Judge denies request for court-appointed attorney at bank-guarantee scheme suspect's hearing
By DAVID ROGERS
Daily News Staff Writer
Monday, June 09, 2008
palmbeachdailynews.com
A Palm Beach man accused of bilking clients out of millions in a bank-guarantee scheme told federal judge Linnea Johnson Monday morning he has no assets here or abroad and asked for a court-appointed attorney.
Johnson was unreceptive to Jadoomanee Dutt Rampadaruth's request.
It probably didn't help his argument that Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Bell told Johnson that "over $90,000" has been withdrawn in recent days from bank accounts in the name of Rampadaruth's wife, Maya, and daughter, Aruna. Some of those funds were converted into traveler's checks, and Dutt Rampadaruth, 65, has "signatory authority" on the accounts, Bell said.
"No. No, that's not true," Maya Rampadaruth protested from the gallery before a lawyer urged her to be quiet.
"I'm not going to let the family take the money out of the country" and have taxpayers foot the bill for Rampadaruth's defense, Johnson said. "That's not going to work for me."
The Rampadaruths are citizens of Mauritius, an island nation off the east coast of Africa.
Last Tuesday, Internal Revenue Service agents raided the Royal Poinciana Plaza office Rampadaruth shared with his son, Amal, and removed boxes of paperwork as well as data from electronic devices. The raid on Alps Resources Bankers, and similar raids on the family's homes in Palm Beach the same day, followed an investigation that started in October 2006 of the father-and-son operation.
Of more than $4.7 million given to Dutt and Amal Rampadaruth's many businesses for the purchase of bank guarantees from foreign financial institutions, less than 3 percent was transferred overseas, according to the court complaint filed by IRS special agent Ileana Guerrero.
A pretrial detention hearing for Amal Rampadaruth, 43, is set for 10 a.m. Friday. Like his father, Amal Rampadaruth's arraignment hearing is scheduled for June 18.
The government is asking that the two not be released on bond.
Attorney Michael Metz, of Richard Lubin's law office, represented the Rampadaruths Monday.
palmbeachdailynews.com |
