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Herald Malaysia
7 days ago
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Colombian senator dies 2 months after being shot by assassin
Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay died Monday morning, Aug. 11, just over two months after being shot by a hitman, his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed. The politician was hospitalized at the Santa Fe Foundation Hospital in Bogotá. Aug 12, 2025 Miguel Uribe Turbay. | Credit: LuigiVenegas, Original uploader (2019), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By David Ramos Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay died Monday morning, Aug. 11, just over two months after being shot by a hitman, his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed. The politician was hospitalized at the Santa Fe Foundation Hospital in Bogotá. 'You will always be the love of my life. Thank you for a life full of love, thank you for being a father to the girls, the best father to Alejandro. I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you,' Tarazona wrote on Instagram early this morning. Born on Jan. 28, 1986, in Bogotá, Colombia, Uribe Turbay was the son of businessman Miguel Uribe and journalist Diana Turbay, who was murdered in 1991 after being kidnapped by the order of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Medellín Cartel. Uribe Turbay, whose family background is Maronite Catholic, held various public offices until he was elected to the country's Senate in 2022 as a candidate for the Democratic Center political party — led by former President Álvaro Uribe — and had strong prospects ahead of the 2026 presidential elections. On June 7, as part of his campaign to get on the ballot, he participated in a political event in Fontibón on the west side of the Bogotá capital district where he was the victim of the attack that claimed his life early this morning after nearly two months in critical condition. In addition to his wife, Uribe Turbay is survived by his young son, Alejandro, and three daughters from his wife's previous relationship. Cardinal Rueda: It's a time to unite as a country The archbishop of Bogotá and primate of Colombia, Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio, urged the country to hold on to hope despite the pain caused by Uribe Turbay's death. 'Is not this the time to call on all Colombians to reject all forms of violence and walk together in hope. This is not a time for us to be divided, it is a time to unite,' he said. In a video released by the Archdiocese of Bogotá, the cardinal also expressed his solidarity with the Uribe Turbay family and assured them that the Church is praying for the senator's eternal rest. 'I also invite all families in Colombia to pray. Let us pray for Colombia. Let us pray for the children. Let us pray for the youth. Let us pray for peace. And let us pray to God to give us a renewed heart and a new conscience so that we may be able to work for the unity of Colombia, reject all forms of violence, and be able to meet and dialogue together in the midst of conflict,' he said. Father Ramón Zambrano, founder of the television channel Cristovisión, also expressed his condolences. 'May Miguel Uribe Turbay rest in peace. May he enjoy eternal life that the Lord grants to the just. May God bless and strengthen his wife and his entire family,' he wrote on X. 'May the blood of the martyrs be a seed of hope so that we may commit ourselves to forging a country where we don't turn our backs on God,' he added. Colombia mourns Other political leaders also expressed their condolences following the death of the Colombian senator. Former President Álvaro Uribe posted on X: 'Evil destroys everything; they have killed hope. May Miguel's struggle be a light that illuminates the right path for Colombia.' Former Colombian President Iván Duque said that 'terrorism robbed us of a promising figure for Colombia and a leader of integrity and transparency… Colombia mourns but will not surrender to the criminals who snuffed out the life of an admirable young man.' Carlos Galán, mayor of Bogotá and son of Luis Carlos Galán — a presidential candidate assassinated on the orders of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in 1989 — recognized Uribe Turbay as 'a great human being, an honest and courageous leader, a politician with a true vocation for service.' 'His assassination should be a turning point for Colombia. We cannot accept violence in our country,' he added, calling for this crime to not go unpunished. Colombian authorities have arrested members of the crime gang accused of organizing the assasination, which was carried out by a 15-year-old boy. --CNA
The Hill
11-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Rubio condemns ‘tragic' death of assassinated Colombian presidential candidate
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has condemned the assassination of Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay, who died Monday after being shot during a June campaign rally. Uribe was 39. 'Deeply saddened to learn of Colombian Senator @MiguelUribeT's tragic death,' Rubio wrote on social media. 'The United States stands in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those responsible.' Uribe was hospitalized in critical condition immediately after the shooting, which took place at a campaign rally in his country's capital of Bogota. He had been a prominent opposition voice against the left-wing government of President Gustavo Petro. Uribe came from a prominent political family that had been previously impacted by political violence. His grandfather, Julio César Turbay Ayala, served as president for four years starting in 1972. His mother, Diana Turbay, was kidnapped and killed by the Medellín Cartel in 1991. It's not clear who ordered the assassination or why. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who was born in Colombia, condemned Uribe's killing. 'Miguel Uribe represented the best of Colombia. May he rest in peace, may his spirit guide Colombia into the future, and may this horrible situation wake up a sentiment of reconciliation and direction for Colombians,' he wrote on X. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) also expressed his condolences to Uribe's family, calling the politician 'brilliant, tireless, brave' in a Spanish-language post on social media.
The Guardian
11-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Colombian senator Miguel Uribe dies after June campaign shooting
A Colombian senator who was shot in the head in June during a campaign event has died, his family has said. Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential candidate from the rightwing opposition, was shot in Bogotá on 7 June during a rally and had multiple surgeries before his death. His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, wrote on social media: 'I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you. Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children.' Uribe's death aged 39 adds further tragedy to his family's fraught history. His mother, the journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after she was kidnapped by the Medellín cartel, headed by the drug lord Pablo Escobar. Uribe enjoyed a rapid political rise, becoming a recognised lawmaker for the rightwing Democratic Centre party and presidential hopeful known for his sharp criticism of the administration of the leftwing president, Gustavo Petro. At 25, he was elected to Bogotá's city council, where he was a prominent opponent of Petro, then the capital's mayor, criticising his handling of waste management and social programmes. In the 2022 legislative elections, Uribe led the senate slate for Democratic Centre with the slogan 'Colombia first', winning a seat in the chamber. His family is prominent in Colombian politics. His maternal grandfather, Julio César Turbay, was Colombia's president from 1978 to 1982, while his paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria, headed the Liberal party and supported Virgilio Barco's successful 1986 presidential campaign.
Forbes
30-07-2025
- Forbes
Man Who Marketed Pablo Escobar-Branded Crypto And Flamethrower Pleads Guilty To Fraud
Pablo Escobar died in 1993, but in this 2017 picture, a woman in Medellin, Colombia, still keeps a picture of him in her wallet. Photo byOlof Kyros Gustafsson, also known as (aka) 'Sir Olaf Gustafsson,' aka 'El Silencio,' has pleaded guilty to six federal criminal charges related to marketing and selling products, including flamethrowers and cell phones, that he never delivered. The products were based on licensing rights tied to the late Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. According to his plea agreement, Gustafsson was the CEO of Escobar Inc., a corporation registered in Puerto Rico that held successor-in-interest rights to the intellectual property—largely, name and likeness—of Pablo Escobar. Escobar is a former Colombian narco-terrorist, most commonly recognized as the head of the Medellín Cartel. At the height of the drug trade in the 1980s, Escobar, called "The King of Cocaine," was responsible for an estimated 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States—at one point, he was thought to be bringing in an estimated $420 million a week. Escobar was eventually shot and killed by Colombian police in 1993. Escobar remained popular, and Escobar's brother and former accountant for the Medellín Cartel, Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, registered the successor-in-interest rights as part of Escobar, Inc. According to the company's website, 'The only true rights-holder to any naming rights involving Pablo Escobar is Escobar Inc, and we defend such rights.' True to their word, in 2017, the company threatened to sue Netflix for $1 billion for alleged intellectual property violations the company tied to the popular show, 'Narcos.' Escobar Inc. eventually abandoned its trademark claims. Still, the company continued to market Escobar's name. According to court documents, from July 2019 to November 2023, Gustafsson used the Escobar persona to market and advertise products similar to those already in the market at a substantially lower price. The products included the Escobar Flamethrower, a product modeled after the 'Not a Flamethrower' marketed and sold by Elon Musk's The Boring Company for $500. Escobar's brother accused Musk of stealing the idea and demanded $100 million—the demand didn't go anywhere, with Musk alluding to the allegations on X (formerly Twitter). Despite the controversy, Gustafsson and his co-conspirators continued to market the product. They advertised the Escobar Flamethrower for less than half of the amount Musk was seeking: just $249. Despite receiving payment from customers, Escobar Flamethrowers were not delivered. The purported products also included several phones, including the Escobar Fold Phone (available for sale for $349) and an 'upgraded' Escobar Fold 2 Phone, marketed as a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Fold phone (available for sale for $400). The company promoted the phones on a website it owned called RIPSamsung. The video for the phone—which remains available on YouTube—showed a bikini-clad woman smashing up Galaxy Fold phones with a sledgehammer and has been viewed over 800,000 times. A similar video promoting the 'Escobar Fold Phone' has been viewed more than two million times on YouTube. no longer exists (it redirects to the Escobar Inc. website)—according to the company, Samsung filed a complaint over the use of the domain—and won—in 2020. The Escobar Gold 11 Pro Phone was similarly marketed as a refurbished Apple iPhone 11 Pro, plated in 24 karat gold, and available for sale for $500. In 2020, Escobar Gaviria claimed to have filed suit against Apple, seeking $2.6 billion in damages. The suit, which was allegedly filed by Escobar Gaviria individually, was posted on the company's website. Despite the drama, phones were not delivered to paying customers. Gustafsson also advertised Escobar Cash, marketed as the world's first 'physical cryptocurrency.' Escobar Cash was available for sale in several denominations at a U.S. dollar conversion rate of 1/1000th of U.S. dollar face value. The cash has been described as a combination of 'two worlds, the physical world and the virtual world' by using 'hybrid cash notes, notes that are backed by cryptocurrency and tied to the blockchain.' (A book penned by Escobar Gaviria about the currency remains for sale on Amazon, and Gustaffson is listed as an additional author.) To keep the scheme going, Gustafsson and his co-conspirators would send crudely-made samples of the products to reviewers and social media influencers to increase demand. For example, he sent Samsung Galaxy Fold Phones wrapped in gold foil and disguised as Escobar, Inc. phones to online tech reviewers to induce victims who watch online reviews into paying for and purchasing the non-existent Escobar, Inc. products. Rather than sending the products, Gustafsson would send a 'Certificate of Ownership,' book, or other promotional materials to customers so that there was record of a mailing. When a paying customer would attempt to obtain a refund when the product was never delivered, Gustafsson fraudulently referred the payment processor to the record of mailing as 'proof' that the product was shipped and received by the customer. That would mean the refund requests would be denied. Eventually, several payment processors, including PayPal, cut ties with the company due to the complaints. The items are also no longer available on the company's website, though the website remains online. Before the items were removed from the site, Gustafsson and his co-conspirators received hundreds of orders. The take, according to court documents? At least $1,300,193. Gustafsson also arranged to open bank accounts in the United States, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates. The accounts were opened under his name and entities he controlled to be used as funnel accounts—bank accounts into which he deposited the proceeds from his criminal activities. The goal was to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. He would then transfer and launder the funds through various bank accounts, including accounts in the Central District of California and elsewhere in the United States and abroad. Ultimately, the funds landed in accounts owned by Gustafsson, his family members, and others, who would then use the funds for their own personal use. Arrest Gustafsson was arrested in Marbella, Spain, in December 2023. He was taken into federal custody in the United States on March 28, after he was extradited. When he was taken into custody, he was arraigned on a 115-count federal indictment, including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, 41 counts of money laundering, 35 counts of international money laundering, and 25 counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. According to court documents, Gustafsson is represented by Meghan A. Blanco of the Law Offices of Meghan Blanco. Blanco did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Criminal Charges Gustafsson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of concealment money laundering, and one count of international concealment money laundering. Wire fraud involves wire communication—in this case, the internet—sent across state lines to promote or commit fraud, while mail fraud involves the use of the U.S. Mail (or other mail carriers) to execute a scheme. Money laundering is the process of converting 'dirty money" meaning that it was from illegal sources into "clean' money, or legitimate cash so that it can't be traced. The easiest way, of course, is to run the cash through a bank or other financial institution and replace those bad dollars with shiny new ones—that's why federal laws require that large transactions be reported. When illicit funds are transmitted money from a place inside the United States to or through a place outside the United States, that's international money laundering. Conspiracy charges mean that two or more persons agreed to commit a crime (in this case, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering) and the defendant joined, knowing the purpose of the scheme and intending to help accomplish that purpose. Court documents did not name the co-conspirators in the case. Sentencing Following his guilty plea, Gustafsson is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha for sentencing. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each fraud-related count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering-related count. That means the total maximum sentence for all offenses is 120 years imprisonment. In addition, he faces up to a 3-year period of supervised release, a fine of $2,250,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offenses (whichever is greatest), and a mandatory special assessment of $600. As part of his plea agreement, Gustafsson has agreed to pay up to $1.3 million in restitution to victims, as well as to forfeiture to funds that were proceeds of the fraud schemes, including money currently held in a bank account in Sweden. IRS Criminal Investigation IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the FBI, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General investigated the matter, with assistance from the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, the United States Marshals Service, Eurojust, Spanish authorities, and French judicial authorities. CI is the sixth-largest law enforcement agency in the U.S. and is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations like tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, and identity theft. While other federal agencies also have investigative jurisdiction for money laundering and some bank secrecy act violations, the IRS is the only federal agency that can investigate potential criminal violations of the tax code. The agency has 19 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad. Forbes IRS Special Agent Was Shocked A Woman Would Fake Having Cancer—But She Did By Kelly Phillips Erb Forbes The Infiltrator: Drugs, Dirty Money And Deep Cover By Kelly Phillips Erb
News18
23-07-2025
- News18
MKBHD's Escobar Fold Scam Episode Comes To A Poetic End: A Complete Timeline
The year is 2020. Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, a tech YouTuber, orders an Escobar Fold 1 – a foldable smartphone – with an enticing price tag of $349. Yes, the same Pablo Escobar dubbed as the 'Drug Lord" and 'King of Cocaine" from Colombia, who led the Medellín Cartel. The man's cocaine trafficking business made him one of the wealthiest criminals in the history books as he reached the pinnacle through corruption, violence, and criminal activities. The phone company, Escobar Inc., that the tech YouTuber came across was associated with Roberto de Jesús Escobar Gaviria, Escobar's brother. The CEO and mastermind? Olof Kyros Gustafsson.
