The AJLPP learned today that a Federal Appeals court on Friday vacated the sentence of a former Philippine National Police officer imprisoned for possessing secret US documents. Michael Ray Aquino is serving a six-year, four-month sentence after pleading guilty to unauthorized possession of classified documents.The new ruling in US District Court concluded that the sentence was based on a mistaken interpretation of federal guidelines. "For the AJLPP the news of the release proves that the charade of injustice is ever present when it comes to the cabal of AFP men who served as worst human rights violator and proven puppets of the United Statesmilitary like the Lacson boys," AJLPP said.
AJLPP Update
Contact: Al P. Garcia
(213)241-0906
email: ajlpp_socal@yahoo.com
Feb 7, 2009
Jailed Lacson aide may soon be free
NEWARK, New Jersey — The AJLPP learned today that a Federal Appeals court on Friday vacated the sentence of a former Philippine National Police officer imprisoned for possessing secret US documents.
Michael Ray Aquino is serving a six-year, four-month sentence after pleading guilty to unauthorized possession of classified documents.The new ruling in US District Court concluded that the sentence was based on a mistaken interpretation of federal guidelines.
"For the AJLPP the news of the release proves that the charade of injustice is ever present when it comes to the cabal of AFP men who served as worst human rights violator and proven puppets of the United Statesmilitary like the Lacson boys," AJLPP said.
"On the other cases of oppressed immigrants like the Baoanan case languishes in courts and not acted upon. So much for double standard of American justice system." The AJLPP statement concluded.
The new sentencing range will be 36 to 46 months, said Aquino’s attorney, Mark Berman. Aquino has been in prison since September 2005 and could be freed if he is sentenced to time served, Berman said.
Aquino acknowledged accepting the documents from a former Marine who once worked as an aide to Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney.
The Marine, Leandro Aragoncillo, later became an FBI intelligence analyst at Fort Monmouth. Aragoncillo, who is of Filipino descent, is serving a 10-year sentence after admitting he passed the documents in an effort to topple the Philippine government.
Aquino is a former PNP officer who fled to the US years ago to escape charges in the murder of public relations man Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and the latter’s driver, Emmanuel Corbito. Aquino and another former police officer, Cesar Mancao, both former aides of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, have pending arrest warrants for the murders.
Aragoncillo, who worked at one point in the White House and met then President Joseph Estrada when the latter was on a state visit in the United States, pleaded guilty to espionage for illegally obtaining classified information on Philippine leaders from White House computers and passing these on to Aquino, who in turn allegedly passed them on to Estrada and other personalities in the Philippines.
The three denied the allegations.
**********
Original: LACSON BOYS TO BE FREED BY US COURTS