Rug Runner Bahamas
Bahama Islands News, Articles and Information
Quebecer pleads guilty to lesser charge of laundering $20,000 in New York
NEW YORK (CP) - A Quebec investment banker pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court on Monday to one count of laundering illicit proceeds from drug trafficking.In a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Martin Tremblay of Saguenay, Que. admitted he agreed to launder US$220,000 in illicit funds on behalf of federal agents he believed were drug runners. The actual charge he pleaded guilty to is for only the $20,000 he received in New York, as his lawyers argued that he was unaware of a further transfer of $200,000 to accounts in the Bahamas.
In exchange, the U.S. government agreed to dismiss the more serious charge of laundering $1 billion in profits from narcotics trafficking and a host of other illicit activities.
Appearing in court in his grey prison uniform and testifying under oath, Tremblay confessed to Judge John Keenan that in March 2005 he met with individuals in New York who requested his assistance in hiding the source of drug profits.
The homeland security discount vacation
A new regulation that will effectively require passports for most U.S. travelers to the Caribbean is having a surprising impact on the winter getaway season that starts next month.Fearful that Americans without passports will stay home or go elsewhere, Caribbean resorts are rolling out some unusual extra incentives. The Westin and Sheraton resort on Grand Bahama is offering a $100 credit to guests who have recently purchased a U.S. passport. On St. Kitts, the Frigate Bay Resort is cutting 20 percent off some guests' tabs, while the Boardwalk Boutique Hotel in Aruba is offering a $50 rental-car voucher. Similar deals are popping up at resorts from Jamaica to the Dominican Republic.
Starting Jan. 8, U.S. citizens returning from the Caribbean must have a passport to reenter the country.
Bahamas fest lauds Cage
Nicolas Cage will be the recipient of a career achievement tribute at the third annual Bahamas Intl. Film Festival, Dec. 7-10.Sean Connery will present Cage with the kudo Dec. 8 at the Atlantis Theater at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.
A selection of Cage's films will screen during fest, including "Face/Off," "Adaptation" and "Wild at Heart."
Fest's juried competition categories include the Spirit of Freedom (with both narrative and documentary sections) and the New Visions section.
Additional film programs include Panorama World Cinema, Special Screenings, Caribbean Spotlight and a component added this year, East Meets West, which will present films from Eastern Europe, India, East Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Susanne Bier's "After the Wedding" will open fest.
Tourists finding trouble in paradise
Frank and Ann Miller of Hannibal, Mo., found out in one of the hardest possible ways that a vacation villa in the Caribbean can be unsafe. Last winter, the couple rented a posh house for a month in the intimate beachside resort of Rendezvous Bay on the island of Anguilla. One morning in January they woke to find two armed and masked bandits in their bedroom. The intruders fled, but not before shooting the Millers, seriously wounding Ann. No arrests have been made. .Casino Royale's James Bond: From Iconic To Human
JoBlo features a new interview with Casino Royale's director Martin Campbell. He speaks on going back to James Bond after a break since 1995's GoldenEye, dealing with the censors, Daniel Craig as 007, Eva Green's Vesper Lynd, and much more…When asked how it felt to return to the Bond series with Casino Royale, Campbell explained: 'Because it was a book, it felt good. They did offer me another one after GoldenEye but I just didnt want to repeat myself. It was just another submarine pen but because this was a book, I thought this character was much more interesting perhaps in the book than it becomes in the movie. His liver is in bad shape and he smokes, which Fleming smoked by the way and it finally killed him.'
The way Bond interacts with Solange is very different compared to the relationship he strikes with Vesper Lynd a little later on.