other people who are victims and who feel that your clients got them in that situation to besmirch their good name.”
Arthur Saldivar,
“I do not understand or appreciate that statement when my clients are the only persons being dragged through the courts. All they want is to be given their rightful, constitutionally guaranteed day in court. And if we are denying them that chance, if we are prejudging as I can gather from you, then we are saying we have no need for our constitution.”
We were unable to reach FIU director Marilyn Williams for comment.
