EON

Ontario Woman Will Learn Fate Tuesday

Ottawa – The last 26 months has been an eternity for Brenda Martin, but the next several hours could mean all the difference in the world.

Brenda Martin has been held in jail in Mexico on charges of money laundering and conspiracy, and her case has garnered international attention. Martin has always maintained her innocence, and claims she was made a scapegoat for a former employer who scoffed and flouted Mexican law and escaped Mexican justice.

A judge in Mexico will rule on Tuesday on the case of the 51-year-old Ontario woman.  If Brenda Martin is found not guilty she could be released in a matter of hours and headed home.

But if the ruling from the justice in the Mexican court goes against her, she could face between 5 and 15 years of additional prison time.

Guillermo Cruz Rico, a lawyer from Toronto that is representing Ms. Martin is expecting his client to be exonerated with a verdict of Not Guilty.

“I am confident that we showed that Brenda Martin did not engage in any criminal activity,” said Cruz Rico to the media late Monday night.

Brenda Martin is being accused of being part of a sophisticated fraud scheme that was carried out over the Internet to the tune of nearly $60 million dollars.

Martin maintains her innocence, and is nervously awaiting the sentence from the Mexican Judge on Tuesday.