May 03, 2000

RE: James F. Robertson

Cutlass Bay Club

Cat Island, Bahamas

Hearing on the 15th of May

Nassau, Bahamas

Edward J. Ramotowski

Chief Consul

Embassy of the United States of America

I waited for Ms. Wallace’s confirmation on the date of the hearing all morning, on May 3, 2000. . Is the hearing going to be held on May 8th or May 15 2000? I finally decided after 1:00 PM to make the call myself. I find that Mr Ramotowski is in Washington and of course has turned the matter over to Ms. Wallace, a Bahamian Citizen to assure that my husband James F. Robertson is treated fairly by the Bahamian Courts. I went to the United States Embassy in hopes of receiving assistance from United States Citizens. There are many honest and helpful Bahamians in the Bahamas, my husband and I have received more assistance from them, than the United States Embassy. But when we ask for assistance from the United States Embassy, we are going to U. S. Citizens for support.

Ms. Wallace went to Prosecutor Ferguson and requested that the trial be held in Nassau. Ms Wallace said it was already too late and Mr. Ferguson didn’t even know what date it was going to be when Ms Wallace originally talked with Mr. Ferguson. . Ambassador Schechter had informed you that he was monitoring my husband’s case. Ms. Wallace didn’t even have the facts about the case. I have been assured by Ms. Wallace that Mr. Ferguson will do everything in his power to protect me while I am in Cat Island. It will be interesting to see how often I see a police officer. Ms Wallace said I really don’t know anything about your case Mr. Ramotowski has your file.

Does the United States have so little influence in the Bahamas that the United States Ambassador can not ask the government to keep him informed on matters concerning a United States Citizen.. We definitely keep

Castro informed of Cuban Citizens in the United States.. Castro has more influence with the United States than the United States has with the Bahamian Government. I do not believe that any one in the Embassy thinks my husband is guilty nor do I believe that any as the State Department classifies them Bahamian Senior Public Officials believe that he is guilty either. I certainly don’t believe that Prime Minster Ingraham believe he is guilty.

I was appalled of the Department of Justice’s night raid in Miami to remove Éilan Gonzalez from his Miami realities home. I cried when I turned on my television set that Saturday morning and saw the gun pointed at that little boy’s head. I was very upset, I remember having a gun pointed at my head on August 27, 1999 and being beat in the head with the gun. While I believe that the child belongs with the Father, unless it is proven that the Father is unfit. I emotionally want the child to stay in the U. S. There was no reason for the raid. Our government traumatized a 6 year old little boy. I commend you on your stand.

I do wish though that the Clinton Administration was as concerned about United States Citizens oversees as they are about returning a child by force. to his father when that child is in no danger. Operation reunion was suppose to have cost $229,0000.00, but United States Officials can not take the time and effort to see that my husband who is a United States Citizen is protected. . During the cries for help last year, my husband and I were in much more danger than Elian Gonzalez but the United States Embassy turned a deaf ear.

I realize that both The American Embassy and the Bahamian Government wishes that my husband would just go away. Had The American Embassy and the Bahamian Government acted on our cries of help in January

1999 the events that have occurred in the past 16 months would not have happened. My husband is more trouble than the drug dealers they only kill, he writes letters to Senators and Congressman and the Prime Minister of the Bahamas. I will tell you if I had been in control of the situation, I would have left Cat Island before the August 27, 1999 incident and let the drug dealers have it. I have been in Tampa since the assault and attempted murder but my husband has been in Cat Island alone. His statement he refuses to let the drug dealers drive him away. Let’s just hope that they don’t kill him.

Cries went out to the American Embassy, starting with a phone call, I made myself to the American Embassy, on the 20th of January 1999, when this horror that my husband and I have experienced in the past 16 months started. There were numerous letters send to the American Embassy asking for help, including copy of a letter to Assist. Commissioner begging for help, dated August 11, 1999. A letter stating that a contract had been put out on my husband’s life was sent to the American Embassy the day before the arson, assault and attempted murder. that occurred on August 27, 1999. You were copied on many of these letters during the course of the 16 month period.

I believe that if a Bahamian had prevailed in a civil suit, the charges would have been dropped long ago. If this case was not drug related a police officer would have not been bribed. . Forget everything else that has happened the attempted murder and arson. The loss of the file in the civil case that my husband prevailed. That file would have never reappeared if I had not written to Judge Nathan. The age of the internet makes the world much smaller.

My husband and I have not even been informed by the Bahamian Government or the United States Embassy why Ezra Russell was not bound over for superior court. My husband's attorney in effect said the police screwed up because they could not take the testimony of co defendants. So that tells me that if someone hires contract killer to kill somebody in the Bahamas and the police catch the person you hired and that person confesses and implicates the person that hired him. One has to be let go because of the co defendants problems. The Bahamian papers are full of complaints of contract killings. It still bothers me that when I testified in the hearing the prosecutor asked me no questions concerning Ezra Russell, I asked the Judge if I could make a statement and she stated that I would have to talk to the prosecutor. After I testified I asked the prosecutor why he didn’t ask me any questions about all the previous incidence in 1999, he stated he had enough with what my husband told him. However at the end of the hearings he stated even though he believed that Ezra Russell was guilty he didn’t have enough evidence to have him bound over for trial. How did he have enough evidence in November but not February? I would have returned to Nassau for further testimony and the prosecutor had the entire file of letters and complaints and pictures.

My daughter called this morning concerned that her boyfriend was afraid that Ezra Russell or Curtis Bannister was going to pay someone to lie and say that they saw my husband start fire to the house. I told her that had already happened, he brought someone to the civil trial that wasn’t even listed on the police report investigation. We were lucky and had a very astute Judge and he saw right though the lies. Hopefully the same occurs on May 15, 2000. It is ironic that the civil trial was held May 25, 1999.

I read with interest the International Narcotic Control Strategy Report, 1999 complied by the State Department of the United States, concerning the effectiveness of the Bahamian Courts. This is a drug related case, has been from the beginning. I was convinced on January 20, there was police corruption involved If you look at my January 20, 1999 statement to the police, that will be obvious. I suspect that there are United States Citizens involved. It will be interesting to see what happens. It will also be interesting to see just how accurate our United States Customs records are. Thomas Hill of the DEA, Country Attaché, Nassau, has been informed of questionable a flight from the Bahamas to the United States.

The U S State Department Report states the Bahamas needs to improve the effectiveness of it’s courts system, it also indicates officers of the Defense Force are involved in drug trafficking. Apparently the State Department is only concerned about getting major drug traffickers convicted. What constitutes major drug traffickers ? I will tell you I do not know any drug dealers in Tampa nor do I know any alleged drug dealers in Tampa. I do however know more Cat Islanders that I can count that have been involved or alleged to be involved in drugs. Without the help form the Islander’s many drug deals could not occur. There would only have to be a few convictions and most of the islander’s would cease the drug involvement. They know nothing is going to happen to them.. They have Ezra Russell’s father as an example, Alan Russell was convicted of drug trafficking, appealed lost the appeal and then appealed again. The file now is allegedly lost, another lost file, does that not sound familiar. The U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency in the Bahamas is not interested in the small convictions and there has been a lot of corruption from the local police. When the major drugs hit Cat Island in the latter part of 1998 not only did the local people become very affluent many police officers left Cat Island financially better off.

Let me state there is another interesting factor here There are a few major local drug dealers on Cat Island, which are probably small time as far the State Department is concerned. But I know many Cat Islanders that were involved in the 1998 drug deal that if prosecution had been successful in the past would have never become involved. Cars were brought to the island and traded for Cocaine. This was a common occurrence. Everyone on the Island including myself and my husband knew what was going on. If my husband and I knew, the police knew. The cars kept coming and no one did anything. There were even luxury cars brought to the island. Many houses were fixed. The reason I am telling you this is a lot of the people that were involved in this drug incident would not have been involved if there was the possible of getting sent to jail. These people see a chance to have material goods that they would probably never have because the opportunity is not there for them. These are basically good people. But these deals give them a chance to give there families things that they might never have otherwise.

I am sure that the other islands, also have these people. Today, If you came to the island and looked at the new cars and new construction, new boats, you could figure out who was involved in drugs. All you would need to ask is what do you do for a living. Remember there are only approximately 2,000 people on the island. It can support only so many service stations, restaurants and grocery stores. You will find mortgages virtually non existent. I sure there are less than 250 cars on the entire island, but there is a wrecker that I have been told would cost $50,000.

I will be going to Cat Island for the hearing on May 15, 2000, I have no other choice. I don’t know what will happen, who knows Ezra Russell was not bound over for trial. I do know that Ezra Russell is desperate and if the officials can be bought, they will be. They were bought in January of 1999 because if a proper investigation had been done my husband would have never been charged. I was not allowed to even say in my police statement where my husband was, if you will look at the letters sent to you in January 1999. However before I signed the statement taken by the police on January 20, 1999, I made a statement in my own writing. I had already become very suspicious of the actions of the Cat Island Police Department, of course I had no way of knowing the events that would follow. A police officer was paid off, that police officer was suspended and then reinstated and as long as these things are allowed to happen in the Bahamas you can not expect the Bahamas to improve their courts. I do however believe that before we can criticize foreign governments we must clean up our own back door.

You have letters in your file since of January 1999. If after this hearing the charges are not dismissed, I intend to put these letters on the internet. and go to as many reporters as possible. I believe that if the United States and the Clinton Administration were as concerned about U. S. Citizens as they are about Fidel Castro, the last 16 months would have been different. I will not be in the Bahamas but for the sake of other United States Citizens, I hope that the new Ambassador to the Bahamas is capable of doing more than attending cocktail parties. I hope that the United States either gets serious about the War on Drugs or the drugs are legalized and the criminal element is taken away. I have seen too much.

Sincerely,

Sandra Robertson