By H. Nelson Goodson
April 23, 2015
Chicago, IL - On Thursday, Vicente C. Serrano, 750 AM radio host for the Sin Censura Spanish language program in Chicago reported, that the Ancel Glink law firm has now retracted a retraction/settlement letter sent out by Attorney Pedro Fregoso Jr. on behalf of the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago asking $350,000 in settlement for damages. Attorney Fregoso sent out the letter on March 11 to Adolfo Vega, owner of the Bodega, Ltd. alleging that Vega recorded a conversation of several Mexican Consulate workers who were requesting donations for the Grito event in 2014. Vega released the telephone recorded conversations to Serrano who then aired it in his program last September 2014. In the conversation, a Consulate staff worker attempts to get Vega to donate funds to the Grito event by suggesting Vega to commit fraud by making the funds directly to the National Museum of Mexican Art and then its Director Carlos Tortolero, the former President of the Fiestas Patrias would give him a receipt showing that he donated funds to the museum, which is non-proft. Tortolero would then apply those funds directly to the Fiestas Patrias, which the Consulate would benefit and Vega could claim on his federal taxes that he donated funds to the non-profit museum instead to Fiesta Patrias, so he could get a tax credit.
What the Consulate staff workers were doing is actually illegal under U.S. federal law and the Consulate workers could be facing federal charges for conspiracy to commit federal income tax fraud while representing a foreign government. Both of the Consulate workers could be facing deportation as well, if charged and convicted for trying to commit fraud in the U.S.
Vega was accused by the Consulate workers of recording their conversation illegally under the Illinois Eavesdropping Act. But the Eavesdropping Act does not apply, if a crime was being committed and if the Consulate workers made those calls from the Mexican Consulate in Chicago on behalf of Consul Carlos Jiménez Macias.
The whole Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago debacle and scandal began last year after Mexican nationals and Serrano requested for Consul Jiménez Macias to release El Grito event funds that were provided by the Mexican government. Consul Jiménez Macias has refused.
Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) was able to confirm, that Tortolero never received any funds from the inappropriate actions by the Consulate staff workers. Tortolero released the Fiestas Patrias fiscal report to HNNUSA and no entry was made to show the total amount that the Mexican government gave the Consulate. Tortolero says, that he doesn't know how much the Consulate received from the Mexican government. The Mexican Consulate in Chicago generates more than $5M per year from Mexican nationals for services.
HNNUSA first posted the Fiestas Patrias fiscal report and the three page letter from Attorney Fregoso. The HNNUSA posting went viral and people, including organizations began to criticize the Ancel Glink law firm for trying to get Vega and Serrano to pay $350,000 to keep Fregoso from filing a defamation lawsuit on behalf of the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago.
Now, the law firm of Ancel Glink is saying, that it is representing both of the Mexican Consulate workers instead of the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago, according to Serrano.
In 2014, two Consulate workers, Alfonso Rosas Joule, in charge of Community Organizations for the Consulate and Ricardo Duran Peña, the Consulate Office Coordinator were requesting up to $10,000 of sponsorships for the Grito event on behalf of Consul General Jiménez Macias.
The latest issue has prompted Mexican nationals in the tri-state area to allege corruption within the Consulate for a lack of transparency and want to oust Consul Jiménez Macias.
The latest issue has prompted Mexican nationals in the tri-state area to allege corruption within the Consulate for a lack of transparency and want to oust Consul Jiménez Macias.
HNNUSA has made numerous attempts to contact Attorney Fregoso and Consul Jiménez Macias about the defamation and eavesdropping debacle and latest scandal, but they have not responded.
Editors note:
Vicente C. Serrano from Sin Censura Radio program has announced that on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, a major protest calling for transparency of all events and El Grito 2014 sponsored by the Mexican Consulate will take place in front of the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago beginning at 11:00 a.m., 204 S. Ashland Ave. People are invited to attend to participate and call on Consul Carlos Jiménez Macias to release information about how much funds the Mexican government gave the Consulate for the Grito event.
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