Gov’t: Aguilar’s Acts Show Bribery

We don’t know what the jury in the Lindsey case thinks of the evidence so far.

The prosecution took twenty days to present its evidence. The defense is getting its turn now.

Yesterday, at the close of the government’s case, Angela Aguilar asked the judge to acquit her. She’s the Mexican woman accused of laundering money while helping her husband and Lindsey Manufacturing and two of its executives bribe Nestor Moreno, an official at Mexico’s electric utility CFE.

Aguilar said there’s no evidence to support her conviction.

In a recent filing opposing Aguilar’s motion for acquittal, the government summarized its case against her.

Here’s how the prosecution called it:

Before this trial started, the government explained that it would prove defendant’s knowledge through a series of interlinking facts.

First, defendant knew Nestor Moreno well and for a long period of time, knew that he worked for the state-owned utility CFE, and knew that he was a high-ranking government official.

Second, defendant knew that her husband did business with CFE and specifically with Nestor Moreno.

Third, defendant knew that she, and not her husband, had control as a signatory over the Grupo account, which defendant knew amassed millions of dollars from companies doing business with CFE.

Fourth, defendant knew that funds from the Grupo account were being used for the benefit of Nestor Moreno, including buying him a Ferrari and paying over $170,000 toward his American Express credit card, and that she knew she was participating in providing those benefits through her authorizations.

The government’s argument has always been that providing in a concealed manner extremely expensive luxury goods to a civil servant with whom your husband does business is classic evidence of bribery, a crime understood throughout the world.

In addition, the government explained that it would present evidence about who defendant is, specifically that she is an intelligent woman whois knowledgeable about financial affairs, who was not coerced by her husband, and who participated in misrepresentations concerning her role at Grupo and the purpose of the brokerage account, which would bolster its case concerning defendant’s knowledge.

The trial continues today in Los Angeles.

Download the government’s Response to Defendant Angela Aguilar’s Rule 29 Motion for Judgment of Acquittal at the Close of the Government’s Evidence Pursuant to FRCP 29; Memorandum of Points And Authorities here.