The former president of Guatemala, Alfonso Portillo, pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in a New York court earlier this week. The 62-year-old disgraced former leader was extradited to the United States in May 2013 on charges that he laundered more than $70 million in the 10 year period between 1999 and 2009, allegations he originally pleaded not guilty to.
Portillo was first arrested in January 2010 while trying to escape to Belize to avoid what he then called "political persecution." After being caught, he was indicted by the United States government on charges of embezzling tens of millions of dollars in public funds, laundering the money through major banks in both the European Union and the United States.
By accepting the guilty plea, Portillo had his charges dropped. Instead of going to prison for the $70 million he was originally accused of laundering, the charges were limited to $2.5 million in bribery payments from the federal government of Taiwan. Portillo entered the guilty plea to help avoid the maximum prison sentence for his crimes, which would be 20 years behind bars.
As a part of the deal, Portillo will have to repay the $2.5 million to the United States, on top of his fine which will range from $10,000 to $500,000. Portillo will also see some jail time, though much less than two decades: Portillo will be behind bars from 3 to 6 years, after which he will most likely be deported from the United States back to Guatemala.
This is a good deal for the 62-year-old, as he suffers from both lung and heart ailments. Had he received a full sentence for his crimes, there is a good chance that he would have died in his cell. Portillo will get his official sentence on June 23.
