Monday, April 1, 2019

RRUN2, BEDC BESET BY JASON HILT'S LEGAL ENTANGLEMENTS

By Juan Montoya

We are in receipt of a demand letter from Olga Lucia Ramos Sajona through her legal representatives that we are named in a defamation complaint in Colombia.

Who is Ms. Ramos?

She happens to have been the manager of the Brownsville Economic Development Corporation that former BEDC CEO Jason Hilts set up in Colombia, ostensibly to recruit businesses to come to Brownsville and set up shop and provide local residents with good-paying jobs.

Those jobs - despite spending close to $100,000 a year for operations including a $50,000 salary for Ramos -  never materialized. Instead, Hilt's Colombian adventure produced a flurry of lawsuits against him and the BEDC that are still active in that country.

We reported on Ramos' sweet deal with Hilts and the BEDC, the junkets taken by a host of local officials including Mayor Tony Martinez, Filemon Vela Jr., and a long list of city, Port of Brownsville and State if Texas officials and bureaucrats. And we also reported that the BEDC office for which it was paying rent was actually Ramos' residence.

We also reported that it was common knowledge among BEDC staff, Martinez, and BEDC executive committee president Tony Capella that Hilts and Ramos enjoyed an intimate relationship. That much was corroborated by then-Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation legal counsel Mark Sossi, who also made the finding of his investigation known to the two men many months before Hilts resigned.

They ignored him.

When Hilts terminated Ramos under the pretext that she had forged an invoice from a Colombian company for $5,000 that he had urged the BEDC to pay by wiring Ramos the money so she could pay it there, the BEDC was sued in Colombia for labor violations.

There are three legal proceedings filed against the BEDC. The last filing (#05001311050152010063100) was filed in the 15th Labor Court of Medellin on August 3, 2017 alleging an unspecified labor matter and is still open.

The previous April 28, 2017, the BEDC was also named in the 18th Labor Court of Medellin (#05001310501820170035500) by Ramos on another unspecified labor matter.

The earliest labor filing by Ramos against BEDC was (#05001310501520160007300) was on January 21, 2016, also over an unspecified labor matter.

On November, 18, 2016 and February 2-17, hearings were heard for the January 21, case in the 15th Labor Court in Medellin according to online Colombian litigation records. However, it is unclear who attended - if anyone - on behalf of the BEDC.

A search of court records also indicates that Ramos filed a lawsuit October 14, 2014 against Hilts in the 14th Family Court in Medellin (#05001316001420140159700) on an unspecified family matter.

And as far as the forged invoice for $5,000 which Hilts used as the reason for her termination, there was no report made to Colombian or American law authorities. Fortunately, the invoice raised suspicions at the BEDC and the company which had allegedly sent it to the BEDC disavowed that it had sent it. Capella dissuaded the owner from reporting it to local authorities and said they would "take care of it" internally.

The $5,000 was never sent.

We haven't checked lately, but given Ms. Ramos propensity to sue, we will probably be named in some legal action for reporting these facts. In the lengthy denunciation against El Rrun-Rrun and your truly, she alleges that we defamed her, her moral integrity, personal security, her good name, her public faith and protection of facts in relation with us posting the terms of her contract with the BEDC.

In other words, she, through her legal reps, charge that we should have never published the terms of her contract with the BEDC nor her personal - and intimate - relationship with Hilts that resulted in the lawsuit filed against him in a family court in Colombia.

We have left the demand letter and complaint withe the Colombian Attorney General in the hands of our legal counsel and will keep our readers appraised of the proceedings. And we will file a public  information request with the current board  and legal counsel of the BEDC to find out whether that entity has incurred legal liabilities as a result of Ramos' legal actions against it in Colombia.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what?

Anonymous said...

@4650 Bowie Rd, Brownsville, TX

You must not be a taxpayer fool

Anonymous said...

What is new The Jackass Jason Hilts has been stealing from the BEDC, and the BEDC credit card for years, he uses his credit card for his own use weekly for personal purposes. Who will say anything about it as they will be fired, like the CFO, who had the proof that he was stealing, she got fired and he was made President.
When the District Attorney is scared shitless of him what can we do to get justice from him. Offer Armando Villalobos to cut his sentence by three months, and he will roll over on the Jackass Jason Hilts and Gilbert Salinas his second in command.
The crowd in GBIC are involved in Hilts scams and he knows who took money from GBIC for their own business that failed, The Jackass Jason Hilts and Gilbert Salinas are Untouchable.

Anonymous said...

Just another issue that demonstrates the lack of leadership of Mayor Tony Martinez, and his failure to move this issue to resolution. We notice this week that Tony was telling CNN that all is well in Brownsville with the horde of illegals on our doorsteps. Tony pops up for the national news media, but seems to avoid the local media regarding the invasion by illegals. Tony, like Jim Darling in McAllen denies the chaos caused by the number of illegals coming into this area. Tony has absolutely no leadership ability and every issue seems to go on forever without resolution. After years, the hated Jefferson Davis Rock is still in Washington Park after public meetings, media debate and no resolution. Tony Martinez is just a lawyer and seeks a delay (continuance) for everything....because he is not a leader, nor a manager. This situation with Hilts and Colombia is just another failure by our mayor.

Anonymous said...

The only way you can get rid of Hilts is to give him a million dollars and say please leave us alone and leave your credit card behind. He has to much dirt on everyone since he paid Titan one million dollars when they were in default and collected his cut in a HEB plastic bag, that he paid everyone out, which made him untouchable.

Anonymous said...

Why oh why must the city of Brownsville keep on being so stupid. The city commissioners did what? Sorry, the city commissioners were too blind to see their mistakes. They were Too busy building the bike and hike trails to Colombia

I’m not a robot said...

To anonymouse @ 9:57 am

If you had read this posted article under a paid subscription you would probably want a refund because it does not suit your narrative.

This is a FREE blog. So stop your whining.

Anonymous said...

is there a child involved here now, Ramos wants BEDC to pay child support? Hijo de sue, and the band plays on. Well Ms. Ramos that what you get for getting in bed with Hilts-puro chorizo

Anonymous said...

He Fucked up.

Anonymous said...

make them pay it all back!

Anonymous said...

Fuck Bolts and his hoe! Oh ya the mayor to

Anonymous said...

I want a DNA test and the BEDC must pay for it I was only showing her how we operate in Brownsville, the four Fs Find them Feel them, Fuck them and Fire them. Then no problem.
So she has a little one on the credit card

Anonymous said...

and sent them ALL to jail

Anonymous said...

I want American recidecy for my child and his mother and I will pay for it on the BEDC credit card. Jason Hilts stated

Anonymous said...

I love it that you censor my comments Juan. You cant handle the truth so you don't publish it.

Anonymous said...

Hilts is going to South America to bring industry to Brownsville, he states that there are more people from South America in Brownsville, so they can employ their own people.

Anonymous said...

Gringo greed

Anonymous said...

But I get to keep my credit card said the Jackass Jason Hilts, I also want Ms Ramos credit card to be included child support. The BEDC and GIBC will do as I say as I

Anonymous said...

The lady with the crutches must be the one Jason was fucking. That lard ass broke her leg when he climbed on top of her.

rita