Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:13):
Hey, it's the dec and I'm Charlie Webster.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
This is Surviving L Chapo The Twins Who Brought Down
a Drug Lord Season two. Hi, it's Charlie Webster here,
host of Surviving L Chapo The Twins Who Brought Down
a Drug Lord. I know you guys have been waiting
(00:38):
for season two, and I've got some really good news.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
It's coming out next week.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
But as we've been putting the finishing touches together on
the new season, a huge development just happened and I
wanted to bring you up to date. If you remember,
whilst I was recording with the Florest family in the
safe house, they found out that Jay and Pete's older brother, Armando,
had cooperated with the Feds to provide evidence that implicated
(01:07):
their wives, Valenviv in a money laundering conspiracy. There was
a lot of upset in the house and the realization
that the wives.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Might end up serving prison time.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
The information Armando gave was related to the twins drug
debts that were collected when Jay and Pete went to
prison back in two thousand and eight. The debts were
outstanding money that was owed to the brothers for drugs.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
It was collected by val Viv and Armando.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Some of the money was handed over to the government,
but there was more that the government claimed they didn't
know about that Valenviv used to live off. The government
inded of Valenviv in twenty twenty one. Last year, the
wives filed a motion to dismiss the money laundering charges,
(01:57):
arguing that they were promised community as part of the
Twins cooperation deal. A hearing was held and Judge Matthew
Kennelly spent two days listening to evidence from both sides.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
He denied the motion to dismiss the charges.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
The wives were left with the choice to either go
to trial or plead guilty, partly due to a concern
around negative public perception. The wives decided not to go
to trial and pleaded guilty.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
On July seventeenth.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Viv was sentenced to three and a half years in
prison and required to pay a five hundred and four thousand,
eight hundred and fifty eight dollars forfeiture. On Monday, the
twenty fifth of September, Val headed to the courthouse in
Chicago for her sentencing. The government had requested a five
year sentence instead. After hearing VAL's testimony, Judge Connelly gave
(02:58):
her the same sentence as vs. Three and a half
years in prison and a five hundred and four thousand,
eight hundred and fifty eight dollars forfeituat. I jumped on
the phone with Val on Monday afternoon, straight after her sentencing.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
How are you feeling.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I'm okay, I'm okay. I'm just I feel like I'm
just that it's over with. I needed it to be done,
and I just, yeah, I'm so happy. I just I
got it over with. But I feel like, I, I
don't know, it's bittersweet, right, and I'm just happy that,
(03:38):
you know, I got it over with. You know, in court,
I apologize to my children, you know, for the pain
and cause, and I just regret putting them through this again.
I've been through so much ready, especially with their dad
being away for all the years and how to go
(04:00):
through that. So you know, now it's like I feel
like it's different when it comes to mom, you know,
especially since they've had me for so many years and
I kind of had to be mom and dad when
Jay was away, and so now it's like I won't
be there, and I just feel like it's going to
be really hard for them, But I feel really blessed
(04:23):
with the time that I did get because I got
three and a half years, and I feel like that
was a blessing for me. I'm really just trying to
be positive and I just want to I really want
to put this behind me, and I know we're going
to get through this. I know that, you know, our
family is very strong, and I feel like our bond
(04:44):
is unbreakable, and I think that you know, it's only
going to make us stronger. And I know one day
they can definitely put this behind us and finally just
start over. And you know, with our new lives, it's
just a lot, it's definitely a lot, but at the
(05:07):
end of the day, I just feel like it makes
us stronger. I feel like we've grow, We've grown so
much from everything that we've been through, and I feel
like I just wouldn't be the person I am today
if I hadn't gone through all the ups and downs
and all struggles. And I feel like I do realize,
(05:28):
I do realize the mistakes that I've made, and I
do honestly understand why I got the three and a
half years. And I feel that when I was in
court just listening to the prosecutors and listening to the judge,
(05:48):
I do understand, and I do take accountability for my
mistakes for sure, and I did take accountability for money laundering,
and I did say that this is what I did.
And I think that was very honorable for me to
get up there and gracefully say that, you know, everything
(06:08):
that I'm being charged with, I did do that. However,
I did believe that I had immunity, and so I
think that that made the difference whether the government agrees
with that or not or just going to agree to disagree.
But at the end of the day, as far as
the crime I committed, I did definitely money launder, and
(06:29):
I did say that I'm a different understanding of what
I was doing. And to be honest, Charlie, I just
hope that, like, by sharing my story, you know, I
just want to bring awareness to like other women that
have like walked in my shoes and have that are
going through this and sometimes you're living that life and
(06:51):
it's like a really fast lifestyle, right and you don't
realize you don't realize the consequences that comes with this life.
And I think that, you know, I'm hoping that they
you know other women can make better choices than I did,
because I felt like I did make a huge mistake,
and I just feel bad that, you know, my kids
(07:13):
are going to suffer because of it, and I feel
regretful that, you know, they're going to have to go
to this all over again because they've been through so
much already.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
What do you think now about the fact that the
government pursued you like this.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
To be honest, Charlie, I feel like I was really upset.
I felt like I was being targeted. I felt like
I felt like they wanted to make an example to me,
which is hurtful. The prosecutors that are in charge today
(07:57):
of the case, you know, I just like they're doing
their job, and I know that if they were, you know,
the prosecutors back then when my husband was was cooperating,
I feel like things would have been a lot different,
and I feel like everything would have been a lot
(08:19):
more clearer, to the point where I wouldn't have made
certain decisions and I wouldn't have made these bad choices.
And so I'm not upset and I'm not mad, I'm
not angry. I honestly do understand that this was not
okay with them. But I feel like it's different today
and what it was. I wish that the prosecutors today
(08:42):
were there back in two thousand and eight because everything
was like everything was smoking mirrors, you.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Know, I mean in a word speaking just after your sentences,
So I can imagine it's not really I don't know
how much it sank in. But how do you feel
about and how you're going to cope with prison? Is
there anything you've thought about and has it come up
in your head about your own safety?
Speaker 3 (09:13):
And definitely, Charlie, like when I was in court today,
it's like we had to put on the headset and
they had to basically, you know, blur the channels so
no one can hear what the judges talk, what the
judge is saying to us. And there was things that
(09:33):
need to be taken out of my report that have
had to be redacted. Of course, where I would be
serving my time was definitely one of those issues. But
I must say that it is scary more so of
just the fact of being alone. And I think that's
(09:56):
what scares me, you know, just.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
You know, it's it's really hard to just you know,
your time alone, and I think that's part that scares
me the most, even working with you and like just
having these hard conversations. I was never used to that, Charlie,
(10:23):
And I think that by doing so, I was able
to really open up and tell my story, and I
think it really made a difference. So and I think
that in season two of our podcasts, I think that
you know, the listeners are going to hear a lot
more of our stories and depth, and hopefully they too
can understand, you know, what we've been going through. They
(10:47):
might not agree, but at least they'll understand our journey
for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
There's so much more to the Flori's family story.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Join us the Sea season two as we take you
on the fifteen year journey from the day the Twins
handed themselves in right through to now and find out how.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
They got to this point. Fifty and I are really
excited to share the new season with you.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Make sure you hit follow to be notified as soon
as it drops on October the fourth. In the meantime,
we've just dropped a little episode in your feed so
you can catch up on everything that happened last season
and check out the trailer for a sneak peek at
the new season.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Can't wait to see you on October the fourth.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Surviving El Chapo The Twins Who Brought Down a Drug Lord.
Season two is hosted by Curtis fifty cent Jackson and
me Charlie Webster, produced by myself and Jackson mcclennan, assistant
producer and research support by Katie Hurtz, Edit and sound
design by Nico Prolella, an original score by Ryan Sorenson.
(12:03):
It's executive produced by Curtis fifty cent Jackson and Me
Charlie Webster. Curtis fifty cent Jackson presents a Lionsgate Sound
and G unit audio production exclusively for iHeart Podcasts