When crime doesn’t pay… Gofundme!
Guillermo Padrés Elias, the former governor of Sonora, managed somehow to walk off with 8.8 million dollars, proceeds of a career of “organized crime, fraud, and investments with illicitly obtained funds”. About par for a really crooked governor. He’s been in jail for two years awaiting trial, so, a kindly judge let him out, on a mere 40 million peso bail (about 2 million US dollars). However, another 100 million pesos is still needed if he’s to stay out of the slammer… owed to various creditors which would settle some criminal complaints, though his trial on several charges would still be pending.
Padrés claims he just doesn’t have the money… his good friend state PAN party chair Ernesto Munro Palacio — who just happened to be Secretary of Security during Padrés tenure — is asking for donations. Don’t let a crook sit in jail, just because he claims to have lost his loot.
The Mex Files 
Listening to AMLO’s inauguration speech today, I was shocked to learn that corruption in Mexico is not penalized as a serious crime. As you know his party has a bill waiting to be passed that would make it a serious crime. Let’s all hope that it passes promptly.
Mexico’s two big problems (in order) are corruption and public education. If both those things can be fixed, or at least greatly ameliorated, there’s hope for the country.
Saludos,
Kim G
Redding, CA
Where we are rooting for AMLO, though a bit fearful of his economic ideas.