INFORMATION REQUEST REGARDING VILLATORO EXTRADITION

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 000705 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KJUS ES SUBJECT: INFORMATION REQUEST REGARDING VILLATORO EXTRADITION ¶1. (U) Post received a copy of a letter from Jose Herbert Romero, the President of the Committee of People Affected by the OBC Stockbroker Firm, on July 9. OBC is an investment and brokerage firm located in El Salvador that has been accused of defrauding clients of USD 8.9 million. The letter, addressed to Congressman James McGovern, requests information regarding the extradition of Julio Eduardo Villatoro Monteagudo, who has been charged by the Salvadoran government with fraud and money laundering in the OBC case. Villatoro was born in El Salvador, but holds U.S. citizenship. ¶2. (U) Villatoro was arrested in Miami on November 2, 2007 pursuant to a request for provisional arrest from the Government of El Salvador (GOES). On December 9, 2008, a U.S. Magistrate Judge found Villatoro extraditable and certified the case to the Secretary. Villatoro filed a writ of habeus corpus with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on January 30, 2009. The District Court denied the writ on June 30, 2009. Villatoro had 10 days to appeal the ruling. It is unclear if he has filed an appeal. BLAU