FILE - In this March 25, 2019, file photo Jorge Salcedo, former University of California at Los Angeles men's soccer coach, departs federal court in Boston after facing charges in a nationwide . He can also be found on staff at Seton Family of Doctors at Williamson. And I went there just to resolve questions. And the other thing is that when you get into this program, you don't go to cities that are highly populated. No one took up Salcedos offer of assistance. I decided to play on the fact that I might not be discovered, Salcedo said. The new constitution included a no-extradition provision for native Colombians. It was aborted at the last minute. They have not yet been sentenced. Giannulli is still serving out a five-month sentence for his role in paying half a million dollars in bribes to get his daughters into USC under false pretenses. I came here to protect you and your family, but I left my business behind, so I'm done." I told myself I was not one of them.. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. Crticas. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. At the end of the season, where they finally capture Palomari, they have you waiting outside in a car, where you kill the hitman Navegante in self-defense. With the Cali cartel falling apart at the seams, mole Jorge Salcedo is forced to return to the city where everyone wants him dead. For a long time, I was thinking that it was the DEA who killed him. He also knew who was on the cartels growing list of security risks marked for assassination. I wanted to go to someone, but I didnt even know on what door to knock, he said. In addition to living quarters, it contained a large swimming pool, a tennis court and half of a soccer field. Lock Salcedo was a prime suspect, one of only five to 10 people who knew where Miguel was hiding. How did you get involved in the first place? The Orejuela brothers promptly absorbed much of the Medellin cartel and ultimately controlled 80% of the international cocaine market. Across town, Salcedos pager went off. That's where the scene of suffocation comes fromit could have happened if I didn't have that news. Dr. Saucedo attended the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico where he received his medical doctorate followed by training in . Salcedo had previously worked on behalf of British commandos, who worked with the Colombian government to counter the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. It was arranged he would die in custody. He told me, "You get there first just to make sure the road is clear is safe for me." UPDATE, March 23, 6:12 a.m.: Former UCLA soccer coach Jorge Salcedo said he couldn't afford the $1.9 million Century City home he bought for his family in 2016. [5], Before being extradited by the DEA, Salcedo argued that Guillermo Pallomari must be extracted. How did you do that? In the days that followed, the entire Cali cartel infrastructure was exposed. Two heavily armed Hughes 500 helicopters, painted in the olive green of Colombias national police, flew a 12-man team of Salcedos mercenaries to a mountain staging area. 1 to be killed, Ryan said. Boston, MA 02210, Boston:617-748-3100
Neither the author nor CNN know Mr. Salcedos whereabouts or his new name. Police were guided to his hide-out by radiophone signals. Two armed helicopters flew a team of Salcedos mercenaries to a mountain staging area. But cartel-friendly police arrived. So they told [my friend] Mario, "We need you." They treated him like a crackpot I confirmed that, DEA agent Edward Kacerosky testified later. The raiding party that hit Miguels door about dawn the next morning included two DEA agents and an elite search team under Gen. Jose Serrano, chief of the Colombian national police. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. In January 2021, Salcedo agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Salcedo said he takes . Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Under threat of arrest, the U.S. agents and Serranos team abandoned their search for Miguel Orejuela. Listening in on the phone conversation as Miguel reported to his son the details of his ordeal, Salcedos only thought: SALCEDO was a prime suspect, one of only five to 10 people who knew where Miguel had been hiding. Not much has been said about what sort of person was I. Founder Mr. Salcedo is the founder and proprietor of Salcedo Attorneys at Law P.A. Thanks to Salcedo, the entire Cali cartel hierarchy was extradited. The thick top concealed a secret compartment. Is that right? Pero la DEA cumpli su palabra. In the summer of 1995, some of those hits were Salcedos responsibility to carry out -- including cartel chief accountant Guillermo Pallomari, a Chilean. Within a few months, about 130 people were indicted. Meanwhile, Salcedo beefed up security for the Orejuela brothers and their extended families -- a mother, four sisters, in-laws, wives and children. Rosenthal's arrest led to Salcedo being introduced to Chris Feistl and David Mitchell, two Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents operating in Cali. After Escobar was killed by national police in 1993, Salcedo considered his duty with the Cali Cartel completed, and attempted to resign. He traveled to El Salvador and, through military contacts, purchased four 500-pound bombs for about a half-million dollars. 2. We don't have one chance with these killers. Salcedo admitted to taking another six-figure bribe to recruit the son of Xiaoning Sui, of Surrey, British Columbia, to his team, offering him a scholarship. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS [Laughs] So we had to accommodate to the lifestyle. I had no option of saying no. The global cartel was directed by Cali-based Colombians, but its operatives included many non-Colombians susceptible to extradition. I immediately started investigating the leak.. In January 2021, Salcedo agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. With two U.S. agents, the team of Colombian national police poured silently into the building. Former UCLA men's soccer coach Jorge Salcedo pleaded guilty Monday for his role in the college admissions scandal, the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts said. I decided to play on the fact that I might not be discovered, Salcedo said. That was the other thing. But Salcedo refused, knowing that more time was needed to evacuate his extended family from Colombia. They are accepting new patients. It was a bonus for the captains help getting the boss away from a police raid. All I did that night was go to my most secure location to secure my most beloved possession on earth, which is my family. Where were you? In addition to being a corporate, tax and government affairs attorney, he specializes in both domestic and international transactions, as well as real estate and international tax planning. For years he had protected the bosses, their wives and children. Financed by Medellin cartel bosses, he was to organize a paramilitary operation for an assault on a guerrilla mountain fortress called Casa Verde. Ryan, the federal prosecutor, in a recent interview called Salcedo one of the countrys least-known heroes, one of the people most responsible for bringing down the most powerful criminals in the world., Ryan still marvels at Salcedos contribution, saying he and federal agents thought at the time that the effort had no more than a 1% chance to succeed., He recalled: You cant imagine just how alone this guy was -- talking on phones that he knew were bugged knowing so well how easily he could be compromised. Smuggling routes from Florida to Texas were compromised and had to be replaced. On one occasion, we knew that Miguel had time for lunch and a shower before the raiding party was scheduled to arrive. So my role became other than just Pablo and became to focus on intelligence. It was very risky, but I was trapped in a nightmare, in a totally corrupt environment. The attack had to be abandoned. Still no sign of Miguel, the agents told him. Thats what brought down the Cali cartel, and it can make a difference in other countries where a culture of acceptance makes corruption especially stubborn. Salcedo appears under the name of Ricardo Salgado and is portrayed by Luis Fernando Hoyos. From deep inside the U.S. witness-protection program, the official has shared his story in conversations with the Los Angeles Times. Then, he double-crossed them. Salcedo said he responded: When they pressed for information, Salcedo told them: We are homosexuals. He is still No. Years passed between some of his calls. In 1989, he was summoned by the Carli cartel to a meeting. All Rights Reserved. But maybe my experience will help show the importance of fighting corruption as a way to fight the cartels. But the British mercenaries, waiting months for orders to attack, got bored and rowdy. He was secretly dispatched to Europe by military leaders to assemble a team of mercenaries. Jorge Salcedo, 47, admitted to participating in the college admissions bribery scheme involving TV celebrities, other wealthy parents and elite universities across the country. As the head of security for the Cali Cartel and an eventual informant whose work nearly singlehandedly brought down the whole cartel, Salcedo (played by Matias Varela) and his story are central to the show. Fue criado en Sdermalm, al sur de Estocolmo. They wanted to take care of all the politics and people around, because there was now a change in the importance of the Rodiguez brothers [now that Escobar had been eliminated]. He stayed close to Miguel and his family, sharing car rides and meeting with them alone to let his vulnerability erode suspicions. [2] Salcedo lived in Kansas for two years while his father attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College, after which the family moved back to Colombia. I've never seen so many important people in terms of the movies and TV sector. They are foreigners and will be very embarrassed by any questions.. He became a new king, and my position was: He's the worst enemy I have. As Colombian citizens, the Orejuela brothers could not be extradited to the United States. Let it pass.". Within a week, Salcedo faced his first life-threatening decision. Dr. Salcedo is a warm and compassionate family physician who has been in private practice in Houston, Texas since 2017. That part is true. Reports of shooting at Houston mall were unfounded, cops s 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Mike McCarthy shreds ex-Cowboys coordinator after firing, Family raises 250-pound 'dog' for 2 years then realizes it's a bear, 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards: Lana Del Ray, Kim Petras, & more, RHOA star Drew Sidora accuses ex Ralph Pittman of cheating, mental abuse, Original Gone With The Wind script reveals secret war over slavery, cut scenes, Good luck 'worming' your way out of this one, Sunny Hostin Points Finger at China for COVID Crisis: Did Not Cooperate With the International Community, Kanye West and 'wife' Bianca Censori look surprisingly happy on dinner date. [3][pageneeded], Salcedo stayed in Colombia, awaiting diplomatic permission from the Colombia government to leave. Salcedo was ingenious and intelligent, evident by his experiments with biodiesel during his youth. Jorge Salcedo admitted to participating in the college admissions bribery scheme involving . Well, it's been a very different life from what people usually do at this time [in their life]. Heres a list, Rescuers comb wreckage of Greeces deadliest train crash, Ohios U.S. senators introduce bipartisan rail safety bill in wake of East Palestine derailment. Politicians were considered a long-term investment. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Salcedo emailed the UCLA womens soccer coaches the students transcript, test scores, and a fake soccer profile that he had received from Singer and Khosroshahin. The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? Id never seen so much money. Across town, Salcedos pager went off. Aiding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) unexpectedly and at great risk was a senior Cali cartel official, the head of security for the cocaine syndicate. Jorge Saucedo, MD, MBA, is the current Division Chief of Cardiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Director of Heart and Vascular services for the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network. Salcedo received one of the longest sentences in the payola scheme, and is the third coach to be locked up. After going into hiding, Salcedo focused his efforts on monitoring his electronic communication network, extracting intelligence on both national police and the Medelln Cartel. And this man is a businessman, and he's got night vision, heat detectors, and GPS." 1 Courthouse Way, Suite 9200
The cartel had important friends in the military, too from helicopter pilots to generals. Yes, well, William Rodriguez was his oldest son and his successor. In 1995, some hits were Salcedos responsibility, including cartel chief accountant Guillermo Pallomari, a Chilean. Still, he served as a consultant for the new season and spoke extensively with Narcos showrunner Eric Newman to ensure the series' accuracy. He took the police aside and pulled out 500 pesos. Miguel was getting paranoid, Salcedo said. He dialed the CIA in Virginia. He is still No. "In Colombia, even honest people have to deal with the cartels." (via Seattle Times ). The Orejuela brothers promptly absorbed the Medellin cartel and ultimately controlled 80 percent of the international cocaine market. I had to escape, the former cartel official explained. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, D.C.s cherry blossoms coming early due to confusing weather, Biden rallies House Democrats to tout their legislative success to voters, Caregiver accused in Manhattan Beach child sexual abuse case believed to be in Philippines, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Yet more rain expected to hit California in March. He started his career designing forklifts and other machinery. In January 2021, Salcedo agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. So they needed to capture all the politicians onto their side. They got right to the point. It doesn't make sense that I'm going to go kill a killer. Waiting at a rural airstrip for the cargo plane from Cali to pick up the illicit munitions, Salcedo saw an executive jet swoop out of the clouds. So I had to start scanning every possibility that might have led to the Rodriguez brothers being taken down and prevent that. Last edited on 3 September 2022, at 05:41, Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Federal Witness Protection Program, United States Army Command and General Staff College, "Revelan identidad del hombre que compr las bombas MK-82", "The real Jorge Salcedo talks about what the show gets right", "A daring betrayal helped wipe out Cali cocaine cartel", "Defense lawyer pleads guilty to aiding cartel", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jorge_Salcedo_Cabrera&oldid=1108223474, This page was last edited on 3 September 2022, at 05:41. Local police helped. He and his bodyguard were gunned down as they tried to flee across the rooftops. Salcedo says he was with his family the night of the raid and that he never killed anyone. Jorge Salcedo, who pleaded guilty to accepting $200,000 in bribes to fraudulently admit students to UCLA, will serve eight months in prison after receiving a sentence from a federal judge Friday.. Tanto la serie como el libro de William C. Rempel y Jorge Salcedo han sido criticados abiertamente por William Rodrguez Abada, hijo de Miguel Rodrguez Orejuela, no solo por cmo es glorificado el narcotrfico, sino tambin por varias incongruencias mostradas en el libro afirmando adems que Jorge Salcedo entr a trabajar en el Cartel de Cali apenas meses antes de la . In 2016, Salcedo agreed with William Rick Singer, Ali Khosroshahin a former head coach of womens soccer at the University of Southern California and others to facilitate the admission of a student to UCLA as a purported womens soccer recruit. Miguel, the younger of the two Orejuela brothers, was even more direct: He wanted Escobar dead. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. His information on the cartelOperation Cornerstoneled to its eventual disbandment, as a result of which Salcedo and his family have entered the United States Federal Witness Protection Program. The family became most concerned about accountant Pallomari. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The attack was abandoned. Whereas his previous role involved avoiding detection from Escobar's network, Salcedo now assisted Cali's men with avoiding detection by the National Police of Colombia. I asked as a courtesy, "How are you doing? Former UCLA men's soccer coach Jorge Salcedo has agreed to plead guilty to accepting $200,000 in bribes in the massive "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal and is expected to be sentenced to . So I thought, why don't I use my knowledge for more. Why are we still having these debates? Pallomari did not trust the cartels chief of security, but he went to another hideout. A police raid was scheduled one night to arrest Pallomari at a hiding place. His father was a retired Colombian army general and diplomatic figure. Salcedo was consulted on the show, and provided feedback on the role he played in the prosecution and arrest of the Rodrguez Orejuela brothers.[6]. Today, the brothers are serving what probably will be life terms in U.S. federal prison. I have been in witness protection for 22 years. The Orejuela brothers earlier had dispatched a hit squad to Medellin, 155 miles northwest of the capital. Enter Salcedo. I was hiding for a long time. So I had to give up. Jorge Salcedo is a Colombian civil engineer who worked in the Army during the 1980s. Others were more directly involved in routine bribery, but I still managed to deliver nearly a million dollars in payoffs. His only possible escape was to bargain with the DEA and betray his cartel bosses. I am a different man than I was two years ago, and I will never make decisions like this again, Salcedo said during a hearing held via videoconference. The Orejuela brothers wanted four Panamanian operatives questioned. Salcedo waited for the chance to use a public phone at a Cali telecommunications building. Jorge Salcedo Cabrera (* 25. listopadu 1947 Bogota) byl f ochranky Calijskho drogovho kartelu, ovldajcho 80 % celosvtovho kokainovho obchodu. And my wife, in my country she was a lawyer, but she lost all her credentials as such. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" William C. Rempel does a remarkable job in telling this story. It was one of those things, I think the DEA guys did that. William Rodrguez Orejuela, Miguel's son, suspected Salcedo to be the leak, and reassigned Jorge's responsibilities. The raiding party that hit Miguels door the next morning included two DEA agents and a search team under Gen. Jose Serrano, chief of the Colombian national police. He was secretly dispatched to Europe by military leaders to assemble a team of mercenaries. I got to know I was excluded when I got a call saying I had to get there. No. He had been summoned to the cartel hideout to give Miguel a report on the pending assassination of Pallomari. Salcedo waited for the chance to use a public phone at a Cali telecommunications building. I got a call from Miguel, and he said, "You have to get me out of this building," because all of a sudden it was surrounded by police, so I had a request by Miguel. This account is based on those interviews, corroborated by court records, sworn testimony and additional interviews with federal agents involved in the case. I know something about corruption and organized crime. Jorge Salcedo, the former UCLA men's soccer coach charged in the college admissions scandal, accused the school of using athlete admissions "as a vehicle to raise funds" in a motion filed by his. But they have some information that somebody killed him, I don't know how. THE compound of Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela filled a city block. For Jorge Salcedo, who made vengeful enemies of the most notorious crime bosses in the drug world, hiding has been a way of life for nearly two decades. He was chief of security for Colombia's Cali cocaine syndicate when he fled cartel assassins and corrupt police hit men for safety and a new life in the U.S. witness protection program. Instead, it ends up being an execution. COVID origins? You look tired." The chilling episode was a turning point for him. He was openly complaining. THE wonkish, soft-spoken family man was an unlikely drug gang recruit. 7:18 PM EST, Wed January 18, 2012. The son was an officer in the army reserves, but he regarded himself more an engineer than a soldier. The biggest bribe I ever handled personally was a half-million-dollar payoff to a Salvadoran air force colonel. Jorge Salcedo ( Buenos Aires, Argentina; 6 de febrero de 1915 - Idem; 12 de abril de 1988) fue un primer actor de radio, cine, fotonovelas y televisin argentino ndice 1 Actividades artsticas 2 Filmografa 3 Televisin 4 Fotonovelas 5 Referencias 6 Enlaces externos Actividades artsticas [ editar] It was an absurd idea. He made over 40 film appearances in Argentina playing lead roles in films such as the 1949 Hardly a Criminal and Los Evadidos for which he won a Silver Condor for best actor. How Marvel went big with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Accompanied by two U.S. agents, the 15-man team of Colombian national police poured silently into the building. Though that law was repealed after the politicians behind it were exposed for taking bribes from the cartels, the brothers remained in Bogotas La Picota prison, beyond the reach of U.S. authorities. Salcedo met Carlo Cordova while serving in the Colombian Army and was recruited into Cordova's security firm, which provided security to the Cali cartel. Jorge Salcedo, whose story is the basis for Narcos season 3 "Because at that point, they were suspecting about me. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani deferred acceptance of the plea until sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 24, 2020. I told myself I was not one of them, he said. His military service in the late 1980s coincided with one of Colombias bloodiest periods. But it was not the end of the Cali cartel. They were having a meeting, and they were excluding me of everything. But people should know what I know now. Former UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo, 47, broke probation by entering Mexico without permission and without a passport last week He is due to plead guilty on Wednesday to a racketeering charge in US. Immigration activists rallied outside the Legislative Office Building Thursday to protest the planned deportation of U.S. Army veteran Jorge Luis Salcedo, a Glastonbury resident with a wife and . Jorge Salcedos contacts with The Times began with a handshake in Miami during a brief court appearance in October 1998. Eran mediados de 1995 cuando un grupo del. Some regularly shared information with Salcedo. How has your life under witness protection been? I was taken there. Listening in on the phone conversation, Salcedos only thought: What a nightmare.