Brenda Martin walks back to her cell after an exclusive interview with CTV's W-FIVE from a Guadalajara prison in Mexico.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080413/court_martin_080414/20080414?hub=Canada
Brenda Martin, held in a Mexican prison for over two years on fraud charges, burst into tears at her final hearing Monday after the judge said he wouldn't guarantee a ruling in her case by Friday.
"In the beginning, she was very composed, she listened to the judge and through her translator she made her statement," CTV's Lisa LaFlamme reported from Guadalajara.
"The things she said in English were that she's innocent and she wants to go home to see her family."
Previous reports had suggested that the judge was planning on rendering a decision by April 18.
Instead, he told Martin that he had 30 business days to make a decision.
"When she found out that indeed she may not find out by Friday... she basically collapsed into tears and needed to be escorted in handcuffs out of the office space that was doubling as this public hearing room," said LaFlamme.
The judge did say he intended to "issue a statement as soon as possible" and that he would not exceed the 30-day period, LaFlamme reported.
Martin has been held in custody since February 2006. She is accused of knowingly accepting illicit funds from an Internet fraud scheme operated by Alyn Waage. Martin had been Waage's chef until she was fired.
Waage, in prison in the U.S., has issued an affidavit in support of Martin, who has long professed her innocence.
If found guilty, Martin faces a prison sentence of at least five years.
Sorry, but how do you not know that your boss is running an internet fraud scheme and that you are given money from it? What was their company's ligit business? If she was handling the money, wouldn't she be an accountant for that company, and therefore shouldn't she be asking where this money is coming from?
She's guilty as sin, lock her sobbing ass away.
LaFlamme said there was "no direct evidence proving that Brenda Martin knowingly accepted illicit funds."
How do you not know you're given illicit funds? "Hey boss.... where'd this money come from?" ~ Simple question to ask.
I bet she knew exactly what was going on and her boss promised to cover her ass if she helped him.... he was caught, he's guilty of the whole thing and now is trying to claim she's innocent? I don't think so Abe.
After she was fired by Waage, Martin was given $26,000, said LaFlamme. She invested $9,600 of that money back in Waage's company and after he was arrested he refunded $8,600 to her. The money was refunded through a bank account in Belize, said LaFlamme.
"The prosecution is trying to say that because this money that she was given from Allan Waage came from an offshore account she must have known that there was something illegal about it and that she tried to conceal it," said LaFlamme.
Deerrrr.... I'd say so. Ignorance is not an excuse from the law and avoiding asking obvious questions to cover your ass isn't a scape goat from the law either.
Martin claims she never knew or asked where the money came from.
She didn't ask because she knew and didn't ask to cover her ass.... it's as simple as that. She was promised that she would be covered and not goto jail, and here she sits, sobbing her sorry ass over being an idiot and trying to play the emotion card through the media.... it's sick.
"One of the new things about today is that apparently the judge has separated Brenda Martin from the other people that were allegedly involved in this," said LaFlamme.
"Her lawyer is certainly looking at this as some very good news."
The 51-year-old, originally from Trenton, Ont., has complained of deteriorating mental and physical health as a result of her incarceration. Some of her supporters have expressed fear for her life.
Boo fricken Hoo...
Rebecca Roth, an American arrested for her alleged role in the scam, was also present at the hearing Monday.
"She was the bookkeeper where Brenda Martin was the chef," said LaFlamme.
Roth also claims she was not involved in any fraudulent activity.
So she's the "Cook" and yet handed all that money? For what reason?
What a scam.... pathetic.