TANGLED IN RAZOR WIRE

Mayor Jorge Mora’s problem was that he was a crook and everyone knew it. He stole from the government, he stole from the people and he stole from TJ. $165,000 to be exact. Mora and three other conmen, two Americans and a Frenchman, had a great plan to buy and refurbish a downtown hotel. It was to have restaurants, bars and a casino on the first floor, a clinic for light plastic surgery and cosmetic dental work on the second floor, hotel rooms on the middle floors and a penthouse, V.I.P. party area on the top floor. It was a great sell. Brochures, architectural plans, web-site and all the political connections to get it done.There were only a few small issues to iron out with the owner before the deal could close. They were patient. They took their time. They did not pressure TJ. They kept letting him in, little by little, on the details of the deal. They acted reluctant. As if they did not want to share this great opportunity with him or anyone else who was not part of the original consortium. They had financial projections and a marketing plan that looked solid. They had all the doctors and nurses hired for the clinic. They had a casino manager, bar managers, restaurant managers, chefs, staff and girls for the guests all lined up. They were patient. They took their time. They did not pressure TJ. They kept letting him in, little by little, on the details of the deal. They acted reluctant. As if they did not want to share this great opportunity with him or anyone else who was not part of the original consortium. They had financial projections and a marketing plan that looked solid. They had all the doctors and nurses hired for the clinic. They had a casino manager, bar managers, restaurant managers, chefs, staff and girls for the guests all lined up. Before long, TJ was asking questions about investment possibilities. They discussed profit percentages and responsibilities. Ultimately they decided to include TJ in the deal. TJ was to act as secretary of the corporation and chief legal counsel. They agreed to pay him $500,000 per year and grant him three percent of the profits. He only had to invest $165,000 so that they could acquire the casino license. Jorge Mora would handle the details. TJ agreed. Actually, he jumped at it. They had plied him with beautiful girls and excellent restaurants. They partied every night. They talked about making millions of dollars and opening other similar hotels in capitals throughout Latin America. This was the brainchild of the Parisian, Francois. He boasted of many other great business ventures he had launched. It all looked too good to be true. Which, of course, it was. A family matter came up which necessitated TJ returning to Minnesota. Three days after he touched down in the states, Bryce, one of the American con men called. He was in a panic. “You’ve got to get down here, man. Things are falling apart.” TJ sat up sharply. “What? What’s happening?” “Francois, Bill and the Mayor are arguing about everything. Mora says if he doesn’t get his way, all the licenses and permits will be pulled. He wants a Chinese restaurant. Francois is wild. The whole thing is his baby and he wants high end French cuisine.” TJ groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding. They’re going to screw this up over that?” TJ knew there had to be something more. These guys did not trust each other. Being crooks,they thought everyone else was a crook. They were right about each other. The only person they all trusted was TJ. He had to get back there. TJ flew in on a rainy Tuesday night. The following morning, he met Francois and Bryce for breakfast. “We’re going to have to sue,” announced Francois. “What happened?” asked TJ. “Jorge fucking Mora sold our casino license to the new chain hotel going up west of town. He pocketed the money and says he is out of the hotel deal,” said Francois.”So, we have to sue him.” This is perfect, thought TJ, bitterly. Try suing a big political hitter in a Central American country. TJ was afraid to ask, but he did anyway. “What about Bill?” “Bill says we’re out. He doesn’t need us anymore. He has made some sort of side deal with the owner of the hotel to sell it directly to him. He won’t answer my calls,” said Francois. “What about the corporation?” asked TJ. “And the money? We gave it to that lawyer to hold in trust on the day we signed all the papers.” Bryce piped up. “The lawyer says he works for Jorge Mora and cannot discuss his client’s business.” “So he was in on it from the beginning,” said TJ, feeling sick. “We’re going to sue them all in Federal court in Miami. I know the best lawyer in the world for this stuff. We just need to get enough money together for the retainer,” said Francois. TJ knew where this was going. He asked anyway. “How much? And where is the money coming from?” “He says he’ll get started for $250,000. I’m a little over-extended right now. That’s where you come in.You’ll get your money back off the top after we win,” said Francois with a straight face. TJ was a retired judge. He knew how the system worked. He turned it over in his mind. First of all, no U.S. court had jurisdiction in this kind of case. This would be tied up in the Costa Rican legal system. Second, how would it ever work from a practical standpoint? How do you get documents from a lawyer for a political bigshot in a corrupt Latin American country? It would take years.It was impossible. And, soon, the Mayor, Jorge Mora, would probably become president of the whole damn country. “Fuck me,” observed TJ. Francois started babbling about the case being a slam dunk, lawyer guarantees we’ll win, we’d have our money and control of the hotel within a year, etc. TJ had stopped listening. He stood up and walked away without a word. Mr. experienced attorney, law professor and respected judge just got boned by sleazy conmen. Stupid gringo.