Days after successful police raids in Costa Rica and Spain which resulted in the capturing of twelve people assumed to be involved with the kidnapping of William Sean Creighton – otherwise known as 5Dimes Tony – the Criminal Court of the Second Judiciary Circuit of San Jose has pronounced the first sentences for the perpetrators.
Five individuals were convicted to six months of preventive confinement - the convicted are main suspects' uncle and grandmother, Vega Aguirre and Aguirre Leal, as well as Martinez Chacon, Sanabria Abarca and Ford Dowman.
Despite the identical preventative imprisonment demanded by the district attorney, the traffic police officers who are among the suspects placed under arrest in Costa Rica got off with precautionary measures: they will need to report to police once a month, not attempt to leave the country and keep permanent place of residence.
They are also prohibited from keeping any form of contact and communication with others who are involved in the trial.
The three other culprits charged with kidnapping of victim who were captured in Spain are in the process of being extradited to Costa Rica and will be facing the same judicial process.
This series of unfortunate events began on September 25th when Creighton – the owner and main man behind 5Dimes casino and sportsbook – was reported to the police as missing by his wife.
The authorities rolled out a full-scale investigation despite no leads whatsoever and the conflicting information regarding the request of ransom money – at first, it was reported that no ransom payment was ever requested which was refuted by Tony's wife who said she did get the call of this nature.
Various sources cited different ransom sums: it was either $750,000 or $1 million, but in either case, the kidnappers' preferred currency in which they demanded to be paid was Bitcoin.
General public may soon add criminal justice to cryptocurrencies' list of societal merits, as it may turn out that kidnappers' downfall began with this particular ransom request...
...Namely, the full crypto transfer of the requested ransom money (to which Tony's family agreed and promised will be paid) was tracked down by international police cyber departments, leading police forces to criminals' exact hide-out spots in several Costa Rica towns and Spain's Zaragoza.
In the meantime, the whereabouts of 5Dimes Tony – who was still deemed missing and not dead, despite earlier reports suggesting that his body was recovered – are still being looked into but will surely soon be revealed with all the suspects behind bars.
Around since 1996, 5Dimes Casino is a virtual umbrella for four different casinos offering slot, table, live dealer games as well as sports betting options. Costa Rican in its origins, it caters to a broader customer base nationality-wise. Its undeniably biggest attraction is the sheer volume and diversity of gaming options at hand, despite being of dubious quality when it comes to mobile gameplay experience.
Source:
“Kidnapping Suspects of UK Expat 5 Dimes Tony in Costa Rica Receive 6 Months of Preventive Imprisonment”, Laura Alvarado, news.co.cr, January 15, 2019.