Thursday, January 7, 2021

UN Briber Francis Lorenzo Used Africa ICF Fund Now Wants Supervision Ended Early

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 5 – Francis Lorenzo used his position as UN Ambassador for the Dominican Republic to take and pay bribes for a Macau "UN South South Development Conference Center proposed by now incarcerated Ng Lap Seng.

   On November 8 Lorenzo was given a sentence of time served, which was twenty days in detention, by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Vernon S. Broderick.

   Inner City Press then reported that convicted and sentenced UN briber Francis Lorenzo has been spotted right back in UN world, at an event for the new Holy See / Papal envoy to the UN no less.  And see Periscope near UN, here.

Others in the UN said he was back working with the Dominican Mission, which oversaw and was complicit in lack of protection of civilians in Cameroon and elsewhere during two years on the UN Security Council.

 Now on January 5, Lorenzo is asking for an early termination of supervised release - on consent, no less: "Re: U.S.A. v. Lorenzo, Francis, et al. Case No.: 15-Cr-00706 (VSB) Honorable Judge Broderick: The Government (through AUSA Douglas Zolkind) and Probation (through USPO Zondra Jackson) have no objection to the following request. Defendant, Francis Lorenzo, requests this Court grant him early termination of supervised release. On October 6, 2015, Mr. Lorenzo was arrested in this matter. On December 9, 2019, Mr. Lorenzo was sentenced to time served and two (2) years supervised release. Since being placed on supervised release, Mr. Lorenzo has been in full compliance with all terms of his supervised release, has had no new arrests, and has timely satisfied all community service and financial obligations as confirmed by USPO Jackson. Additionally, prior to sentencing, Mr. Lorenzo spent approximately four (4) years under strict supervision pursuant to his pre-trial/sentence bail conditions. During that time, Mr. Lorenzo also dutifully abided by all of his pre-trial/sentence bail conditions without any incident whatsoever. Based on the foregoing, we respectfully request that Your Honor enter an Order granting Mr. Lorenzo’s motion for early termination of supervised release." Watch this site.

  Then, typical of UN corruption, this notice from the US Attorney's Office, apparently hoping no one will claim it, including the Africans whose needs were used to corruption raise money through and for the UN: "COURT CASE NUMBER: S6 15 CR. 706 (VSB); NOTICE OF FORFEITURE Notice is hereby given that on December 10, 2019, in the case of U.S. v. Francis Lorenzo a/k/a "Frank Lorenzo", Court Case Number S6 15 CR. 706 (VSB), the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York entered an Order condemning and forfeiting the following property to the United States of America: Any and all funds in Bank of America Account number 0048 3364 3656, held in the name of Africa ICT Investment Fund (20-FBI-002304) The United States hereby gives notice of its intent to dispose of the forfeited property in such manner as the United States Attorney General may direct."

 Now on June 2, the US is taking the corrupt money raised at the UN falsely in the name of Africa: "WHEREAS, thirty (30) days have expired since final publication of the Notice of Forfeiture and no petitions or claims to contest the forfeiture of the Specific Property have been filed; WHEREAS, the defendant is the only person and/or entity known by the Government to have a potential interest the Specific Property; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Title 21, United States Code, Section 853(n)(7), the United States shall have clear title to any forfeited property if no petitions for a hearing to contest the forfeiture have been filed within thirty (30) days of final publication of notice of forfeiture as set forth in Title 21, United States Code, Section 853(n)(2); NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED THAT: 1. All right, title and interest in the Specific Property is hereby forfeited and vested in the United States of America, and shall be disposed of according to law. 2. Pursuant to Title 21, United States Code, Section 853(n)(7) the United States of America shall and is hereby deemed to have clear title to the Specific Property. Case 1:15-cr-00706-VSB Document 954-1 Filed 05/29/20 Page 2 of 3 Case 1:15-cr-00706-VSB Document 956 Filed 06/02/20 Page 2 of 3 3 3. The United States Marshals Service (or its designee) shall take possession of the Specific Property and dispose of the same according to law, in accordance with Title 21, United States Code, Section 853(h). 4. The Clerk of the Court shall forward four certified copies of this Final Order of Forfeiture to Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Wilson, Co-Chief, Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit, United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, One St. Andrew’s Plaza, New York, New York 10007."

Back on February 28, the US Attorney's Office asked to hand money to Lorenzo, whose already back in the entirely UNreformed UN. The order, apparently to hand $197,153.10 to Lorenzo who took bags of cash and had El Salvador's unindicted then Ambassador now Guterres Gold Coin salesman Carlos Garcia help launder them. For what purpose? The US Attorney's foray into UN world as come to this? We'll have more on this.

   He was with a delegate from the Dominican Republic Mission to the UN, which Lorenzo and Ng used to pay bribes to UN officials and correspondents; he spoke with among others a staffer of Oman's mission. This is how corrupt the UN of Antonio Guterres is: the convicted UN briber is right back in the game (Guterres has his hand out), while the Press which exposed the corruption is banned by Guterres, Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming, now 918 days.  Watch this site.

 Now on January 3 Lorenzo's lawyer is telling Judge Broderick, whose December 30 order ostensibly freeing on bond Virgil Griffith for much less than bribing the UN has still not had any effect, that Lorenzo should be able to travel freely around the United States, and that AUSA Daniel Richenthal consents to that. Travel for what? Meanwhile the UN gets more and more corrupt, banning the Press now 918 days for asking about Ng and Lorenzo and Patrick Ho, and Virgil Griffith, as of the US Attorney's last (Jan 2) answer is still in custody. (They have not answered on January 3).

     Time served was what the US Attorney's Office of Geoffrey S. Berman essentially recommended, calling Lorenzo a model cooperating witness. This despite acknowledging that Lorenzo had to "re-plead" guilty when it emerged he had not disclosed his receipt of bribes.   Assistant US Attorney Douglas S. Zolkind at sentencing praised Lorenzo for example for always appearing in a three-piece suit.

    Judge Broderick before giving the time served sentence said there was a need for general deterence. But neither he nor Zolkind even mentioned an after arising UN bribery case, for which Patrick Ho of CEFC China Energy was convicted by SDNY Judge Loretta A. Preska.    

Judge Broderick did impose two years of supervised release, and 250 hours of community service.

    Afterward Inner City Press sought to ask Lorenzo a question but was told by his lawyer Brian H. Bieber that Lorenzo would not answer questions.

    So Inner City Press asked Bieber how Lorenzo would do his community service and when Lorenzo last saw and communicated with Carlos Garcia, the former El Salvador ambassador shown in the trial before Judge Broderick to have helped launder money for Lorenzo.

  Bieber said he would ask Lorenzo, and perhaps get back to Inner City Press, which has reported and will continue to report on these cases. This case is US v. Lorenzo, 15-cr-706 (Broderick).

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