Source: Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, TexasAug.迷你倉庫 11--CORPUS CHRISTI -- Former 404th state District Judge Abel C. Limas has testified that he could receive approximately 16 years in prison for his role in corrupting the judiciary and legal system in Cameron County.Limas' testimony came during the first week of trial in the government's case against attorney Eduardo "Eddie" Lucio, charged with racketeering, conspiracy and extortion, and following the defense's suggestion that Limas has much to gain through his testimony.Besides the possible prison term, and in response to questions from Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Wynne, Limas also pointed to losing his reputation and license to practice law, the effect on his family and loss of assets."Judge Limas is not on trial here," Wynne told the jury. Limas has pleaded guilty to racketeering and awaits sentencing."There is one person on trial and that's Mr. Lucio," Wynne said, adding that the actions of Lucio and co-conspirators had been "contrary to the public interest."Lucio is charged with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act by giving an $80,000 kickback to ex-Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos in connection with the case of convicted murder Amit Livingston; giving $1,000 to Limas so that he would keep quiet regarding the Livingston case; and a $5,000 bribe to Villalobos from a truck-seizure case, of which, prosecutors say, $42,000 went to Lucio.He is charged with paying bribes or kickbacks to Limas and Villalobos for judicial and prosecutorial discretion and with aiding them in committing extortion.Wynne told the jury that in some cases, "you don't have a smoking gun," and asked the jury "to connect the dots."Wynne has referred to Lucio, who is Villalobos' ex-law partner, as a "strawman" and "figurehead" for Villalobos, who Wynne said pulled the strings in the relationship.Lucio's defense attorney Luis M. Avila, on the other hand, told the jury that the government had engaged in tactics with one thing in mind -- to snare his client."Talk is cheap. Anybody can gossip," Avila said, also telling the jury that the government was not connecting the dots, "it's creating the dots.""If you want to tell the story over and over again, just tell the truth," Avila told the jury, noting that every time that Limas "has opened his mouth, a different thing comes out.""Actions speak louder than words," Avila also said, claiming that prosecutors and investigators have gone "out of their way to back what Limas says," super-imposing actions with bank and telephone records.Avila asked jurors to remember the "3Ds," which are: do not disregard evidence that goes against evidence; do not distrust evidence that they see; and do not permit witnesses to lie and deceive.Avila told the jury that the witnesses who were not char儲存ed have "sweet deals" and "golden tickets" while Limas had been "less-smart.""I don't want you to forget something he said," Avila said of Wynne. " 'We don't have a smoking gun.' You don't hang the life of a man on imagine. Give me proof -- not imagination," Avila told the jury.Limas testified that Villalobos told him that Lucio was coming from Dallas and that he, Villalobos, was going to get money from Lucio in connection with the case against Amit Livingston, charged with the 2005 murder of Hermila Hernandez.When Livingston pleaded guilty to the murder in 2007 in Limas' court, Limas sentenced Livingston the same day he pleaded guilty, freeing the murderer's $500,000 bond. The bond was then attached in a civil wrongful death lawsuit that Lucio filed on behalf of the victim's husband. Of that amount, $300,000 went to the victim's husband and children. The remainder, $200,000, went to Lucio in legal fees, and prosecutors allege that Lucio then kicked back $80,000 to Villalobos, who had referred the civil case to Lucio.As part of the agreement between Livingston's defense and the DA's Office, Limas testified that he gave Livingston a 60-day free pass to take care of business before he was supposed to report to the Cameron County Sheriff's Department to begin serving a prison sentence. Limas testified that no one objected to Livingston's release.Limas testified that Lucio and Villalobos then paid him to not investigate circumstances regarding the Livingston agreement and to keep quiet about it. Limas said he received $9,700 from Villalobos in two payments and $1,000 from Lucio."I had nothing to do with the 60 days. They had an agreement, that's the way it happened," Limas testified. "This didn't come out of the air ... It was their deal," Limas said.This is the fourth trial that Limas has testified at. The other three were the trials of the late Ray R. Marchan, an attorney who committed suicide the day he was to report to federal prison, attorney Marc G. Rosenthal, who awaits sentencing, and Villalobos, who also awaits sentencing. Limas also has testified at three pre-trial hearings and testified an average of three days at the trials."This is the fourth trial," Limas testified. "There are many, many other acts with lawyers with myself," he said, also noting that he has met with federal prosecutors and investigators about 30 times, telling them everything he knows about other people, too; "all of them," Limas testified."All that stuff is in my PSI," Limas said, referring to his pre-sentence investigation report.Limas said his expectation is that the court consider everything at time of sentencing.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新蒲崗迷你倉
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