MANILA – The son of a Filipino military general, who was convicted of unexplained wealth, continues to live a lavish lifestyle in New York while he remains under house arrest on orders of US authorities, an online report by an American writer disclosed.
General Carlos Garcia - image by AFP
Named in the report was Timothy Mark Garcia, 23, who, during the interview, was decked in designer clothes and is said to be spending his nights in Gucci jackets and YSL boots.
Garcia, who works as publicist of the men’s line of designer Marc Jacob, lives in a swank apartment in the gilded Trump Plaza on 502 Park Avenue in New York City, said writer Peter Davis for the column “Fashion’s Nights In†in the US news website “The Daily Beast.â€
Based on the report, Garcia said his mother bought his apartment for $765,000 in cash in 2003.
But the government claimed that Garcia’s swanky apartment was bought with ill-gotten wealth amassed by his father, retired major general Carlos Garcia, the former comptroller (chief finance officer) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The general was alleged to have amassed unexplained wealth equivalent to close to $7 million in the form of commissions and kickbacks from military suppliers and dealers.
Amidst the luxurious and glamorous lifestyle, the report quotes Garcia as complaining of the gadget attached to him by US authorities to monitor his movement and location while he is out on bail.
It pointed out: “He’s accustomed to being a regular at store parties and nightclubs like the Rose Bar in the Gamercy Park Hotel. But now, Garcia has a curfew of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is not allowed to leave his apartment on the weekends, except to go to church for two hours on Sunday (a Catholic); he attends the service at the Saint Patrick Cathedral nearby.â€
Garcia and his two brothers, Juan Pablo, 27, and Ian Karl, 20, as well as their mother Clarita are out on bail of $1 million each after the US government filed in court charges of money laundering against them.
They are also the subject of extradition proceedings from the Philippine government which has filed charges against Garcia and his family for plunder, a non-bailable criminal offense which carries, among others, the maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
In the report, even the bed for Garcia’s dog, “Cartier,†is designer, a mohair bed done by Gucci.
His father was charged before the military court that found him guilty of unexplained wealth in December 2006 and sentenced him to two years of hard labor.
Aside from the prison term, the court also stripped Garcia of his rank as major general, dishonorably discharged him from the service and forfeited all his retired benefits.
The family’s trouble started when Timothy Mark and his younger brother Ian Carl were arrested by US customs authorities on December 19, 2003 at the San Francisco Airport in California for carrying $100,000 in cash
Their arrest would later unravel their father’s alleged financial scam while serving as the military comptroller which, in turn, led to his detention, trial and conviction by court martial.
While his son is living it up in New York, a spokesman of the Garcia family claimed his father could not complain of Spartan living conditions while detained in a Philippine National Police facility at its national headquarters in Camp Crame, suburban Quezon City in Metro Manila.
For instance, the spokesman said the cell is so hot that even the convicted general’s maintenance drugs melt.
And when it rains, the detention facility becomes so wet that it is impossible for the general to keep himself dry, the spokesman added.
Loading ...
Reader’s Views