Quintavalle Faces
Charges in the U.S.
Italian businessman,
Matteo Quintavalle, who
is in Costa Rica under
preventive detention
(jail), accused of fraud
by 17 American
investors, now faces
charges in the United
States as well.
According to a
Telenoticias - local
channel 7 news - report
the Santa Clara
California Superior
Court has issued an
arrest warrant for
Quintavalle, accused of
defrauding 98 investors
out of some us$12
million dollars.
A hearing is expected on
November 29, the news
channel source
confirmed.
Quintavalle was
relatively an unknown in
Costa Rica, dealing in
real estate investments,
until he began making
headlines for his
purchases of local
soccer players to start
his own team.
Seventeen of his US
investors filed fraud
charges against
Quintavalle who was
detained after a country
wide man hunt and
ordered to preventive
detention (jail) while
judicial officials
continue their
investigation.
Quintavalle told the
press that "I am too
rich to go to jail"
before judicial
officials raided his
home and a number of his
real estate holdings,
including a hotel in
Quepos. For more than a
week the businessman was
the subject of a manhunt
until he decided to be
interviewed by
prosecutors, who had him
under arrest by the end
of the day.
Quintavalle has been
tied to a hospital bed
at the Clinica Biblica,
a private hospital, at
his own cost, due to
medical problems. He is
being kept under guard
by prison officials
while under medical
care.
Quintavalle is expected
to appear in court this
week on a motion to
reduce his preventive
detention to house
arrest and is expected
to be represented by a
public defender and not
his his priced lawyers
who he fired after their
failed to keep him out
of jail.
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