The rap sheet for the government’s star witness in the JFK terror plot trial reads like something out of a Hollywood mafia flick. As the informant Stevie Francis continued his testimony this morning in the trial which has 2 Guyanese before the courts, the prosecutor questioned him about his runs in with the law and how he became an informant for the US government. The man admitted that he has been charged and spent time for drug trafficking and racketeering. He said he was involved in drug dealings even after spending 7 years in prison and cooperating with the U.S government. He told the court that he’d been arrested and investigated for a wide range of offences.
Having a false ID, Driving under the influence of alcohol, being in possession of stolen vehicles, not paying taxes, using all types of drugs, having and maintain contact with drug dealers, selling drugs, various acts of violence and even attempted murder.
He said his troubles with the law began years ago when he was just 23 years old. After being released after serving 7 years in prison and being under the eyes of the authorities he still returned to a life of crime and got involved in drug running again.
He was caught with 10 pounds of cocaine in his possession and confessed to being a drug dealer. He was linked to another 100 pounds of cocaine and it was then that he decided to take a plea deal, pleading guilty and cooperating with the US government in various cases.
The man said for the past 7 years he has served as a confidential informant of the US government and is still awaiting sentencing for his last set of drug related charges. He said he is a full time confidential informant for the US government and has worked along with the authorities in several cases, too numerous to remember.
The defense teams have always questioned the credibility of the informant noting his background and the fact that by cooperating with the government in the case and following the us governments commands, he would have bought himself less time behind bars for his own wrongdoings, if any time at all. The informant is hoping for a lifetime of probation rather than time behind bars.
Earlier as he continued his testimony, more audio tapes were played. Today the jury heard various conversations between defendant Russell Defreitas and Trinidadian Kareem Ibrahim another one of the accused. In those conversations the informant and the men could be heard talking about various plans and their failure to meet Abu Bakr in Trinidad. Abu Bakr is the leader of a muslim movement over in Trinidad and Tobago. Doing most of the talking on the recordings was Russell Defreitas, the man the US says was the mastermind of the plot. Defreitas talked about the vulnerabilities of the JFK airport and told the men that there were times when the airport would be asleep when security would be off guard. He said America paid attention to the airplanes but not the airport.
In another conversation, the men could be heard having a conversation with Abdul Kadir. That conversation centered once again around a chicken farm and the need to build such a farm. The US believes that the chicken farm really meant the JFK airport. But then later in the same conversation the men talk about also setting up a fish pond and the cost that would be attached to setting up both the chicken farm and the fish pond. In another conversation which was by phone, the informant could be heard talking to Kadir about transferring money to his account, Kadir spoke about the account of the masjid and the need for the sponsor to first ok such a move. After spending the last couple of days going through the various recordings, the prosecution wrapped up its questioning of the star witness, laying the groundwork for the defence team to cross examine. Abdul Kadir’s attorney told me just outside the courthouse that the defence team was prepared to create some fireworks as it would rip apart the man’s testimony.
