Feb 062013
 
A United States court has sentenced Sen. Lito Lapid’s wife, Marissa, to three years probation for cash smuggling, a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras” said Wednesday.

Marissa’s lawyer, Elliot Krieger, said she was “very relieved” that her case was finally over.

“We’re pleased with the results in terms of the way it came out and she’s very relieved to have this over with and behind her,” Krieger said in the report.

Krieger explained that Marissa will be under the US Department of Probation for three years and will only be allowed to go to the Philippines only with the department’s permission.

Marissa was arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)  on January 15, 2012 for her failure to declare the $50,000 she was carrying at the time.

US federal law requires arriving passengers to declare any currency or monetary instrument totaling $10,000 or more.

Sen. Lapid’s camp has yet to comment on Marissa’s sentence, the report said. The senator had earlier said that the money was supposed to be used for his wife’s treatment for a heart ailment. — KBK, GMA News

Feb 062013
 
Lapid’s wife gets 3 years probation in US

By Nimfa U. Rueda Inquirer Correspondent 6:14 pm | Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 Sen. Lito Lapid and his wife Marissa LOS ANGELES—The wife of  Sen. Lito Lapid felt “very relieved” that her cash smuggling case is over following her sentencing by the US district court to three years of probation, said her lawyer Eliot Krieger. The probation period includes five months of home confinement. Krieger said that Marissa Lapid, who remains confined in her residence in Las Vegas, Nevada, may be able to return to the Philippines “after five months of home confinement with the permission of the Probation Department.” Marissa Lapid “is very relieved to have the whole thing over,” Krieger told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Krieger said that in a plea agreement that he negotiated, Lapid pleaded guilty to cash smuggling and conspiracy to structure transactions “with intent to evade reporting requirements.” Lapid was charged before US Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen in Las Vegas and sentenced on Monday (Tuesday in Manila). The reporting violations stemmed from a series of cash deposits made by Lapid in different banks in Las Vegas from January 2009 to June 2010 totaling more than $150,000. Banks are required to submit to the federal government currency transaction reports on cash deposits that exceed $10,000. Lapid’s cash deposits ranged from $5,000 to $9,000. All the deposits, plus the $40,000 confiscated from Lapid when she arrived at McCarran International Airport on Nov. 27, 2010, were forfeited by the US government, Krieger said. The lien placed on Read More …