Alleged Marcos general’s daughter faces sentencing in US

CHICAGO, Illinois – An alleged daughter of a general under the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and her current husband will learn on Wednesday the length of their prison terms before Judge Jeremy Fogel of the United States District of Northern California in San Jose.

Rebecca M. Solomon, a.k.a. “Rebecca Ishihama," and her husband, Terry R. Solomon, both of 185 Gilmartin Drive, Tiburon, California, will each expect a minimum of “78 months imprisonments, five years of supervised release, no fine, $300 special assessment and restitution to be determined by the Court," according to copies of plea agreements they separately signed on September 26th.

who had boasted of having a large stake in a $1.2-billion family trust in the Philippines and being a former husband of a Japanese royalty,

Copies of the plea agreements supplied to this reporter by Jack Gillund, spokesman of the US Attorney’s office in San Francisco, showed that the Solomon couple had agreed separately to plead guilty to Count One, conspiracy to commit mail and wire frauds; Count 20, engaging in wire fraud; and Count 42, engaging in “monetary transactions with funds derived from a specific unlawful activity."

The Solomons were originally indicted on Dec. 20, 2006 with conspiracy, wire fraud; conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, money laundering; engaging in monetary transactions with funds derived from a specified unlawful activity; and for forfeiture.

They fled their luxurious “Mediterranean-style chateau" in Tiburon, home to the country’s rich-and-famous, shortly before the federal authorities raided their home, which reportedly once was home to Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy.

During the raid, authorities confiscated their 2005 Maybach 57 and 2006 Hummer 2 automobiles, 2003 Harley Davidson Motorcycle, jewelry and their residence, $35,200 in US currency and other foreign currencies.

They were arrested in the Philippines in 2007.

Assistant US Attorney Jeffrey D. Nedrow told this reporter the Solomons are being held without bond “because they are flight risks."

Nedrow would not provide any private information of the accused beyond the court documents and reports published by “SFWeekly.com," which claimed that Mrs. Solomon is a daughter of a former Marcos general.

In the plea agreement, Ms. Solomon, 51, said from 2004 to April 30, 2006, she conspired with her husband, Terry, 60, “to defraud members of the public through two fraudulent investment schemes." These were the “Diamond" and “telecommunication hardware in China."

Claiming to have “special, inside information about purchasing a very large, 20 valuable, flawless diamond on the wholesale market" that could pitch for “$68 million," the Solomons were able to collect $4-M in 2004 to “purchase" and resell the diamond “in Japan," which would “require $5-M to cover the security and delivery costs."

They never purchased the “138-carat diamond" and used the money instead for their own purposes.

The transfer of investments were facilitated by their own “Kristoffer International, Inc.," a jewelry brokerage company, whose address was traced to their home. Their expensive lifestyles also convinced their investors that the couple were in legitimate business.

In the second China Leasing Fraud scheme, Terry and Rebecca Solomon crafted an “investment plan in which we falsely and fraudulently told investors that their funds would be invested in a company called New Century International Leasing (NCIL), a leasing company dealing in telecommunication hardware in China."

They were able to raise $14 million from investors, who were promised a “guaranteed 20% of investment at the end of 60 days." But they did not actually make any investment at all. But “spent a large portion of the money" “on expensive hotel stays, luxury items, personal vacations and jewelry." They also used the money to pay for the tuition for their children in private schools.

It was reported that an estimated $20 million was raised by the couple that also went to their frequent trips to Tokyo, a Mercedes Maybach sedan that costs $300,000, and another $300,000 that was spent for the wedding party of one Rebecca’s three adult daughters.

The couple also paid rent for her daughters, who lived in a suite at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, that costs them a monthly bill of $150,000. - GMANews.TV, with input from Ronnie M. Estrada

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