U.S. court sentences two in Latvia-based slot machine scheme

Andris Straumanis | 

The first individual to be extradited to the U.S. from Latvia under a new treaty between the two countries has been sentenced to two years in prison for conspiring to produce and sell counterfeit slot machines, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced.

A federal district court judge in Las Vegas on Aug. 20 sentenced Cuban citizen Rodolfo Rodriguez Cabrera, 43, to two years in prison for his role in the scheme. Also sentenced to two years in prison was his co-conspirator, Henry Mantilla, 35, of Cape Coral, Fla.

The men also were ordered to pay USD 151,800 each in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release after their prison terms, according to the Department of Justice.

A federal grand jury in Las Vegas indicted the men in April 2009, charging each of them with one count of conspiracy, two counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, two counts of trafficking in counterfeit labels and two counts of criminal copyright infringement. They were alleged to have produced and sold fake International Game Technology (IGT) slot machines and software. Las Vegas-based IGT is a leading maker of gaming systems. Cabrera, according to the indictment, was responsible for producing the unauthorized copies of IGT software, labels and gaming machine components, while Mantilla’s job was to find customers in the United States.

Cabrera, who ran a company called FE Electronic in Rīga, was arrested in Latvia in June 2009 and extradited to the U.S. in October 2009, according to the Department of Justice. The new extradition treaty between Latvia and the U.S. was ratified in May 2007 and went into effect in April 2009.

The FBI began investigating Cabrera and Mantilla in December 2007. At the time, Cabrera was involved with FE Electronic, while Mantilla was involved with Southeast Gaming Inc. of Cape Coral, Fla. FE Electronic, according to the Latvia’s Register of Enterprises, was established in November 2004.

The FBI arranged for a source to solicit information from Mantilla about slot machines. During a two-year period, according to court documents, the FBI source agreed to several transactions with Mantilla and Cabrera that involved acquiring machines and software that supposedly were genuine IGT products, but instead were fake. Circuit boards were shipped to the FBI source from Cabrera in Rīga, according to court documents.

Under an agreement reached in May, both men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy. The maximum penalty they could have received is five years in jail and a USD 250,000 fine.

Prosecution of Cabrera and Mantilla was part of a larger effort by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat intellectual property crimes.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

The peace and pacts of August

Ojārs Kalniņš | 

Article from Jaunākās Ziņas

A front page article from the Aug. 11, 1920, edition of the Rīga daily newspaper Jaunākās Ziņas reports the news of the Latvian-Russian Peace Treaty. (Illustration by Andris Straumanis)

In August, Latvia marks three anniversaries worth noting. On Aug. 11, 1920, Russia signed a peace treaty with Latvia. Nineteen years later, on Aug. 23, 1939, the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany.

This promise of non-aggression between Stalin and Hitler led to one of the bloodiest wars in human history and put an end to peace and independence in Latvia. On Aug. 21, 1991, Latvia restored that peace and regained its independence.

Of all the parties involved in these three proclamations and declarations of August, only the Republic of Latvia seems to still exist. The Soviet Union self-destructed in 1991, Nazi Germany was dismantled in 1945 (also in August, at the Potsdam Conference), and the Federal Socialist Republic of Russian Soviets, which served as the government of Russia in 1920, is a historical footnote as well.

For Latvia, the 1920 peace treaty with Russia is one of the cornerstones of its statehood, because it ended the last remaining threat to the independence that Latvia had declared in 1918, and opened the doors to full international recognition of Latvia’s sovereignty. (The United States did it in 1922.) It also played a legally compelling role in preserving the legitimacy of Latvia’s suspended sovereignty during 50 years of Soviet occupation, and was often cited after Aug. 21, 1991, when countries around the world restored their relations with a restored Republic of Latvia.

Earlier this month President Valdis Zatlers opened the exhibition “From August to August. The Latvian – Russian Peace Treaty,” at the Latvian National History Archives to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Latvian–Russian Peace Treaty. The exhibition was organized together with the Latvian Foreign Ministry at the initiative of former Foreign Minister Māris Riekstiņš. In his remarks at the opening, present Foreign Minister Aivis Ronis called the treaty “Latvia’s covenant with the world.” Both Ronis and Riekstiņš stressed the importance of linking the past with the present.

Memories of the Aug. 23, 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact also played a leading role in Latvia’s remarkable drive to restore its independence in the late 1980s. The first massive demonstration to protest this pact took place in Rīga on Aug. 23, 1987, at the Freedom Monument. Two years later on this day, 2 million Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians joined hands across the length and breadth of their countries to announce their intention to restore their independence. The “Baltic Way” of Aug. 23, 1989, led to independence for the Baltic countries in August 1991. From August to August, indeed.

So far, we have passed the mid-point of August 2010, and no new pacts, peace treaties or proclamations of major historical consequence have occurred. Latvia is completing two decades of restored independence, the global economic crisis of the last few years seems to be abating, and we are talking more about the record-breaking heat than recorded dates in history.

Of course, the political atmosphere in Latvia is heating up because we face another parliamentary election on Oct. 2, but that’s par for the course in a lively democracy. While candidates argue about prescriptions for the future, it is still valuable to reflect on the ironies of the past. We established our 1st Saeima (parliament) in 1922, thanks in part to the Latvian-Russian Peace Treaty of 1920. After our 4th Saeima (elected in 1931), Latvia lost its independence thanks to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. And in 1993 we elected our 5th Saeima, thanks to restoration of independence in August 1991.

Now, thankfully, we elect our 10th Saeima. We only managed four sittings of parliament before World War II, but are now approaching our sixth following the end of the Cold War. For Latvians, August is not just a bridge between summer and fall, but also a fitting time to look into the past, so that we can better plan our future. It always pays to look both ways before crossing any street.

Amerikas latvieši apmeklē vēlēšanu iecirkņu vadītāju apmācības

Latvians Online | 

Iecirkņu vadītāju kursas apmeklētāji

Vašingtonā noslēdzies seminārs ASV izvietoto Saeimas vēlēšanu iecirkņu vadītājiem. Vēlēšanu iecirkņu vadītāju apmācību kursu Vašingtonā dalībnieki: pirmajā rindā no kreisās puses, Jānis Kukainis (Amerikas latviešu apvienības Informācijas nozares vadītājs), Juris Poikāns (Latvijas vēstniecības Vašingtonā vadītāja vietnieks), Aina Venta (Milvoki), Arnis Cimdars (Centrālās vēlēšanu komisijas priekšsēdis), Taira Zoldnere (Sanfrancisko), Maija Strēlnieks (Milvoki), Līga Jekabsone (Detroita), Ilgvars Jēkabsons (Detroita), Sigita Puriņa (vēstniecības Konsulārās daļas vadītāja); otrajā rindā Paulis Kalniņš (Sietla), Ernests Venta (Milvoki), Sandra Gulbe (Losandželosa), Marks Liepa (Filadelfija), Vilnis Strēlnieks (Filadelfija), Andrejs Ķīsis (Klīvlande), Juris Mežinskis, (ALAs priekšsēdis), Laura Ramanis (Latvijas goda konsule Mineapolē), Marcis Voldiņš (Bostona), Jānis Vilciņš (Cikāga); trešajā rindā Andrejs Baidiņš (Filadelfija), Juris Raudseps (Bostona), Andris Ritums (Sv. Pētersburga), Indra Halvorsone (Mineapole), Ivars Mičuls (Losandželosa), Ivars Petrovskis (Grandrapidi); aizmugurē Andris Bērziņš (Indianapole) un Zigurds Rīders (Daugavas vanagu ASV priekšsēdis). (Foto: Latvijas Republikas vēstniecība ASV)

Vairāk nekā 20 cilvēku no ASV pilsētām, kurās tiks izvietoti 10. Saeimas vēlēšanu iecirkņi, ieradās Vašingtonā 13. un 14. augustā, lai piedalītos Amerikas latviešu apvienības (ALA) un Latvijas vēstniecības rīkotajos iecirkņu vadītāju apmācību kursos, ziņo LR Ārlietu ministrija.

Kursus vadīt bija atbraucis Centrālās vēlēšanu komisijas (CVK) priekšsēdētājs Arnis Cimdars. Dalībnieku vidū bija arī ALAs valdes priekšsēdis Juris Mežinskis, Latvijas goda konsule Mineapolē Laura Ramanis un Daugavas Vanagu apvienības ASV Zemesvaldes priekšsēdis Zigurds Rīders. Pasākuma namatēvs bija Latvijas vēstniecības vadītāja vietnieks Juris Poikāns.

Atklājot apmācības, ALAs priekšsēdis pateicās visiem dalībniekiem, kas uzņēmušies šo darbu. Viņš uzsvēra, ka tā arī ir milzīga atbildība Latvijas valsts priekšā, lai vēlēšanas ASV noritētu gludi, bez noteikumu pārkāpumiem un, lai tiktu attaisnoti ALAs panāktie un Ārlietu ministrijas izveidotie 15 vēlēšanu iecirkņi.

“Paldies visiem, kas sabraukuši, arī vēstniecībai un ALAs Informācijas nozarei par lielo darbu šo pasākumu sagatavojot,” teica Mežinskis. “Bez velētajiem demokrātija ir bezvērtīga. Ceru, ka lielais vēlēšanu iecirkņu skaits ASV un šīs apmācības palīdzēs Latvijas pilsoņiem pārvarēt pašreizējo apātiju un piedalīties vēlēšanās viskuplākajā skaitā!”

Apmācības ilga visu dienu un to noslēgumā vēstniecībā pat tika izveidoti divi vēlēšanu iecirkņi, izveidotas divas komisijas un dalībniekiem divu stundu garumā bija iespēja praktiski izmēģināt ko nozīmē būt komisijas loceklim vēlēšanu dienā, skaitīt balsis, plusiņus, svītrojumus, kā arī ziņot rezultātus uz Latviju.

“Šīs apmācības bija nopietns izaicinājums katram dalībniekam,” teica ALAs Informācijas nozares vadītājs Jānis Kukainis, uzsverot, ka visvērtīgākais bija tas, ka atbildīgie darbinieki no visām pilsētām varēja sanākt vienkopus, iepazīties personīgi, uzņemt kontaktus un kopā izjust vēlēšanu procesa atbildības.

Gatavošanās Latvijas Republikas 10. Saeimas vēlēšanām ir bijis galvenais ALA projekts šovasar, ziņo Ārlietu ministrija. Tā ietvaros tika panākta un aizvadīta pārvietojamo pasu darbstaciju tūre septiņos latviešu centros ASV, kuras rezultātā 709 Latvijas pavalstniekiem bija iespēja pieteikties jaunajai pasei. Kā pārsteigumu un pateicību par labo sadarbību, vēstniecības Konsulārās daļas darbinieki bija steidzīgā kārtā sarūpējuši un atgādājuši uz ASV Kukaiņa jauno pasi, ko konsule Sigita Puriņa svinīgi pasniedza kursu atklāšanas ceremonijā.

“Šis pasākums vēlreiz pierādīja, ka kopā strādājot varam paveikt daudz labu darbu,” teica Poikāns, kurš vēstnieka Andreja Pildegoviča atvaļinājuma laikā bija atbildīgs par pasākuma gaitu un izdošanos no vēstniecības puses.

Vēlēšanu iecirkņi ASV tiks izvietoti Vašingtonā, Ņujorkā, Detroitā, Mineapolē, Klīvlandē, Sanfrancisko, Losandželosā, Bostonā, Čikāgā, Sv. Pēterburgā, Sietlā, Indianapolē, Filadelfijā, Grandrapidos un Milvokos.