Azano blames Sempra, ex-cop for woes
The Mexican millionaire accused of funneling illegal campaign donations to San Diego politicians maintains his innocence in a new federal court filing, blaming his legal troubles on Sempra Energy and a retired police detective who once provided security for him.
In a highly detailed filing Wednesday, the lawyer for Jose Susumo Azano Matsura outlined some of the FBI’s evidence in the case — much of which has been secret until now.
Defense attorney Knut Johnson says Ernie Encinas, the retired San Diego police detective who worked as a security consultant for Azano, was the one who orchestrated the campaign donation scheme.
Azano, whose family owns two homes in Coronado, told Encinas at one point that he’d like to donate $100,000 to police widows and asked the retired detective how he could go about doing that. According to the filing, Encinas responded that he had a better idea, suggesting Azano donate to the political campaign of a “friend” who would help police widows.
That friend was District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who was running for San Diego mayor in 2012.
In an interview with the FBI, Encinas said the donations went to Dumanis, “Because of me. Bonnie is a friend of mine,” the filing states, citing evidence in the case.
Azano is accused of funneling a total of $200,000 to support her campaign, using straw donor Marc Chase, a friend who co-owned a La Jolla luxury car dealership, as well as political campaign manager Ravneet Singh and lobbyist Marco Polo Cortes.
Funds also went to Bob Filner’s mayoral campaign and to Rep. Juan Vargas’ congressional campaign, prosecutors say.
It is illegal for a foreign national to contribute to a political campaign in the United States.
The lawyer says money given to Chase was actually part of Azano’s contribution in buying a share of the dealership, Symbolic Motor Car Co.
But Encinas had other ideas of what to do with the money, the filing claims, and was hoping the politicians would be friendly to his consulting business, helping nightclubs open in the Gaslamp Quarter, records show.
In a footnote to the filing, Johnson points out that there is no evidence in the discovery that Dumanis did anything illegal, corrupt or unethical.
The lawyer says a recommendation letter she penned to the University of San Diego on behalf of Azano’s son was also done at the request of Encinas, matching Dumanis’ version of events.
The FBI was able to turn Encinas into a confidential informant during the latter part of the investigation, and he tried to get Azano to admit wrongdoing in a surreptitiously taped conversation, with no success, the filing says.
Encinas, as well as Chase, have already pleaded guilty in the case and are awaiting sentencing.
Azano also blames collaboration between the government and Sempra in going after him with the criminal charges. Azano financially backed an Ensenada land owner in a bitter legal battles with Sempra several years ago.
The energy company, and later Azano, became the focus of a Department of Justice investigation of corruption in that deal, but the case was ultimately dismissed.
Johnson says the evidence appears to show that the government’s interest in Azano didn’t end there.
Azano has complained about being bullied and harassed by “rogue” Department of Homeland Security agents who’ve suspected him of crimes from gun running to money laundering over the years — allegations that Azano’s lawyer says are false.
Agents also approached Azano’s personal pilot several times beginning in 2012 trying to get him to rat on Azano, but the pilot told investigators that he never saw his boss do anything illegal, the filing says.
Johnson says evidence supplied to him by prosecutors seems to show the government doing Sempra’s bidding when it comes to this case.
Azano’s lawyer has asked for a hearing next month to request that more evidence be released in the case, and for the government to specify why U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy has recused herself from the case.
