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The Right to Bear Arms, in Panama

November 15, 2012 by 7 Comments

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Panama you have the right to try to buy a gun.

I put this in the indefinite because if you can find a store that sells guns and actually has some inventory, you can buy the gun and request a license to carry the gun. I did this five years ago in Panama City and I want to share the experience. Today I needed to renew my license in David, so I can share that experience also.

Five years ago in Panama City a friend took me to gun store where I purchased a gun. They then collected urine for a drug test, did a psychological test, took copies of my carnet, passport, finger prints, money and then sent me off to have a blood sample taken for a DNA exemplar.

Then I waited six months for the call that I had a license and could go back to Panama and pick up the gun. Gun purchasing in Panama is not cash and carry. They take everything except your first born child including test firing your weapon and keeping a bullet for future comparison purposes.

My gun has never been discharged in anger but my license expires in December. Being my compulsive self I started to ask about the current procedure for renewal. One constant in Panama is that nothing is constant, they changed the law.

In addition addition to psychological testing you now need to show proficiency with the weapon by doing some serious range time, twenty-five hours. I decided to find a helping hand who could make it all happen with less pain and suffering.

Unlike other licenses in Panama do not wait until the last minute to renew your license for a weapon. Start this when you have 60 days left on your license. Email me for contact info for the man that can walk you through the entire process in two hours. Believe me it was worth the $30 he charges. That is in addition to the $100 for the government, the $30 for the psychologist and the $25 for the pistol range, total $185 for a renewal.

The one thing that they do not require is understanding the law regarding the use of a lethal weapon in Panama.

To appreciate this law and other criminal laws in Panama, understand that unlike most developed countries, in Panama if you are arrested for a crime, you are presumed guilty unless you can prove youself innocent.

The following is an unofficial translation of the law.

Acts of self-defense that the local courts may find justified are as follows:
The existence of an unjust aggression, actual or imminent.
Using a rational means to prevent or repel aggression.
Lack of sufficient provocation on the part of one who advocates or is defended
It is presumed to be acting reasonably in self-defense to repel an attack against you, when without your consent, a person has entered your residence, dwelling, house or room.

What this means is simple in explanation, but never simple if you are the person arrested.

The last, highlighted point first. IF YOU ARE IN THE PLACE YOU ARE LIVING, your home, a home you are house sitting, where you are residing and you act to defend yourself from a person who did not have your consent to enter the dwelling the burden shifts. You are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. It does not cover your car, your front yard or someone you invited into your dwelling.

If this does not apply and you use lethal force, you need to prove the following.

There was agression against you, actual or imminent and you used a RATIONAL means to prevent or repel the aggression.

This section implies that you cannot use excessive force, you cannot shoot someone for hitting you with a fist, repelling a machete attack might be permissible since it is lethal force being met with lethal force. You also must show you or the person you defended did not provoke the attack. Note, the burden of all of this is on the person committing the act. You are presumed guilty if charged. Link

My advice, by a taser or some pepper spray and you will never face the issues that will happen if you shot someone. I, of course never seem to follow my own sagely advice.


Filed Under: crime, Featured, Government, Legal, Survival Kit Items

The Carpetbaggers

May 3, 2012 by 16 Comments

According the Wikipedia the word carpetbagger has it’s roots in the reconstruction period in the Southern United States, the description is alive and well in Panama with some twists.

“In United States history, carpetbagger was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners (also referred to as Yankees) who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877.

The term referred to the observation that these newcomers tended to carry “carpet bags,” a common form of luggage at the time (sturdy and made from used carpet). It was used as a derogatory term, suggesting opportunism and exploitation by the outsiders.”

“In sum, carpetbaggers were seen as insidious Northern outsiders with questionable objectives meddling in local politics, buying up plantations at fire-sale prices and taking advantage of Southerners.“

Wikipedia

A Carpetbagger Source Wikicommons

Many of the new immigrants to Panama come to live with a lower cost of living and we certainly do try to acquire property at what compared to the North would be fire sale prices, but this post is not about us, them. This post is about the expats who come here to defraud other expats who come to Panama.

It is considered very dangerous to write anything negative about anyone in Panama, free speech in the media is tempered by lawsuits under the Calumnia e Injuria laws which generally allow anyone to file criminal and civil charges against anyone for defamation even if the defamation is warranted by the facts being true. The law, common to much of Latin America chills the media from saying much.

I have been wanting to expose some of the people who pray on new immigrants for some time, I too have been tempered. This past week I listened to a story from a man who lent $140 to an expat in need, that expat thanked him for the loan and now refuses to repay it. There are petty con men who ask for a loan and do not repay it, there are expats who contract for labor and do not pay the bill and the locals who do the same. All of the above can occur since the judicial system here is at best slow. I say at best because cables released by Wikileaks also stated that the US Embassy believed it to be corrupt on all levels.

These are petty criminals compared to the real carpetbaggers, the ones who are accused of stealing the life savings of new immigrants. Some people who, for what ever reason fail to due their due diligence before turning over thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to someone they barely know to buy some property. They fail to do their homework, they trust the seller who might not even own the property being sold. These people fail to hire a lawyer, they fail to investigate, they trust. The type of carpetbagger who does that is sophisticated, eloquent and called a con man.

Under the law in Panama I am allowed to report items made public by the courts of Panama. Using this I would like to make the community aware of  an order from the Forth Circuit Court in the Provence of Chiriqui. The order dated July 4 2011 is about a man many might know, Royston Martin Knigth. He was called to appear for trial on charges of fraud against another expat for selling land that does not exist, for more than $ 20,000.00. The judge imposed an injunction that can not leave the country until the end of the trial.

The trial will prove innocence or guilt, maybe, but the fact that a judge has seen enough merit to prohibit Mr. Knigth from leaving the country until the trial makes for a legal fact.

As I learn more I will write about it.

 

 

 


Filed Under: crime, Featured, Survival Kit Items Tagged With: , ,

TCM: Fear is a great motivator, Alto al Crimen

March 27, 2012 by 6 Comments

The Tuesday Community Meeting was a standing room event today. Alto al Crimen gave their annual report to the community. Their meeting was moved up due two four home invasions in Chiriqui within a short period. We have very little violent crime so it is headline material.

Alto al Crimen was founded as a response to prior crime wave in Boquete. In it’s few years here it has helped a few people find new homes in the David jail and stopped at least one wave of robberies being committed by a gringo. Past laurels aside, the community is scared, there have been four home invasions in a very short time. The first in Volcan, where there are suspects. In the Boquete area in El Francis and near Montanas de Caldera. The last incident occurred near Playa Barraqueta. It is probable all have been committed by the same perpetrators.

Each of these attacks had common elements and suspects are three or possibly four Panamanian men in the their mid twenties with a car.  Each victim was in an upscale house, semi rural and expat. Police response was called everything from excellent to non existant depending upon the case. The police here are limited in their ability to cover large distances with poor communications and few cars.

It was pointed out that Home Invasions are not unique to Panama. My friend, Mr. Google discovered this factoid.

“According to a United States Department of Justice report:

  • 38 percent of assaults and 60 percent of rapes occur during home invasions
  • One in five homes undergoes a home invasion or break-in
  • There are more than 8,000 home invasions every day in North America
  • 50 percent of home invasions involve the use of a weapon; the most common weapons used are knives or other cutting instruments
  • In 48 percent of home invasions, victims sustain physical injuries
  • Victims age 60 or older make up 17 percent of home invasion victims
  • In 68 percent of home invasions, victims and the accused are strangers; in 11 percent of these cases, victims and the accused are friends, business associates, or family

The best defense is always offense, so prepare yourself, your home, and your family to defend against home invasion:

  • Use doors with solid cores rather than hollow wooden doors, complete with heavy duty locks
  • Install security devices in windows such as alarm systems or bars
  • Utilize all locks on any entrance into your home
  • Use four three-inch screws to secure heavy duty lock strike plates in door frames
  • Install and use a peephole in your doors to assess visitors prior to opening the door
  • Install and set home security systems to prevent a home invasion while you are asleep
  • If you are suspicious of visitors, alert neighbors or Neighborhood Watch groups
  • Talk to your family about the possibility of a home invasion and proper preventative measures. Discuss escape plans in the event they become necessary”

The summarized message from Alto al Crimen is not be a victim.  In all cases the perps have taken the cell phones which delays notification of authorities.In addition to the list above it is recommended you have a spare cell phone hidden and charged. The police can and will block the roads if they have notice. Above all if you are a victim of any crime please report it to the Alto al Crimen hotline 6477-6662 .

The second half of the meeting was an appearance by the National Police, the Sub commissioner for the Provence came from David. He was ordered to show the colors and concern and responded to questions, sometimes with answers relevant to the questions.

Color me cynical about the police, they have little motivation, low pay, low moral, virtually no budget. Couple to that a justice system that treads in cold molasses. The reason Alto al Crimen  works is that it helps to provide the police with some motivation, information and tools, it works.

My suggestion to anyone reading this is,  secure your house, consider a legal gun if you are trained and feel you can use it if necessary and send a donation to Alto al Crimen so they can pay out the money to get private investigators to find this set of perps and get them off the streets.

For more on Alto al Crimen email info@altoalcrimen.org . If you wish to make a donation to them put it into a seal envelope marked Alto al Crimen and take to Mail Boxes Etc, Box 13112.


Filed Under: crime, Featured, Survival Kit Items, Tuesday Mornings

The Legend of Fredrick Allen Osburn

June 28, 2011 by 19 Comments

This story began with a burglary in Los Molinos and a subsequent email. The email to the victim said, I have your diamond ring and other jewelry, I am sure they have sentimental value and I would be happy to return the ring for $2,000. The victim, instead of responding herself called Ralf Henrich who is in charge of security in Los Molinos and Valle Escondido. Ralf in turn contacted Alto al Crimen and a plan was formulated.

Ralf responded to the Email as the victims son. Alto al Crimen contacted the local Police and DIJ and an operation to meet and capture the perpetrator was created. After some email negotiation a meeting to exchange money for goods at the house of the victim was scheduled. The perpetrator knew the police were unlikely to be involved on a Sunday night, so he scheduled it for Sunday night; he never showed. What the perp did not know is that a dozen police, DIJ and DIP officers were in the area looking for him.

At about 10 PM, Sgt Castillo of DIJ, spotted a single man sitting on a rock, in heavy fog, in front of Las Ruinas. Sgt Castillo recognized Fredrick Allen Osburn and within seconds Ozzie was on the ground in cuffs and manicles. Other agents including a member of Alto al Crimen were at Las Ruinas just meters away. Within minutes they were all there.

After his capture, Ozzie admitted to staking out the Los Molinos house and when he observed Ralf he decided not to follow through on the meeting, too much risk. Instead he walked to Brias and robbed another house. He then went to wait for the last bus to Boquete. It was there that he was captured.

Fredrick Allen Osburn in Boquete Jail, June 2011


The photo below was taken by a security camera at still another break in and in time it might tie Ozzie to that one also.


The photo below is some of the stolen goods found in his possession. In addition he had a loaded Glock pistol previously stolen from a guest at Villa Marita Hotel. In capturing Ozzie several crimes have again been resolved. Burglaries in Los Molinos, all but the cash stolen was recovered, the Las Brisas break in of that night, the Villa Marita guest room break in and at least one from Volcancito. After all the goods are inventoried and if they can discover where he has a stash of goods more might be cleared.

Part of what was recovered from Ozzie 26 June 2011

It is significant to note he was headed to Boquete, not south and that he had a number of passports, and various carnets some real and some forged. This in addition to credit cards, cash and jewelry.

Some people have asked how Ozzie was allowed into Panama. When a Panamanian wants a Visa to enter the US they need to pay over $100 and go to the US embassy to be finger printed and interviewed before considered for a tourist visa. If a US citizen, like Ozzie wants to come to Panama all he needs is a passport, Ozzie had lots of those. Only if applying for some status other than tourist requires any level of scrutiny from Panama immigration.

This is the second time Ozzie has been caught with the goods. The question of how he was released and was allowed back on the streets has perplexed many and some are concerned it will happen one more time.

Apparently in Ozzie’s last arrest, some one in the judicial system decided there was not enough evidence to hold a trial and he was taken to Immigration to be deported. While in Immigration they contacted Panama City and officials there decided to fine him and not deport him; money talks and Ozzie walks. Since Ozzie claimed to have no money, he was fresh out of jail, he was released to go find the money to pay the fine. We all know how that worked out.

This time it is unlikely to repeat itself, Ozzie wants to be extradited and there might even be a reason. In one burglary an old laptop was stolen. The owners were not too concerned until their US Social Security payments stopped being deposited into their bank accounts. After investigation and ultimately a trip back to the US they found out they had been diverted into another account, not theirs. If Ozzie did this, he might well have a path into a cushier US Federal prison.

All of the people involved in this very non typical operation deserve credit, Ralf Henrich who walked unarmed into a situation with a dangerous felon who indeed was armed, Alto al Crimen, a private detective hired by Alto al Crimen and all the local law enforcement officials who gave up their Sunday night to work as a team.

Alto al Crimen has been an important organization in this community. The foundation was formed about two years ago when crime was escalating in Boquete. The goal was that a group funded by donations from the community could work with local law enforcement and provide community cooperation and needed resources. The message desired to criminals is if you commit a crime in Boquete you will be caught, that message seems to be getting through. It is paradoxical that the worst string of burglaries in Boquete have been committed by an expat illegally in the country.

Although Ozzie is a high profile arrest, there are other cases that Alto al Crimen has resolved. The case of the traffic cop who was fired for soliciting a bribe from a tourist couple. A burglary of a plasma television in Los Naranjos. This one was significant because it did not involve expats. A call was made to the Alto al Crimen hotline about the theft from a Panamanian family. Both police and a private detective funded by Alto al Crimen responded. The detective broke the case and the television was recovered.

Another different type of crime was reported to the Alto al Crimen hotline, 6477-6662. A very elderly expat who is in failing health was being solicited by a local woman to sign documents turning his property over to her. It was reported to Alto al Crimen by a Panamanian who was concerned. Alto al Crimen contacted the DIJ and they dispatched two officers to discuss the matter with the local woman and made it clear she was not going to succeed.

Alto al Crimen is the Boquete community and it functions with no administrative expenses. All donations fund the Alto Al Crimen Hotline, detectives when necessary and donations to local police. The local police will be receiving a new computer and printer due to donations from a member of our community, DIJ has received walkie talkies thanks to your donations and yes Alto al Crimen wants to do more but to do more requires more money.

If you want to help please make a donation of any size. Cash or a check made out to Fundacion Alto al Crimen can be dropped at Mail Box Etc Box 13112.


Filed Under: crime, Featured, Government, Legal, Survival Kit Items Tagged With: , , ,

Drugs, Money and Safety

September 27, 2010 by 10 Comments

MEXICO’S drug-fueled violence is flooding across Central America as cartels deepen roots in a region that needs more aid to counter organized crime, the presidents of Panama and Costa Rica said.
Costa Rica’s reputation as a peaceful haven in Latin America is at risk even as the country weighs boosting security spending by $US360 million ($A379 million) over four years to confront drug gangs, President Laura Chinchilla said in an interview. Panama President Ricardo Martinelli said Central American nations need a co-ordinated regional response backed by greater US support to fight traffickers.
”The conflict is spilling over all Central America because there is too much money involved,” Mr Martinelli said.

The Age Australia

It could be that Boquete is immune to this chaos, but I doubt it. There have been two murders in Boquete in my memory, one, David Bianche, was considered drug related. The second may or may not be, but it has a hallmark of a drug related crime, decapitation.

“Late Friday there was a body found in a remote location in Palmira.  The body was in an advanced state of decomposition, and had apparently been beheaded.  Authorities are still searching the area for additional identifying information and evidence.  It is believed that the body was that of a male.  More information will be posted on this site when the facts are known and the identity has been formally released.”
Boquete Crime Stoppers


Today I was sent this:

By Fred Reed, www.FredOnEverything.net

Fred has been an expat in Mexico for seven years, and many of his previous blogs fatly stated how the perceived crime problem in Mexico that most Americans envision was just not there.  This is his latest perspective.

Big Doin’s in Juarez
Why We Ought to Think, but Won’t
September 27, 2010

Things change. They change. I arrived in Mexico some seven years ago amid dire warnings from all and sundry that I would instantly die of foul disease, trampelling by burros, and splashing sanguinary crime. All of this I regarded as nonsense, because it was. The State Department issued travel warnings and similar alarms, but State would regard Massachusetts as hazardous. There was little to fear. Expats traveled at will and walked the streets without concern.

Things change. While crime is hardly epidemic where we live, and in most places mostly involves narcos killing narcos, and takes place mostly away from the agringada regions rife with Americans, these days there is more of it. Before, you could walk home from a watering hole after midnight without worry. Now, no.There’s not a lot of worry, but more than before.

The local people remain as decent as always, small towns tending to be law-abiding everywhere on the planet. The problem is the growing reach of the drug cartels, causing a weakening of the fabric of law. When one variety of violent crime gets out of control, every other kind more easily flourishes.
If Mexico were not next to the world’s most ravenous drug market, it would be a corrupt, but functioning and reasonably successful upper Third-World country. If this were not so, Mexico would not have the huge number of American who have come here to retire. But the country cannot  withstand a drug bsuiness that, by a common figure, brings the traffickers forty billion dollars a year. The money means that the cartels can buy heavier armament than can the government, as well as buy heavier officials on either side of the border. (It is an American conceit that corruption exists only in other countries. Tell me another story, Grandpa.)

It is getting out of hand. The killing of policemen, judges, and mayors is now common. Journalists die in droves. After the murder of another of its reporters, El Diario, the major paper of Ciudad Juarez, published the following editorial, addressed to the drug lords:

“We bring to your attention that we are communicators, not mind-readers. Therefore, as workers in information, we want you to explain to us what you want of us, what you want us to publish or stop publishing, what we must do for our security”

“These days, you are the de facto authority in the city, because the legally instituted authorities have been able to do nothing to keep our co-workers from continuing to fall, although we have repeatedly asked this of you. Consequently, facing this undeniable fact, we direct ourselves to you, because the last thing we want is that you shoot to death another of our colleagues.”

The leading newspaper in Juarez, is pleading with the drug cartels and recognizes they are the real authority in a large city bordering the US. This should be more terrifying to the masses north of the border than Afghanistan or illegals crossing for jobs.

Fred comes to the same conclusion many intelligent people have reached before. To stop the drug wars will require action by the largest buyer of drugs, the United States. Fred discusses a forty billion dollar a year drug business. The best action, take the money out of the drug business, make drugs legal, tax them and stop the carnage and not everyone will agree.

Doing this  would require some intelligence and courage in Washington, it is not going to happen! Look at who benefits from all that drug money.
Watch the whole video because, George Carlin has the only other solution I think might work.

If you are a US citizen, whether you are here, there or anywhere, consider this. Write your representative. Explain economics 101. Stop spending billions fighting a war on drugs that cannot be won. Instead legalize and tax drugs. Change the cash flow, pay off the national debt or at least put a forty billion dollar dent in it.

Use some of the money to educate people that drugs are not so great and to help those who want to quite do so. I know it will hurt the prison industry, without drug crimes the US will no longer have the highest incarceration rate in the world. Other crimes used to feed the habits will also be reduced so maybe law enforcement can also do some budget cutting. There is a precedent in US history, still remembered by some, prohibition and it’s demise.

Filed Under: crime, Survival Kit Items Tagged With: , ,

Tuesday Morning Meeting: Alto al Crimen

August 10, 2010 by 5 Comments

I have written about Fundacion Alto al Crimen before.

“There is a not for profit Foundation, Alto al Crimen working to educate and help reduce crime in Boquete. I would suggest anyone who has a real interest in how to secure your home or what procedures to follow in the event of a problem should look toward them for a solution. There is no one solution to crime and no way it will ever be eliminated. By working together as a community we can help reduce it and see a higher percentage of criminals incarcerated.” Boquete Guide

At that time I was pointing out the Foundation was a real alternative to Roger Imerman’s Computer Protection Service (CPS). Roger attacked me with these words in a CPS News letter email to hundreds of people.

“One thing I find quite interesting about this matter is that CPS was accused by certain individuals of ‘fear mongering’ about the crime here. The interesting point for me is the connection between discrediting CPS (the only viable, effective long-term deterrent to crime – think about who spread the rumors and what their motive might be) and diverting the focus from crime to a ghost – I wonder if those ‘leading the charge’, such as Lee Zeltzer and XXXXXXXX, are innocently duped by others or perhaps benefiting from the crime (this is only a question, not an accusation, as I have no direct evidence yet to support such a charge). Apparently now Lee has ‘cleansed’ his blog of anyone who challenges or disagrees with his vigilante tactics; what does this say about truth, justice and due process? Could there be another reason motivating Lee?
For those of us who knew Ozzie, I have to agree there is some physical resemblance between my associate Fred and Ozzie. Also Fred is a computer expert, although much more advanced than Ozzie was. However, in spite of these resemblances, I’m sorry to disappoint the witch hunters and those attempting to divert the community’s attention away from crime – Fred Allen is not Ozzie.”

Roger Imerman

Today the presentation was about the remarkable decrease in crime in Boquete in the past few months. After the arrest of Roger Imerman’s,  CTO, Fred Allen, aka Frederick Allen Osburn and the cessation of business by CPS, I suspect it will drop further. CPS and Roger turned out to be the problem, not the solution.

In the Presentation Mark Heyer took some time to explain the history of Roger Imerman and Frederick Allen Osburn going back years. Roger now claims he is an innocent dupe and many people in Boquete are looking at the photos on Boquete.ning to see if some of the recovered goods are their property.

In this case 20/20 hindsight works for me. It was clear to me Fred Allen was not an expert on the Internet, he demonstrated that in a public forum. It became clear Fred Allen was Frederick Allen Osburn, when people who knew him in the past identified him to me. It is now crystal clear Roger Imerman lied about the man and his identity and people were damaged. I wonder how much Roger, who is still walking the streets might have been complicit?

Roger wants us to believe he was duped, I personally believe that not even a mushroom could have forgotten Ozzie was wanted for burglary in Boquete when he fled in 2007, and that he was still wanted when he went to work with CPS.

Alto al Crimen working with community donations, posted a reward for the capture of Fredrick Allen Osburn, that reward was paid to the man who located him and brought the police to arrest him.

Alto al Crimen had created the Boquete 911 line to provide emergency services to people in the Boquete area. Happily it has been used more for auto breakdowns and medical needs than crime but it is there for all to use. The number is 6477-6662 for bilingual assistance, crime, medical, fire etc.

Services of Alto al Crimen are free, because the community makes donations. If you can, please donate, email info@altoalcrimen.org for information on how you can help keep Boquete a great place to live.


Filed Under: crime, Survival Kit Items, Tuesday Mornings Tagged With: , , , ,

My last word on Frederick Allen Osburn

August 4, 2010 by 12 Comments

As of yesterday Frederick Allen Osburn, aka Fred Allen, former Chief Technical Officer of Boquete Panama based Computer Protection Service, was in the Boquete jail. There were at least five criminal denuncias made against him including one from his former partner, Roger Imerman.
Ozzie02.jpg

I visited the jail yesterday and although I did see Ozzie in his stylish handcuffs, trying to explain his innocence, I was not allowed to take a photo. The photo above was provided to me by another person. Ozzie shaved in an attempt to change his appearance, but was tracked down by concerned locals once they were made aware there was a warrant for his arrest.

Apparently immigration is also now looking at him. It is my hope that instead of a simple deportation, Ozzie gets to spend some quality time in a Panama prison, perhaps that will help discourage him from ever returning here. As Roger Imerman has hopefully learned it is the nature of a scorpion to sting even his best allies.

My open question to Roger, who does read this blog, is why did you continuously deny in both public and private that your Chief Technical Person was indeed Ozzie.

From: Roger Imerman rimerman1@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: Roger Date: May 18, 2010 1:29:17 AM EST

To: Lee Zeltzer <lee.zeltzer@gmail.com>

Cc: Computer Protection Service <compprosvc@gmail.com>

Yes you did slander my business and indirectly attack my reputation by accusing me of harboring a fugitive in a security business. Do you really think I’m that stupid to do that? Your innuendos and accusations have caused customers to cancel and prevented others from becoming customers, thereby causing CPS monetary damage and placing these people at unprotected risk should their computer be stolen or lost. In addition, if actual or potential thieves are reading your blog, this sends them the clear message the Boquete gringo community is more interested in infighting and character assassination than crime prevention – Boquete is wide open.

Roger,  Ozzie appeared in public, people who knew him identified him to me, yet you continued to allow him to use your name for credibility to enter peoples homes, survey their houses, inventory their possessions and plant key stroke loggers on their computers. Your actions have cost other, innocent people who trusted you, pain and money. You threatened me with a slander lawsuit for suggesting the truth. What are we, the community to think of you now?

Roger you can respond here, or not. Unless something new happens regarding the status of Fredrick Allen Osburn, that affects this community I am done with the topic and done with you.


Filed Under: crime, Survival Kit Items Tagged With: , ,

Frederick Allen Osburn, Arrested in Boquete

August 3, 2010 by 10 Comments

He might not be Wild Bill but this expat, convicted once in Nevada for possession of child pornography, was arrested in Boquete yesterday. He was wanted for various offenses, theft of $500 from Roger Imerman, theft of a computer in Valle Escondido, planting trojans on various public computers to capture banking information, theft of a purse from a local business woman, Jackie Athanasiadis and more. Ozzie was using an alias of Fred Allen and working on computers for Computer Protection Services (CPS).

If you were one of the people who attended a movie shown by CPS, the computer being used was one that was taken by Fred Allen from a woman in Valle Escondido under the pretext of donating it to a local school. Once again, a legal theft, no gun, no break in.

When captured by the police Ozzie had a false passport and documents stolen from Jackie Athanasiadis, the owner of Mali Chic, in AltoBoquete, in his possession. He was identified by Roger Imerman who had previously denied that Fred Allen of CPS was Fredrick Allen Osburn.

This is important news. The local police worked with Alto al Crimen a local group to identify, locate and arrest Ozzie. Ozzie is now in jail in Boquete and hopefully will spend a significant amount of time behind bars in a Panamanian prison.

It is just as important to Panama and to all of us that Panama stop being a haven to people who bring their criminal past with them. Capturing them and putting them behind bars is a clear message.

If Ozzie or Fred Allen even touched your computer I urge you to download virus and malware scanning software and scan your computer. It is likely that it has a key stoke logger on it. Check you bank and credit cards for possible theft and misuse.There is more informaiton posted on how to do this at this link on Crime stoppers.

I hope to have more information and a photo later today.


Filed Under: crime, Survival Kit Items Tagged With: , ,

The Carpet baggers and worse

August 2, 2010 by 10 Comments

The media in Panama has been abuzz with the news about “Wild Bill” and his wife. William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese are now in custody in Panama and have apparently confessed to five murders. They are also apparently trying to get the US Embassy to help them. I am guessing that they would rather serve their time in a US prison, which would certainly be more pleasant than a prison in Panama.

This pair is the tip of an iceberg I have wanted to discuss for some time. They are clear, obvious and dramatic example of a social phenomenon. Throughout history some people for sundry reasons, pack up their lives and try to disappear only to re-appear in another place as another person. At times this a good thing, giving good people who screwed up once a chance to be reborn. In other scenarios it is a way for a bad person to drop a hot identity and reappear as another person with no history.

Central America is a haven for this species of creature. Jimmy Buffet sang about them and they are here.

BANANA REPUBLICS

Down to the Banana Republics
Down to the tropical sun
Go the expatriated American
Hopin’ to find some fun

Some of them go for the sailing
Brought by the lure of the sea
Tryin’ to find what is ailing
Living in the land of the free

Some of them are running to lovers
Leaving no forward address
Some of them are running tons of ganja
Some are running from the IRS

Late at night you will find them
In the cheap hotels and bars
Hustling the senoritas
While they dance beneath the stars

Spending those renegade pesos 
on a bottle of rum and a lime
Singin’ give me some words I can dance to
Or a melody that rhymes
First you learn the native custom

Soon a word of Spanish or two
You know that you cannot trust them
Cause they know they can’t trust you
Expatriated American feelin’ so all alone

Telling themselves the same lies
that they told themselves back home
Down to the Banana Republics
Things aren’t as warm as they seem

None of the natives are buying
any second hand American dreams
Late at night you will find them
In the cheap hotels and bars
Hustling the senoritas 
while they dance beneath the stars

Spending those renegade pesos
On a bottle of rum and a lime
Singing give me some words I can dance to
Or a melody that rhymes

Down to the Banana Republics
Down to the tropical sun
Go the expatriated Americans
Hopin’ to find some fun

I have had the opportunity in Boquete to spend some time with the DIJ, consider them the local detectives. They have stories of what they call the “legal thieves”, ladrones legal. These are the expats here in Boquete who pray on the ignorance of other new immigrants. For some reason, when people move here they tend to trust others who they never met before, never researched and don’t know, just because they speak English and pretend to be knowledgable.
They are legal thieves because they convince people, trusting people, to give them money. They don’t use a gun, they do not break into through windows, they take money that is offered for promises they do not fulfill. People give them hundreds of thousands of dollars and receive nothing in return but a, thank you.
The courts in Panama a full of cases where people try to recover their money. The legal system here is slow, cumbersome, expensive and the targets are elusive. Many people use SA’s, Societies Anonymous, the Panamanian corporation for business and land purchases, there are good reasons to do so. Wild Bill established a danger to the use of bearer stock certificates. He who has the certificates in hand owns the corporation and can change offices and control without a second look. Bill looked at property, asked to see the certificates and then promptly killed the previous owner. That made him, the bearer, the owner a fast easy way to acquire land for an immoral person.
The legal thieves use the corporations as discardable businesses. They contract, take your money and move it out of the country. If you go to court and eventually win a judgement it is not against them, but a now empty corporate shell.
Before you trust someone do some research. Remember the quotable Ronald Reagan, “Trust but verify”. Do not enter a business transaction of any magnitude without an attorney, your attorney, not the one used by or recommended by the other party. Find yourself a good lawyer recommended by people who have used him or her in the same type of transaction. The legal profession in Panama has as many bad lawyers as in any other country. Just because they speak English and you like them does not mean they are honest, competent or trustworthy.
Ask other people about the person or business you are considering working with before not after. Spend sometime researching them before you do business. Remember this quote “ If there is doubt, there is no doubt”. Don’t leap just because things seem so casual in Panama. Try Google, do they have a history before they landed in Panama, is it the same history they shared with you?
I repeat this mantra, and each time do it is because I have heard about still another fraud. The number of legal thieves doing this in Boquete is small and I wish I could publish their names, I cannot. The laws here do not provide truth as a defense to a slander proceedings. Please do not email me to ask, I cannot respond for the same reason.
The best advice I can give is regardless of the “obvious” credibility of seller, a project or a lawyer ask people who have lived in Boquete for a few years. People will say things orally, one to one that I cannot write and they would never post on a public access board. Sift through everything you hear with care, sour grapes about a deal is not necessarily fraud, there is a difference between buyer remorse and fraud.
Just because this is Panama, do not check your brains at the airport. People seem to do things here they would never do at home, don’t be one of them.


Filed Under: crime, Survival Kit Items Tagged With: , ,

Crime Stoppers: The entertainment continues

July 27, 2010 by 3 Comments

According to InsideCostaRica.com

Nicaragua Refuses To Hand Over To Costa Rica Serial Killer Couple Wanted In Panama

The Nicaraguan army said Monday afternoon that they would not be handing over to Costa Rica officials the fugitive couple that was the subject of a manhunt in Costa Rica and Panama, wanted for committing various murders in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

The couple are currently in the hands of Nicaraguan immigration officials who, according to the Nicaraguan army, has the responsibility to decide the future of the couple, who have been identified by Panamanian authorities as William Adolfo Cortez (alias Wild Bill) and his wife, Jeana Seana.

Nicaraguan officials say the couple identified themselves as William Sectar Fecbar and Laura Michel Ruiz, both Dutch nationals, and are being detained in the San Carlos de Nicaragua immigration post.

According to a Nicaraguan military spokesperson, the couple were handed over to immigration officials because they attempted to enter Nicaraguan territory illegally.

“The entered Nicaragua illegally and will have to be processed by immigration authorities according to law. We cannot hand them over to anyone else”, said coronel Juan Ramón Morales, head of the Dirección de Relaciones Públicas del ejército de Nicaragua.

Morales said the couple identified themselves as Dutch nationals, presenting passports issued by the Netherlands.

Panamanian police, however, say the couple are American citizens and using various documents from other countries.


Filed Under: crime, Survival Kit Items Tagged With:
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