Debra Villegas, who has been released following a federal prison term for her role in the Ponzi scheme, took the stand during the trial. debra villegas is a United States Buyer, the following trade report data is derived from its trade data; the company's import data up to 2020-08-10 total 2 transactions. Debra Villegas will be released from prison and should be home for Christmas, said her lawyer. I'm sure you'll love the subject inside of The Man Who Invented Vegemite. Debra Rachel Villegas Educator at San Diego Unified School District San Diego, California, United States 36 followers 37 connections Join to view profile San Diego Unified School District San. Many female criminals need therapy, not confinemen Florida agencies face deep cuts across board, Stripper says judge shielded her from creditors. Debra Villegas was called the most important person to help Scott Rothstein's law firm maintain the facade that defrauded investors of about $430 million in losses. In addition, Villegas assisted in the preparation of documents relating to the purported confidential settlements. [1] Previously he worked for several years as a weekly newspaper and online columnist. March 3, 2017 Best of NBC News Play All NBC News. He told her that he didn't believe Tony would kill her because if he was going to do that, he already would have. "She didn't even know what a Ponzi scheme was," Butts said on the stand. This morning, Debra Villegas, the law firm employee who allegedly helped disgraced lawyer Scott Rothstein run his $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme, pled not guilty to a charge of money laundering in federal court in Fort Lauderdale -- a move that observers say was just a formality. source of local news and culture, Deirdra Funcheon Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. She also spoke after the verdict. Criminally derived proceeds from the scheme, in excess of $10,000, were transferred between and among accounts at financial institutions. Debra Villegas' Interview with Police Debra tells detectives about ex-husband Tony Villegas' encounters with her best friend Melissa Lewis. For her role in Rothstein's $1.6 billion Ponzi scheme, she was sentenced to 10-years in prison. Villegas chose not to speak after the verdict was read. Lewis was ambushed at her Plantation home, strangled and then her body was dumped in a canal. A Broward jury found Tony Villegas guilty of 1st degree murder Monday afternoon. It's hard to think of something Steve "Mongo . His car would be spotted at the neighborhood, and at times when she was sleeping in her bed, she would awaken to find Tony "standing over her laughing. / CBS Miami. Rothstein's right-hand woman to be released from prison "Was she totally familiar with the operation at the law firm or was she some lost soul?" Currently, Debra is single. We know that Debra S Papania Villegas had been residing in Texas . Find Debra Villegas. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio, Paul F. Schwartz and Jeffrey N. Kaplan and Forfeiture Assistant U.S. If the judge agrees, that could pave . "I was just thinking about gettinghome to take care of my children. Investigators said a struggle took place inside her garage, using DNA and pings from her cell phone to allegedly connect Villegas to the crime. But Debra Villegas, 43, will probably serve far less time because of her extensive cooperation with prosecutors, who said it was likely they would seek a sentence reduction later. There was speculation of the murder being related to Scott Rothsteins Ponzi scheme, but Melissa was never implicated in that case. Debra lived in Honolulu, Hawaii 96826, USA. "Yes, your honor," she answered. "We talked about it, neither one of us wanted a gun, she was living alone so she felt she needed something to, you know I was going through a difficult divorce and living on my own as well, so I decided on a Taser and she decided on pepper spray," Villegas testified. Accountant at Ameresco SW Tempe, Arizona, United States 29 followers 28 connections Join to connect Ameresco SW University of Phoenix Experience Sr Accountant Ameresco SW 2011. The thirty year old street vendor who police say pushed -- -- to his death on the subway personal injury lawyer, A Plea For Justice: The Timothy Cole Story, Actual Innocence: When Justice Goes Wrong and How to Make it Right, Fitted in: Cardiff 3 and the Lynette White Inquiry, The Death of Justice: Guilty Until Proven Innocent, Baby Snatcher's Criminal Record May Halt Release. Before helaid down thesentence,Zloch asked a last question of the government. They have also lived in Kelseyville, CA and Santa Clara, CA. Debra Pamela Villegas 1952 2006 Debra Pamela Villegas in U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Debra Pamela Villegas was born on November 16 1952. Debra Rachel Villegas - Educator - San Diego Unified School District This is not the last to fall.. Rothstein was sentenced to 50 years in prison. The two spent a lot of time together, with Melissa cooking for her children and going out on family vacations with them. Six Degrees of Murder (TV Series 2016- ) - IMDb Will Debra Villegas, Queen of the Inner Sanctum, Tell All . The defense didnt provide an alternative motive for the murder but stressed reasonable doubt. Despite a psychologist's testimony that Debra Villegas suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome brought on by a lifetime of abuse by her mother and ex-husband, a Fort Lauderdale federal. debra villegas released everlane price increase Junho 15, 2022. falkirk fc players wages 12:01 am 12:01 am The beloved 39-year-old initially worked at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before she got her GED and went to college. 1997 Judy Hildner*: Contributor - Newspaper. U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, One by one, the dominos in this billion dollar Ponzi scheme are falling. However, his estranged wife Debra Villegas contends that her husband was jealous of her close friendship with Lewis. A witness stated that she saw a car similar to Tonys in the parking lot where Melissas car was eventually found. Rick Telander/Sun-Times. The following people are relatives or close associates of Debra . And Butts said that even prior to the murder of her best friend, Melissa Britt Lewis, a crime police allege Villegas' husband, Tony Villegas, committed, Debra Villegas suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder that was only intensified by the murder and her belief that if she didn't falsify documents and forge signatures for Rothstein, he would be killed by the Mafia. The hearing hit its dramatic zenith during testimony from Villegas' psychologist regarding her youth, which she said was marred by an alcoholic mother, living on her own in a truck at the age of 15, and rape. . 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He broke the corruption story[2] of $1 billion Ponzi scheme operator Scott Rothstein's October 27, 2009 flight to Morocco under suspicious circumstances. Their older sister, Aimee Villegas, who alsoworked at the Rothstein firm, was never mentioned during the hearing but sat beside them. Landline number (951) 685-0487 . Villegas's next court appearance is scheduled for May 13. Debra calls San Diego, CA, home. Incidentally, her estranged husband, Tony Villegas, accused of murdering her best friend and former Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler attorney. Her co-workers were worried and looked for her. Sometimes Debra goes by various nicknames including Debra R Villegas. They both "rallied around" Villegas andprovided a "safety net" for her. View the profiles of people named Debra Villegas. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Southern District of California | Sixty Defendants Charged in FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The ex-wife of the man accused of killing Plantation attorney Melissa Britt Lewis, then dumping her body in a canal, has taken the stand against him. ", Rothstein told her that he would protect her from Tony, that he would make sure she was "safe at all times." Villegas was a conductor on the train. Villegas, who formerly lived in Sunrise and Weston, was arrested early Saturday at his sister's house in North Miami-Dade. A young, ambitious lawyer at a law firm in Florida was brutally murdered back in March 2008. Location. But Zloch was unimpressed. Please enter valid email address to continue. One by one, the dominoes in this billion-dollar Ponzi scheme are falling, said U.S. Attorney Willy Ferrer. The companies were formed over a two year period with the most recent being incorporated fourteen years ago in March of 2008. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Quince to be Florida's first African-American fema Judge prods attorneys to speed things up for Fort Another murder suspect gets tentative trial date. Dateline: Melissa Lewis' Friend Debra Villegas Got - 2paragraphs "You falsified the signatures of plaintiffs?" September 1, 2021 A young, ambitious lawyer at a law firm in Florida was brutally murdered back in March 2008. At the firm, one of Melissa's closest friends was Debra Villegas, who was the COO. Police found pepper spray residue in the garage of Lewis home. On December 1, 2009, Rothstein turned himself in to authorities and was . Before receiving a 10-year sentence, Villegas re-married in 2010 to 39-year-old Daniel Coffey in Pembroke Pines. Ex-Rothstein exec pleads not guilty in Ponzi scam It was a huge, grave mistake.". For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years' imprisonment, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release. ", Zloch interrupted Butts to ask: "You're not saying loyalty excuses criminal activity, are you?". Ut enim ad minim veniam laboris. Steve McMichael and wife, Misty, in their home on May 1, 2022. "I'm very sorry to all the victims and to the employees who lost their jobs and to my family," she said. South Florida's independent Join Facebook to connect with Debra Diana Villegas and others you may know. Tony Villegas' DNA was found on Lewis suit jacket in her abandoned SUV, according to court records which also stated that a button that had been torn from it was found on her garage floor. Debra Villegas entered the plea Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale federal court. Tweet. Lewis was a law partner of notorious convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein. Paralyzed inmate says Mazza made earlier dry run o Man indicted on first-degree murder in Cape day ca As their crime rate climbs, more women filling jails, Another video raises questions about jail abuse. Debra Villegas - $34,100 in Political Contributions for 2008 La Spata was born in South Plainfield, New Jersey in 1981. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida terry nicholas bryk illness; debra villegas released . Updated Oct 9, 2010, 12:00am EDT. And at the time, Barry Plath's estranged wife was driving in Florida. Lewis was found dead in a canal near Plantation after her SUV was found nearby. Tony Villegas faces the death penalty if. heasked. Debra Villegas was born on 06/28/1966 and is 55 years old. Rothstein was involved in a Ponzi scheme, making tons and tons of money and perhaps there are certain people from the Rothstein firm who found out about this and that was not good for the firm," saidFleisher. Based on these trade data, we have aggregated the data in terms of trading partners, import and export ports, countries of supply, HS codes, contact details and other . Rothstein was sentenced to 50 years in prison. She felt like Mr. Rothstein saved her life and the lives of her children, Butts testified. Investigation Discoverys Six Degrees of Murder: Going Places delves into this very case. 21-468 (FAB). The two spent a lot of time together, with Melissa cooking for her children and going out on family vacations with them. The song was released as the album's fourth single in the United States in mid . Her childhood, Butts testified, was marked by an alcholic mother, sexual abuse by one of her mother's boyfriends, and 52 different homes in her native Texas by the time she was a teenager. Debra Villegas was sentenced to 10-years in after pleading guilty to her role in Rothstein's scheme. We will all suffer this loss as long as we live but we forgive you," saidHaberl. Her voicewas so soft, it was almost faint as she answered questionsfrom the judge. Despite a psychologist's testimony that Debra Villegas suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome brought on by a lifetime of abuse by her mother and ex . It is unknown if Rothstein . Bob Norman - Wikiwand ", "She feels extremely horrible that she believed in that," said Butts, referring to the fact thatTonyis accused of killing Lewis in March 2008. Debra S (Papania) Villegas Debra Villegas (born 1951) Jump to: Bio . And Debra Sennefelder is the author you'll most look forward to reading in 2022. Debra Villegas | State of California | 2018 | OpenPayrolls Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Facebook gives people. Villegas sentenced to 10 years - South Florida Business Journal Debra was released from jail in 2014 after serving three and a half years. Tonys DNA was found on the jacket Melissa had been wearing on the night of her murder. Debra Villegas, former COO of Scott Rothstein's now-defunct law firm, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Work: - San Diego MET High . Controversial Jail Video Spurs Meeting, Independen Budget crunch can't stifle influx of prison inmates, Ex-lawman's new calling: helping prisoners repent, Fla. to have its first black female chief justice. Zero of the companies are still active while the remaining two are now listed as inactive. Join the New Times community and help support independent Pocket. In January 2007, Debraturned to her boss, Rothstein, and her best friend,Lewis, for help, Buttstestified. Six Degrees of Murder (TV Series 2016- ) - IMDb Will Debra Villegas, Queen of the Inner Sanctum, Tell All . The police uncovered a combination of physical and circumstantial evidence to bring the killer to justice. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Debra Villegas will be released from prison and should be home for Christmas, said her lawyer. A button that had been torn of it was found on her garage floor. "I hope the court will show mercy on us today.". Butts reiterated the story told at the previous plea hearing that Rothstein had told Villegas she needed to assist him in a Mafia-run money-laundering operation and that Villegas believed that if she didn't help him, he would be killed. "Rothstein was somewhat tied into organized crime. For her role in Rothstein's Ponzi scheme, Debra Villegas was sentenced to 10-years in prison. She was also best friends with Debra Villegas, Rothstein's chief operating officer. Her lawyer confirmed that she has been cooperating with authorities since the beginning of the investigation into Rothstein's crimes. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. The Boys & Girls Club will host a blood drive Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the clubhouse, located at 26301 Garbani Road. But it was Debras estranged husband, train conductorTony Villegas,who was accused of murderingLewis. Current address. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. View Full Report . In July 2016, Tony was found guilty of first-degree murder. Elizabeth "Liz" Villegas*(p): Volleyball Coach. County. The Dateline episode Betrayed investigates the 2008 death of Melissa Lewis, 39, a rising star attorney at South Floridas prestigious law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler. June 27, 2016 / 5:12 PM He was a member of the Logan Square Neighborhood . Debra Villegas' roommate testified that when he came home the day of Lewis's disappearance, he found Tony Villegas washing pepper spray off of his hands and arms. Debra Villegas - Scientology Service Completions | Truth About Debra Villegas (2018) Debra Villegas (2018) Associate Management Auditor State of California. He said Tony Villegas' DNA was found on Lewis suit jacket in her abandoned SUV. [Left: Dateline compares the murder of Melissa Lewis to a John Grisham novel] But it was Debra's estranged husband,. The latest Tweets from MsDebyV (@debravillegas): "RT to #VoiceSaveNoah https://t.co/YDdp1BoCst" The gifts of prison sentences keep coming, thanks to Scott Rothstein.Debra Villegas, the second in command for Rothstein's gigantic Ponzi scheme, surrendered to her new home at a minimum-security federal prison last week to begin her ten-year sentence.Villegas, now 44, pleaded guilty last year to forging legal documents and laundering. He stated that Tony blamed Melissa for his separation, adding, At one point, he told me that he felt Melissa and my mom were scheming, and they were getting a divorce around the same time so they could hang out. The investigators arrested Tony a week after the murder. She won early release for cooperating with the state. Outside of court, Lewis' motherLisa LaPointesaid the family felt they were given justice. She also spoke after the verdict. what time does fnaf 1 take place. Most recently, a government contractor, Mario Villegas was sentenced to a term of. "No, she admitted shehad knowledge of thescheme,"answeredAssistant U.S. AttorneyJeffrey Kaplan answered. She was going to be the next matriarch in the family and she was just taken away just like that," said LaPointe. "Where wasthe concern for your children when you were involved in this criminal activity?" When it was the government's turn,Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Schwartz noted that at some point during the course of the Ponzi scheme and prior to its collapse, Villegassaid toanother RRA employee, "We're all going to jail.". Debra Villegas, who has been released following a federal prison term for her role in one of the largest Ponzi schemes, is expected to testify as is the couple's son. All rights reserved, VCA Walk for the Animals Kicks Off in Fort Lauderdale, BSO Searching forMissing 11-Year-Old Girl From Pompano Beach, Miami-Dade Mayor, State Attorney Announce New Measures to Protect HOA Residents, Check Your Change! was a partner of Individual B and was arrested as part of the same investigation as Mr. Benitez. A pest exterminator also came by Melissas home to find the garage door open and her car missing, an ominous sign. "She did as she was told. Transcript for Subway Push Suspect Denied Bail. It is unknown if Rothstein, who is currently serving a 50 year term, will be called. 1 MOSER DK Moser, Debra K University of K entucky (College of Nursing) 107 36 4,121 2 DENOLLET J Denollet, Johan Tilburg Universi ty (Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology) 68 31 3,244 . Her cousin left after a quick visit but . FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The verdict is in for a man accused of killing a Plantation attorney and then dumping her body in a canal. / CBS Miami. Villegas' attorney, Bruce Fleisher, said pieces of the prosecutor's puzzle are missing and will cast doubt in the eyes of the jury. Join Facebook to connect with Debra Villegas and others you may know.