Originally Syndicated on May 24, 2024 @ 7:18 am
US Judge Jesus Bernal has given Jason Cardiff permission to flee travel to Ireland.
Judge Bernal’s July 25th order is brief, stating only that “good cause” had been shown by Cardiff in his request for permission to leave the US.
Judge Bernal’s decision overruled concerns raised by the DOJ, asserting Cardiff (right) was a flight risk and proven liar.
Once the defendant leaves the United States, he will be free to travel to Ireland and any other foreign jurisdiction, should he choose.
Indeed, he could leave Ireland and travel to another country that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
Defendant has a record of disobeying court orders and lying to the court. He cannot be trusted to tell the truth to the Court or comply with conditions set by the Court on his word alone.
Judge Bernal’s order allows Cardiff to travel to Ireland for 10 days. A travel itinerary is to be submitted to the US Probation Office.
In related news, a second motion requesting permission to withdraw as Cardiff’s attorney was filed on July 25th. The court approved the motion later the same day.
As it stands, here’s the current situation regarding Cardiff’s pending criminal trial:
- Cardiff failed to dismiss the criminal case against him last month;
- Cardiff’s previous legal counsel has withdrawn a month out from trial due to Cardiff’s failure to meet contractual obligations (although not explicitly clarified, this is believed to be non-payment of fees);
- Cardiff is currently not represented by legal counsel in his criminal case;
- the DOJ was denied an opportunity to review supporting evidence tied to Cardiff’s request to travel to Ireland;
- the DOJ’s concerns about Cardiff potentially engaging in witness tampering have been ignored;
- instead of ordering him to secure new legal counsel and prepare for trial, Judge Bernal has given Cardiff permission to travel to Ireland for ten days;
- Cardiff’s criminal trial remains scheduled to kick off on September 3rd, 2024; and
- if convicted on all counts, Cardiff, 49, is facing up to 57 years in prison
I suppose on the plus side ten days isn’t all that long to wait to see if Cardiff does in fact flee. Stay tuned…
