Hillary Clinton Whistleblower Peter F. Paul Moved to Corridor of Death in Brazilian Prison When U.S. Fails to Arrange Return To Federal Court in New York

(Washington, DC and Brasilia, Brazil) Five weeks after the Brazilian Foreign Minister notified the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil that Peter F. Paul’s extradition process had been completed and U.S. officials should immediately return him to the U.S. to face stock manipulation and other related charges, the U.S. Embassy in Brazil has failed to arrange for Paul’s delivery to a federal court in New York.

Paul, the largest donor to Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign, told the Ashcroft Justice Department that he made at least $2 million in contributions to Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign with the expectation that Bill Clinton would work with him in return for a $15 million in cash and stock from Stan Lee Media, a NASDAQ company named after Spiderman creator Stan Lee. Peter Paul, who co-founded Stan Lee Media with Mr. Lee, has been cooperating with Department of Justice investigators about the criminal issues surrounding his dealings with the Clintons. As part of Paul’s good faith proffer to investigators, Paul detailed Mrs. Clinton’s personal knowledge of his contributions, none of which the former First Lady and current U.S. Senator reported to the Federal Election Commission, and how she directed the diversion of Paul’s payment of $55,000 of Stan Lee Media stock to an outside political entity working on her behalf. Paul also detailed allegations that for several years, the FBI allowed one of its organized crime operatives to loot publicly traded companies under the guise of criminal investigations, while the government looked the other way. Reports by The Los Angeles Times and Vanity Fair have confirmed key aspects of Paul’s information concerning the Clintons and FBI corruption. A criminal investigation of the Clintons has begun relating to the August 2000 fundraiser.

In the midst of this cooperation, Paul was indicted in New York on alleged stock fraud and conspiracy charges on June 12, 2001. He was then indicted in California on alleged bank fraud charges. When he was indicted, Paul was in Brazil managing businesses he had there for many years, was cooperating with Justice Department, and was making arrangements to return to the U.S. to address the criminal charges against him. He was picked up by Brazilian police on August 3, 2001.

On August 20, 2003, after over two years in various Brazilian prisons, Paul was moved to the notorious Block F section of maximum security state penitentiary in Brasilia, where Paul is being held pending his extradition to the U.S. Paul, the only American ever to be imprisoned there, was placed among some of Brazil’s most dangerous criminals, in a cell in the “Corridor of Death,” infamous for the regular murder of prisoners by immolation. Mr. Paul has learned that more than sixteen prisoners have been burned alive in their cells in “Block F” within the past year alone. Paul has attempted to expedite the conclusion of his extradition proceeding since the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled in December, 2002 that he could be returned to the U.S. Yet the U.S. government has failed to respond to the Brazilian government’s official notice to retrieve Paul, sent to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia on July 18, 2003. Judicial Watch lawyers in Brazil have filed a petition with the Brazilian Supreme Court seeking protection and better conditions for Paul.

“Mr. Paul is a key witness in a criminal investigation regarding the Clintons. Mr. Paul’s life is in jeopardy every day in a brutal and dangerous Brazilian prison, while the Bush Administration continues to delay his return. If the United States government wanted Mr. Paul home, it would have acted at least nine months ago to expedite his return. Mr. Paul should be brought back home immediately so that he can continue to cooperate with the government’s investigation into the Clintons and FBI corruption,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.