The U.S. war on the Colombian revolutionary movement took a serious turn on July 9 when a Washington, D.C., federal court convicted Ricardo Palmera of conspiring to kidnap three U.S. defense contractors in 2003.
Palmera, the lead negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was captured in Quito, Ecuador, and
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The three U.S. agents at issue worked for Northrop Grumman, a defense conglomerate contracted by the Pentagon to carry out spy work in Colombia.
After an initial trial last year ended in a hung jury, this second trial ended in inconsistent verdicts on the various phony charges levied against Palmera. The jury found him guilty on one count of conspiracy, but told Judge Royce C. Lamberth that they could not reach a consensus on the remaining three charges of taking hostages and a final count of providing material support to a “terrorist” organization.
Conspiracy is a charge that is always used by U.S. prosecutors in political cases. A conspiracy is an agreement between people to commit a substantive crime. By using the charge of conspiracy, the government does not have to prove any underlying crime. It’s a loaded, “catch-all” charge that almost always results in a guilty verdict.
This case was no different. After the verdict, Kenneth Wainstein, assistant attorney general for national security, said: “Anyone involved in the hostage-taking and murder of Americans anywhere around the globe should pay close attention to this verdict. This prosecution demonstrates we will spare no effort to apprehend, prosecute and punish any individual who participates in the abduction of our citizens.”
Two days after he was found guilty, the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that it would seek a reduced sentence for Palmera if the FARC released the three CIA agents. The DOJ also said it would not make “concessions to terrorists.”
Palmera still faces trial in the Untied States on patently false charges of drug trafficking and dozens of additional charges in Colombia.
Palmera’s conviction comes days after another FARC member, Anayibe Rojas Valderama, also known as Sonia, was sentenced to 17 years in U.S. prison on wrongful charges of cocaine trafficking.
