Debra Villegas will be released from prison and should be home for Christmas, said her lawyer. Villegas didn'tvisibly react to the sentence butbegan crying afterward outside the courtroom. Instead, she chose to facilitate and become an accomplice to his scheme, said Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies of the FBIs Miami Division. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Rothstein was involved in a Ponzi scheme, making tons and tons of money and perhaps there are certain people from the Rothstein firm who found out about this and that was not good for the firm," saidFleisher. In her first interview, Debra Villegas speaks to Dennis Murphy about the billion dollar Ponzi scheme run by Scott Rothstein. . Debra calls San Diego, CA, home. More this Friday at 10p/9c on NBC. imprisonment of 46 months for his conduct in criminal case no. Her 10-year prison term was reduced because she cooperated. Debra Villegas' Interview with Police Debra tells detectives about ex-husband Tony Villegas' encounters with her best friend Melissa Lewis. Addresses, phones, email, criminal data & more. Debra Pamela Villegas 1952 2006 Debra Pamela Villegas in U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Debra Pamela Villegas was born on November 16 1952. A motive for her slaying was hard to come by initially. Another Florida Inmate Claims To Have Been Dumped Sheriff Gee calls for independent jail investigation. This morning, Debra Villegas, the law firm employee who allegedly helped disgraced lawyer Scott Rothstein run his $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme, pled not guilty to a charge of money laundering in federal court in Fort Lauderdale -- a move that observers say was just a formality. He received a 50-year sentence. U.S. District Judge William Zloch also took the unusual step of allowing Villegas to remain free until June 24, 2011, so she can assist in the ongoing investigation of the now-defunct Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler firm. However, his estranged wife Debra Villegas contends that her husband was jealous of her close friendship with Lewis. Sometimes Debra goes by various nicknames including Debra R Villegas. In the same month, Tony was sentenced to life in prison. Mobile number (909) 821-4395 . This postwill be updated, certainly after the sentencing. source of local news and culture. debra villegas rothstein's right-hand woman released from prison debra villegas mano derecha de rothstein liberada de la carcel. Prosecutors say Villegas' ex, Tony Villegas, killed Lewis in March, 2008 because he blamed her for the breakup of his marriage. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. Lewis was the best friend of Villegas now ex-wife Debra, who was the COO of the now defunct law firm. NEW DELHI - Former MP Subramanian Swamy Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Prime Minister Manmohan PANAJI - Surendra Sirsat has been appointed the president of the Goa unit of the Nationalist Congres NEW DELHI/BANGALORE - Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. She said during their nasty divorce her husband told her something that may have foreshadowed violence. Debra Villegas was sentenced to 10-years in after pleading guilty to her role in Rothstein's scheme. Zloch asked her. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Kaplan, however, said Villegas was key to a fraud that affected hundreds of people who lost some $430 million, most of which is gone forever. Prosecutors claimed Villegas motive was revenge as he blamed Lewis for his failing marriage. Also known as: Ms Debra Villegas, Ms Debra L Villegas. I just inserted the names. local Journalism in South Florida. After the homicide, Rothstein took care of Debra, buying her a house in Weston and a Maserati that embarassed her (she preferred pickup trucks, said Butts),raising her salary to $250,000, and even fundinga"therapeutic residential boarding school" for oneof her sons. Debra has lived at this Houston, TX address for about 25 years, after moving in around August of 1997. Share. Villegas ex-husband, Tony Villegas, is jailed awaiting trial in the March 2008 slaying of a former Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler attorney, Melissa Britt Lewis. . View phone number. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Payroll Year. Just one week after she had been made partner, Lewiswas strangled and murdered. Prosecutors and investigators do not believe that the murder had anything to do with the $1.6 billion scheme, but that Villegas blamed Lewis for the breakup of his marriage. Related to: Rachel Villeags, Luis Carlos Villegas, Diane Pamela Villegas, , +2 more. Phone Ad. The whole family was extremely proud of her. Outside of court, Lewis' motherLisa LaPointesaid the family felt they were given justice. 100% FREE! what time does fnaf 1 take place. Both Debra and her children stated that he was abusive. U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, One by one, the dominos in this billion dollar Ponzi scheme are falling. One of the most recent records in 2021 lists a job of Ombudsman 2 and a pay of $24.27/HR. Tony Villegas' DNA was found on Lewis suit jacket in her abandoned SUV, according to court records which also stated that a button that had been torn from it was found on her garage floor. Pocket. Landline number (951) 685-0487 . debra villegas released everlane price increase Junho 15, 2022. falkirk fc players wages 12:01 am 12:01 am "I thought it was a one-time thing. debra villegas released. debra villegas released Value Added IT Distribution Six Degrees of Murder (TV Series 2016- ) - IMDb According to Debra Villegas, her friendship with slain Rothstein attorney Melissa Britt Lewis was an extraordinarily close bond and a support system, not a sexual thing. He told her that he didn't believe Tony would kill her because if he was going to do that, he already would have. Join the New Times community and help support independent Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Villegas, who formerly lived in Sunrise and Weston, was arrested early Saturday at his sister's house in North Miami-Dade. Debra Villegas Overview. For her role in Rothstein's Ponzi scheme, Debra Villegas was sentenced to 10-years in prison. Dozens of children in U.S. face life in prison, Jail Inmate Complains Marshall-Jones Abused Her. Debra Villegas will be released from prison and should be home for Christmas, said her lawyer. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Age: 47 years old. Authorities have released little information about a motive. ", Zloch interrupted Butts to ask: "You're not saying loyalty excuses criminal activity, are you?". Debra Villegas was sentenced to 10-years in after pleading guilty to her role in Rothstein's scheme. "She didn't even know what a Ponzi scheme was," Butts said on the stand. Villegas was a conductor on the train. Tony forcedone of her children to sleep in a dog crate at one point,Butts testified, and "[Debra] went into the dog crate with her child and refused to leave." / CBS Miami. According to the charges and statements made in court during her plea, Villegas participated in the scheme by assisting with the fabrication of names for fictitious plaintiffs and defendants who were purportedly parties in the confidential settlements. Relatives. Debra Villegas, RRA's chief operating officer, was released from prison Dec. 18, 2014 after serving 3 1/2 years. She said she and Lewis armed themselves against his threats. Past homes found in Houston TX. Investigators said a struggle took place inside her garage, using DNA and pings from her cell phone to allegedly connect Villegas to the crime. Jurors also saw evidence, pictures of Lewis' vehicle with her jacket in the back, and her last conversation with a co-worker. Debra Villegas testified that her ex-husband was violent man and threatened Villegas. In 2019, he completed his master's degree in urban planning and public policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago.. ", Rothstein told her that he would protect her from Tony, that he would make sure she was "safe at all times." Email addresses. The hearing hit its dramatic zenith during testimony from Villegas' psychologist regarding her youth, which she said was marred by an alcoholic mother, living on her own in a truck at the age of 15, and rape. Debra was estranged from her husband, Tony Villegas, at the time. Prosecutors and Villegas' attorney said she is cooperating with investigators. Villegas was declared incompetent to stand trial in 2010 and avoided a trial until he was cleared by the state. When it came time for her tohave her own say, Villegas gave a very short apology. debra villegas is a United States Buyer, the following trade report data is derived from its trade data; the company's import data up to 2020-08-10 total 2 transactions. ", "She feels extremely horrible that she believed in that," said Butts, referring to the fact thatTonyis accused of killing Lewis in March 2008. "I asked him how he got it on him and he told me he was going through some boxes and the bottle burst on him and that is how he got it on him," Pascual testified. View the profiles of people named Debra Villegas. A button that had been torn of it was found on her garage floor. by 2Paragraphs in Culture | March 2, 2017. Scott W. Rothstein (born June 10, 1962) is a disbarred lawyer, convicted felon, and the former managing shareholder, chairman, and chief executive officer of the now-defunct Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm.He funded an extravagant lifestyle with a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme, one of the largest such in history. Early life, education, and career. Debra Villegas - $34,100 in Political Contributions for 2008, Campaign Finance, Money, American politics, American political campaign contributions, presidential campaign contributions Debra Villegas, who has been released following a federal prison term for her role in the Ponzi scheme, took the stand during the trial. Ut enim ad minim veniam laboris. They have also lived in Kelseyville, CA and Santa Clara, CA. He moved to Chicago in 1999 to attend North Park University, where he later received a bachelor's degree in psychology and music. She said she and Lewis armed themselves against his threats. The defense is expected to plant the suggestion that Rothstein was behind Lewis' murder because, as an attorney said in an earlier civil proceedings, "she knew too much.". Debra Villegas, who has been released following a federal prison term for her role in the Ponzi scheme, took the stand during the trial. Butts reiterated the story told at the previous plea hearing that Rothstein had told Villegas she needed to assist him in a Mafia-run money-laundering operation and that Villegas believed that if she didn't help him, he would be killed. At the firm, one of Melissas closest friends was Debra Villegas, who was the COO. We will all suffer this loss as long as we live, but we forgive you. He remains incarcerated at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Lake City, Florida. But she insisted she only did so because Rothstein told her he was being threatened by Mafia figures if the fraudulent deals didnt get done. She is expected to negotiate a plea deal. Bob Norman is a journalist in South Florida who joined WPLG-Channel 10 in 2011 as an on-air investigative reporter. Her co-workers were worried and looked for her. Updated Oct 9, 2010, 12:00am EDT. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Debra Villegas received the maximum sentence of ten years in prison this morning for her role in the massive Scott Rothstein Ponzi scheme. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. The Dateline episode Betrayed investigates the 2008 death of Melissa Lewis, 39, a rising star attorney at South Floridas prestigious law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler. This morning, Debra Villegas, the law firm employee who allegedly helped disgraced lawyer Scott Rothstein run his $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme, pled not guilty to a charge of money laundering in federal court in Fort Lauderdale -- a move that observers say was just a formality. This is 5.8 percent higher than the average pay for co-workers but 24.8 percent lower than the national average for government employees. Ex-legal exec gets 10-year sentence in Ponzi scam. Debra Coffey, who went by the name Debra Villegas during her 15-year marriage to Tony Villegas, described victim Melissa Britt Lewis as her dearest friend and said they grew even closer. Last week, Debra Villegas testified that her ex-husband was a violent man and had threatened them. One by one, the dominoes in this billion-dollar Ponzi scheme are falling, said U.S. Attorney Willy Ferrer. He changed the sentence to 48 months. Debra Villegas was born on 06/28/1966 and is 55 years old. Fast and Free people search. So, if youre curious about what happened to Melissa, weve got you covered. Around the time Debra separated from Tony, Melissa grew closer to her. The name Debra Villegas has over 15 birth records, 1 death records, 6 criminal/court records, 56 address records, 11 phone records & more. Debra Villegas' roommate testified that when he came home the day of Lewis's disappearance, he found Tony Villegas washing pepper spray off of his hands and arms. Before receiving a 10-year sentence, Villegas re-married in 2010 to 39-year-old Daniel Coffey in Pembroke Pines. FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The verdict is in for a man accused of killing a Plantation attorney and then dumping her body in a canal. Rothstein was sentenced to 50 years in prison. It was found in her car. debra villegas released liz spoke and weal julho 1, 2022. report abandoned car victoria police After her mysterious murder, her boss Scott Rothstein pleaded guilty to running a $1.4 billion Ponzi scheme out of the firm. Police found pepper spray residue in the garage of Lewis home. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Rothstein was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Location. Rothstein instead told her that he believed Tony was a "coward. Debra was released from jail in 2014 after serving three and a half years. She faces 10 years in prison at sentencing Aug. 20. Then, a legal issue that her firm was embroiled in only added to the chaos. Freda Hancock: Competed in Track, Coach. Work: - San Diego MET High . Debra Villegas has been associated with two companies, according to public records. Debra was estranged from her husband, Tony Villegas, at the time. Villegas pleaded guilty in the Scott Rothstein Ponzi scheme and was sentenced to 10 years in prison . Where was the concern for your children when you were engaging in this criminal activity? he asked. It is unknown if Rothstein . Join Facebook to connect with Debbie Villegas and others you may know. Rothstein, who is serving a 50-year prison sentence, is also cooperating with investigators. Please enter valid email address to continue. [Left: Dateline compares the murder of Melissa Lewis to a John Grisham novel]. She always wanted to be a lawyer, and her dream came true after university. Quince to be Florida's first African-American fema Judge prods attorneys to speed things up for Fort Another murder suspect gets tentative trial date. The beloved 39-year-old initially worked at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before she got her GED and went to college. When the police investigated they found a web of fraud, betrayal and more than $1 billion in missing money. She said, We talked about it, neither one of us wanted a gun, she was living alone, so she felt she needed something to, you know I was going through a difficult divorce and living on my own as well, so I decided on a Taser, and she decided on pepper spray. The most damning evidence came in the form of physical evidence. For her role in Rothstein's Ponzi scheme, Debra Villegas was sentenced to 10-years in prison. When it was the government's turn,Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Schwartz noted that at some point during the course of the Ponzi scheme and prior to its collapse, Villegassaid toanother RRA employee, "We're all going to jail.".

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