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A26 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 4 July 2020
U.S. victims of FARC rebels win claim to Venezuelan's fortune

By JOSHUA GOODMAN al narcotics trafficking.
MIAMI (AP) — Three Ameri- But López's links to the
can defense contractors FARC are tenuous, accord-
held for five years by leftist ing to his defenders, includ-
rebels in Colombia moved ing Dick Gregorie, a former
closer to collecting on Miami prosecutor with a
a $318 million judgment long history of putting nar-
against their former captors cos behind bars. During last
when a U.S. Supreme Court year's trial on the men's bid
justice rebuffed an appeal for his assets, experts for the
by a sanctioned Venezue- plaintiffs including a former
lan businessman whose as- Drug Enforcement Admin-
sets they seek to claim. istration agent claimed
Justice Clarence Thomas López had only indirect ties
refused to hear an emer- to the guerrillas through his
gency appeal by Samark friendship with El Aissami,
López, letting stand an or- who U.S. officials have long
der by a federal appeals believed assisted the FARC
court immediately turning in moving cocaine through
over $53 million from the Venezuela.
businessman's previously The FARC wasn't mentioned
seized U.S. bank accounts, by name when López and
though the appeals court In this Feb. 26, 2009, file photo, former hostages, from left, Tom Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith El Aissami were sanctioned
judgment is being contest- Stansell pose for a portrait in New York. in 2017 and the only known
ed. Associated Press criminal charges against
Yet his defenders say there the two men is for charter-
is no evidence — and no decision in a report issued freed 12 years ago Thurs- ernment under the drug ing private flights in the U.S.
conviction — directly con- Thursday. day along with several kingpin act. in violation of sanctions, not
necting López to the rebels Attorneys for López are other captives including The new law allowed the drug trafficking.
who held the three Ameri- now pinning their hopes former Colombian presi- men to go after López's "Notwithstanding these
cans other than his rela- on a second emergency dential candidate Ingrid blocked assets in the U.S., clear facts, the Plaintiffs
tionship with a Venezuelan appeal filed Tuesday to Betancourt in a daring res- which include a $269 mil- orchestrated the seizure of
official who allegedly did Justice Sonia Sotomayor in cue by Colombia's army. lion Citibank account, two Mr. López's U.S.-based as-
have ties to the group. accordance with Supreme In 2012, a federal judge in yachts, an aircraft and lux- sets without ever proving,
And if the men succeed in Court rules. Florida awarded the men ury real estate in Miami. as required by law, that Mr.
gaining the money, it could Keith Stansell, Marc Gon- $318 million to be paid from López is a powerful busi- López provided material
allow victims of the rebels salves and Thomas Howes bank accounts and as- nessman in Venezuela support or assistance to the
to move ahead of Venezu- were taken captive by sets seized from individuals whose fortune soared FARC," López's attorneys
ela's creditors and oppo- guerrillas from the Revo- linked to the FARC, a U.S.- thanks to government con- said in a statement.
nents of President Nicolás lutionary Armed Forces of designated terrorist group. tracts in the past two de- The attorneys called on
Maduro who are seeking Colombia, or FARC, when But they had mostly been cades of socialist rule. He organizations in the legal
to recover assets allegedly their airplane crash landed unable to collect until Presi- was sanctioned by the U.S. community to review the
stolen through corruption, due to engine trouble dur- dent Donald Trump signed in 2017 as a "drug kingpin" matter and join their client
according to Russ Dallen, ing a drug-monitoring flight into law in 2018 the Anti- alongside Venezuela's then in his efforts to prevent the
the head of Caracas Capi- in 2003. Their pilot, Tom Ja- Terrorism Clarification Act, vice president and now oil ability of plaintiffs to seize
tal Markets, which closely nis, was killed by the rebels. which enabled victims of minister, Tareck El Aissami, assets without proof of any
monitors litigation involving The three employees of terror groups to attach as- for allegedly laundering assistance to a terrorist
Venezuela. He noted the Northrop Grumman were sets seized by the U.S. gov- proceeds from internation- organization.q

Kansas City police: Officer shot in

head remains stable

clined to release the name the officer moved "some of opened fire on them, strik-
of the officer, and Chief his limbs" and called that "a ing one. A second officer
Richard Smith said his fam- very promising sign." fired back, highway patrol
ily was asking for privacy. "The neurosurgeon seems officials said.
The Missouri State Highway to be very optimistic for the Mayor Quinton Lucas
Patrol, which is heading wound it was," Smith said tweeted his support for the
the investigation into the during the briefing, which police following the shoot-
Thursday evening shooting, was livestreamed by WDAF- ing.
identified the suspect in a TV. "I think we're headed "The women and men of
Law enforcement officers gather near the site of a shooting tweet as Ky Johnson, 31, of down the right path." our department are dedi-
Thursday afternoon, July 2, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. Grandview. Highway patrol officials cated to this city," Lucas
Associated Press The patrol did not imme- said police were called said. "Always have been.
diately return phone mes- shortly before 5 p.m. to Always will be. We owe
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A dead was in stable condi- sages left by The Associat- a McDonald's restaurant them our prayers tonight
Kansas City police officer tion Friday following sur- ed Press on Friday seeking where Johnson was wav- and our thanks and our re-
who was shot in the head gery, authorities said. more information. ing a gun, then fled on solve—all of us—to call out
during an exchange of A police spokesman, Of- But Smith said during a foot. The officers chased those who are terrorizing so
gunfire that left a suspect ficer Jacob Becchina, de- briefing for reporters that him, and he turned and many in our community."q