River Cops Defense Rests Case
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Miami Herald, The (FL) Joan Fleischman, Herald Staff Writer The defense in the Miami River Cops corruption trial rested its case Monday, having presented a total of 61 witnesses in two weeks. Armando "Scarface" Garcia, one of seven patrolmen accused of crimes ranging from racketeering to murder conspiracy -- and the only defendant to take the witness stand -- underwent three hours of cross-examination Monday. Garcia acknowledged that he had a conversation Dec. 4, 1985 with Armando Un Roque, a drug smuggler who became a key prosecution witness in the trial. Un has testified that he participated in a series of drug rip-offs with Garcia and the other officers. Garcia did not know that Un was wearing a hidden body bug that recorded the entire conversation. "It is my voice on the tape," Garcia said. "Do you agree with the government transcription?" asked prosecutor Trudy Novicki. "Is it accurate?" "It's accurate," Garcia responded. In that tape, Garcia told Un: "And we haven't, nobody has said a f-----g thing, really, nobody . . . There's too much to lose, pal." Novicki asked Garcia to explain his words. Prosecutors contend that Garcia was pressuring Un not to talk to investigators who were looking into a July 1985 cocaine rip-off at Jones Boat Yard on the Miami River where three smugglers drowned. Garcia says that he was simply reassuring a worried Un that no police officers had spread the word that Un was working as an informant for Miami police. Un, he said, feared that he would be killed if people on the street knew he was giving police information about illegal "I've never done any of these false things, these false allegations," Garcia told Novicki. Novicki had another questions for Garcia. "Did you forget to tell this jury that you had $15,000 worth of gold Krugerrands in your safe deposit box?" "I have never owned gold Krugerrands," Garcia said. Novicki asked Garcia if he ever told a fellow policeman that he had bought the coins. Garcia denied it. The prosecution, whose case took nine weeks, is scheduled to call additional witnesses today to counter some defense witnesses' testimony. The trial, in its 12th week before U.S. District Judge Kenneth Ryskamp, will recess tonight for the holidays and resume Jan. 5. |
