Garcia sons set to be sentenced in US for cash smuggling

MANILA, Philippines - The two sons of former Armed Forces comptroller Carlos Garcia are set to be sentenced on bulk cash smuggling charges before a United States District Court next Monday.

Juan Paulo, 29, and Ian Carl, 32, are scheduled to appear before San Francisco Northern District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel in the morning of Nov. 29 for the verdict.

Both had pleaded guilty to bulk cash smuggling charges two months ago, which meant they admitted smuggling $100,000 into the US on a flight from Manila in December 2003.

On Monday, the US court is expected to order the forfeiture of the money seized from them as agreed in exchange for the guilty plea and recommend a sentence of time served.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ), through lawyer Melinda Haag, said the Garcia brothers spent approximately 100 days in custody and a year and a half on electronic monitoring through ankle bracelets.

Juan Paulo of Pontiac, Michigan and Ian Carl of Las Vegas were indicted on Dec. 9, 2008 and arrested in February 2009.

The brothers were carrying an excessive amount of cash, which alerted US airport authorities that eventually tipped off their lavish lifestyle.

Their father, former Armed Forces comptroller and retired general Carlos Garcia, is currently detained facing plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan.

The two brothers, along with their mother Clarita and another brother Timothy Mark, were also accused of plunder before the anti-graft court. Clarita and Timothy Mark are still at large.