Rupert Roueche declined to comment for this story. But he and his wife told The Vancouver Sun that the meeting was actually a 33rd-birthday party for their boy—even though he was in custody 140 miles away.
"They all went to school together," the elder Roueche added. "I don't know anything about [the UN]. It depends—who is the gang? Who's the gang? You say Clay has made millions and millions of dollars. He doesn't have any money."
Courtesy of the Vancouver Sun
The UN monogrammed virtually everything affiliated with the gang . . . even their coke.
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Once the government raised concerns about the parents' funds, attorney Schwartz filed a brief, stating: "The undersigned advised Mr. Roueche that he was unable to represent him." The parents hired another attorney from Los Angeles, but he ultimately backed out as well. Schwartz then made another cameo for Roueche, seeking a court-appointed attorney to represent the defendant at public expense.
Roueche told the court he was facing a tricky situation. He was required to submit a detailed financial form to prove he deserved court-funded representation. But if he did, prosecutors might use the information against him.
If his money came from illegal activity, he said, "Anything I may say about assets I have could be proof that I engaged in those activities." Even if the court sealed the form, he added, "I fear that may not prevent the Canadian government from obtaining a copy under international judicial procedure"—and perhaps passing the information on to U.S. officials.
"I ask the court," said the globetrotting Maserati buff, "to find I am financially unable to hire a lawyer and appoint one for me."
Schwartz says the court has agreed to appoint an attorney, although an official order has yet to be filed. However, Schwartz says, "The net effect is that a person accused of serious crimes is deprived of his right to use his assets, and even his parents are prevented from using their assets, to mount an effective defense."
In essence, Schwartz indicates that Roueche will go to trial with the deck stacked against him. Several of his alleged co-conspirators have struck plea deals and agreed to help make a case against Roueche, prosecutors say. "Further," they add in a brief, "Roueche has been intercepted in conversations conducting these activities, thereby confirming the co-conspirators' statements."
Roueche himself may have left some incriminating evidence behind: At his residence, Canadian investigators turned up a gun, masks, handcuffs, and night-vision goggles, essentially "a kit for kidnapping or murder," they say. There was also something of a diary of the UN's activities. Prosecutors won't give any details, but refer to the manuscript as Roueche's "gang musings notebook."
In that April phone chat with Pam Lee, after Roueche told her he could get thrown in jail just for entering the States, Lee responded: "I know."
"Yeah," the UN founder added, "and then you'd never see me for, like, 20 years."
International man of diplomacy he isn't. Visionary he may be.
randerson@seattleweekly.com
