Thread: Attorney: Mexican client bilked by translator

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/49328.html

Attorney: Mexican client bilked by translator

By Jason Auslander | The New Mexican
September 16, 2006

Woman accused of forging letters seeking more than $20,000 for court fines in drug case

A woman allegedly used forged letters from a judge to extort more than $20,000 from a Mexican national being prosecuted in a cocaine-trafficking case, according to Santa Fe police and the man’s lawyer. Antonio Delgado Sánchez does not read or speak English and had accepted translation help from a female acquaintance, lawyer Marc Edwards said Friday.

Over the course of a year, the woman repeatedly approached Sánchez with letters allegedly from state District Judge Stephen Pfeffer saying the man owed “court fines,” Edwards said. Santa Fe Police Chief Eric Johnson said according to the facts reported to his department, the woman created her own letterhead with the judge’s name on it. He said no documents were stolen from the courthouse. Edwards said the judge’s name was even spelled wrong on the documents.


“Antonio’s naiveté made him a victim of this fraud,” said the attorney, who found out about the payments earlier this week while talking to his client during a hearing on the trafficking case. “Why he didn’t come to me before … I don’t know.”

Sanchez paid the purported fines with cash, and the woman gave him receipts, his attorney said. Sánchez paid $8,000 out of his own pocket, which he earned by working two jobs, and his family helped him with the rest, Edwards said.

The payments — which totaled between $23,000 and $24,000 — did not come from drug transactions, and Sánchez is innocent of the trafficking charge against him, the attorney said.

The woman, who reportedly told Sánchez he would go to jail or be deported if he didn’t pay the fines, hit him up for money about 15 separate times, Edwards said.

Pfeffer said Friday that he knew about the case but did not want to comment on it.

The police chief said evidence in the case will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office. As of Friday, Johnson said, the woman had not been arrested.

A woman allegedly used forged letters from a judge to extort more than $20,000 from a Mexican national being prosecuted in a cocaine-trafficking case, according to Santa Fe police and the man’s lawyer. Antonio Delgado Sánchez does not read or speak English and had accepted translation help from a female acquaintance, lawyer Marc Edwards said Friday.

What are we supposed to feel sorry for this illegal? After all they were friends. A prime example of why they need to learn English before crossing our borders.

The payments — which totaled between $23,000 and $24,000 — did not come from drug transactions, and Sánchez is innocent of the trafficking charge against him, the attorney said.

Yeah right??!!.......he deserved to be screwed for poisoning people with his drug trafficking.