|
By Hank Guichelaar
Shortly before sunset, I found him where I left him
that morning. He was sunburned, sweaty and getting
pretty drunk, judging by the look in his eyes.
This had become a daily ritual.
Inner peace and a profound happiness caused his
smile to go from ear to ear. He managed not to spill
any of his drink while gesturing to the seat next to
him.
“Did you do it?’’ he asked.
“Sure did,” I said and pondered a cocktail.
“You made damn good time round tripping it for this
place.” The casual remark was a compliment and I
accepted it.
“Anxious to do it, I suppose, where there’s a will,
there’s a cab and your introduction made things go
smooth as silk”.
“Told ya it would!” Another one of those big smiles
and the glass went up in a toast, “Welcome to the
club, partner!”
I looked across the incoming tide, framed on one
side by a steep hill covered with tropical growth
and shook my head, “This place is unreal!”
“Not only that,” my friend laughed and than managed
to gulp down most of his guaro. “Besides the beauty,
the wonderful people and the great food, hey, they
give away money!”
And that is how my book begins…
Since then, things have taken a dramatic turn, as
you are obviously aware.
You and I did not invest with The Brothers because
we thought that we were going to be scammed. We did
so because of their lengthy track record and because
of friends’ recommendations.
Our introducers sang songs of praise and we did not
want to be left out of this bonanza. A day’s delay
meant lost interest.
In November of 2002 and not being the kind of guy
who sits idly by and watches the grass grow, I hoped
to do the best for my investment by supporting The
Brothers and taking aim at their – and therefore our
– enemy.
Writing about this helped me focus and maintain the
determination necessary to become relentless.
Incredibly, this resulted in a Private E-Mail Group
that currently reaches almost one-quarter of all
Villalobos Investors.
What has happened since then, you wonder?
I will tell you.
Around May of 2003, my accomplice and I were
standing on the third floor of Mall San Pedro, in
front of the door to Enrique’s “secret” office. The
hallway there has a slight curve in it and the
evidence of recently removed survey cameras was
still present. It terminates at a steel door that
provides immediate and convenient access to the
parking garage.
This is not wildly revealing nor is it very
important What is important were the words from the
young lady who had emerged from a neighboring office
“He wanted all of the empties”, she said.
To explain our presence, we had started a
conversation with this woman and learned that
Payless Shoe Source employed her. Their shop and
particularly their back storeroom were located next
door to Enrique’s office.
She knew the “kind old” man, signor Villalobos and
went out of her way to provide him with as many
“empties” that she could muster. Enrique apparently
had a great need for shoeboxes.
Empty shoe boxes, the more, the better…
While I was standing there scratching my head, I
started to imagine hundreds upon hundreds of boxes,
piled up and filled with the only thing that came to
my mind…
I am not talking about invoices, factoring
paperwork, loan statements or love letters… I was at
a crossroads.
Because I literally quoted Enrique while in the
early stages of mailing to my growing group of
fellow investors, I hoped, supported and maintained
optimistic, just like most of you.
I also had met some damn interesting people who were
deeply involved one way or the other with this
matter and with The Brothers personally for over two
decades.
Risking loosing these wonderful sources and wells of
information would be a very harsh penalty.
I also am a great proponent of the “Innocent until
proven guilty” mantra. I know that in reality it’s
often “innocent until proven broke” but it’s still a
helluva lot better than the “preventive
incarceration” antics under Napoleonic code.
So, Benefit of the Doubt is prudent until evidence
removes this last hurdle… I decided to sit on all
this for a while.
I also needed some more convincing myself and had to
become peaceful with the notion that my investment
might be gone forever.
This was not easy but when I eventually managed to
remove my personal monetary interest from the
equation, things cleared up in a hurry.
Meanwhile, the tone of my mailers became much less
“trusting” and instead emphasized the importance of
a legal victory for us, so Enrique could be free to
act and have no reason to stay hidden.
Moving right along, there is something else I want
you to be very aware of. I have mentioned this
before but the significance of this warrants a
repeat.
Whatever is going on in the legal field has
absolutely no bearing on your personal financial
outcome in this whole affair.
IF and WHEN the attorney Jose Miguel Villalobos wins
this case, it is still up to Enrique to reappear and
do what is right. Some “experts” claim that he will
never re-open in Costa Rica, but most do agree that
the legalities need to be taken care of and the
Interpol Picture needs to be removed in order for
him to show up and perhaps reopen his business.
A major hurdle is the blind hope that some have.
Astonishment that they may have been “lied to” for
over two decades or desperate financial situations
cause this. One cannot blame anyone for reacting
this way but the result is that a large majority
will stand by their man and fabricate lies to
support their hero.
Believe it or not, while browsing through historical
con cases, it turns out that there are still “hopers
and believers” even after key figures have been sent
to prison and meager leftovers have been distributed
among the victims by authorities.
The same holds true in our matter.
As a fellow investor, I daily encounter arguments
that have no basis other than a belief in the man
that seems founded in wistful thinking.
This is a strong force and needs to be reckoned
with. Less than three years ago, most investors of
The Brothers felt this strong. It was proven during
a ripple in Enrique’s otherwise financial peace that
preceded the big raid.
Contrary to popular belief, Enrique did not
experience a run-on-the-bank after the Keith Nash
incident. Many investors who considered withdrawing
their principal, reconsidered after interest kept
coming like clockwork.
This deal was just too damn good to abandon.
Hank
|
