Q: And what kinds of things does the legal attache' do?
A: We not only...Our sole purpose is to forge a working relationship with host country officials, primarily with law enforcement, to carry out joint investigations. And I also act as a liaison between the FBI and the government of that country, in facilitating FBI cases and other matters of interest to the FBI and of that country, as well.
While you were the ALAT, or the assistant legal attache' in Trinidad, did you participate in the investigation of a hostage-taking of an individual known as Balram Maharaj?
Yes.
I'm going to turn your attention to August 8th, 2006, specifically. On August 8th, 2006, where were you at roughly 6:30 pm.?
I believe I had just arrived from covering other countries in my area of responsibilities, and I just arrived back in Trinidad.
And around 7 pm, did you have occasion to travel to any particular location in Trinidad?
I travelled to the Arouca Police Station.
Why did you travel to the Arouca Police Station?
Bill Clauss, FBI agent working this case, advised that he was in another country and could not get to Trinidad to conduct an interview, and he requested that I travel back as soon as possible to conduct an interview for him.
And at that time, did you know who the interview involved?
Yes.
And who was it that you were asked to interview?
Mr Sealey.
And when you say "Mr Sealey," do you know that person's full name?
I don't remember his first name.
And about what time did you arrive at the Arouca Police Station?
I don't remember the specific time. I do know that it was in the evening.
When you arrived at the Arouca police station, what was going on?
Well, I met with some other detectives who were working the case, and I simply advised them that I would like to interview Mr Sealey. And they advised that I would have an opportunity to do that at a later time. So I simply waited for an opportunity to interview him.
While you were waiting to speak to Mr Sealey, were you given permission, in fact, to interview Mr Sealey?
I was told that I would have an opportunity to interview him at a later time.
And while you were there, did you see anybody else arrive?
Yes.
Who did you see arrive?
A Justice of the Peace for the country of Trinidad and Tobago.
Do you recall at this time–well, when you arrived and you were interviewing him, what was going on with him at that time in the station?
Well, at some point they started. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service started interviewing Mr Sealey. I was not involved in that interview. I was seated in another cubicle while they were interviewing him.
Now, from where you were seated, you said you weren't participating in that interview. Could you see and hear what was going on?
I could hear what was going on. I wasn't listening intently, but I could hear what they were saying. I didn't have full view of everyone in the other cubicle. But if I got up and looked around the partition, I could have seen who was actually involved.
Are you able to describe, from what you could hear and see, the demeanor in which that interview progressed?
It was calm. Mr Sealey was co-operating, and it was just a normal interview.
Do you know whether or not Mr Sealey's father was present that whole interview?
Yes; he was. Freeman said after the T&T Police completed the interview, he got a chance to speak to Sealey. "I went in and I introduced myself to him. I told him why I was there and I offered him an opportunity to go to the rest room or to have a break if he wanted to. "He declined. And therefore we started the interview. I told him that I was an assistant legal attache' assigned to the US Embassy, and that I represented the FBI and would like to speak to him about the kidnapping.
"Mr Sealey appeared to be in a calm state, and he didn't appear to be agitated in any way. He was non-confrontational. He was fully cooperative and talked to me willingly without any problems."
Freeman said Sealey indicated that he was involved in the kidnapping of Balram Maharaj. "He said his father owned a store, and while working in the store, he got a visit from a man. It was January, 2005. The man told him that he and some other guys had things lined up.
"They arranged to meet at Mellow Moods Bar the following day. He said there were soldiers, but he did not know them. He described three soldiers. "One of them, he said, was thrown out of the Defence Force. "The discussion pertained to an American who limes by a bar in Aranguez. Some of the men were saying they wanted to kidnap the American for ransom.
"He said they wanted him and another man to do the kidnapping. Upon arriving at the bar, he observed the first vehicle drive around the bar and park in an area that provides full view of the bar. "He said that as the first vehicle passed the bar, Soldier No 3, who was alone in the first vehicle, pointed towards the bar, and another person in the vehicle said: 'That's the man in there with the pink shirt.'"
And do you recall if he said specifically who stated "That's the man in there with the pink shirt"?
Yes. He said Saucy made that statement.
And then what did he say happened next?
He said that he and some other men were in the second vehicle. He said the second vehicle drove around the bar. And upon making a second approach toward the bar, they parked across the street from the bar.
What did he say happened after that?
Shortly thereafter, Soldier No 3 entered the second vehicle and gave Mr Sealey and another person each a gun. Soldier No 3 had both guns in his waistband. Soldier No 3 gave Mr Sealey a 9mm pistol and a .38-calibre revolver to the other person.
Did he say what Soldier No 3 did after providing the guns?
Afterwards he said that after providing the guns, Soldier No 3 exited the vehicle.
And what, if anything, did Mr Sealey indicate that he did at that point?
Mr Sealey said he exited the second vehicle and went into the bar. As another man stood behind the victim, Mr Sealey approached the victim and stated: "We come for you."
He stated that as he pointed the gun into the victim's back, the victim stood up and said: "Not me," and pointed to someone else in the bar.
The victim eventually complied with Mr Sealey's demand. And as the victim walked out of the bar, Mr Sealey and another man walked out of the bar with Mr Sealey and another man.
Mr Sealey kept the gun pointed into the victim's back. And when Mr Sealey returned to the second vehicle, another man took control of the victim and placed the victim in the middle of the back seat so that the victim would be seated between Mr Sealey and him and Mr Sealey.
And when you say "him," who are you referring to? Is that the other man?
The other person that he described as Saucy. Shortly thereafter, the first vehicle departed, followed by the second vehicle containing the victim.
Where did he say the vehicles went at that point?
He advised that both of the vehicles went to Santa Cruz and stopped on Saddle Road. He said immediately after stopping, one man left to fetch another man. Soon thereafter, a third vehicle drove up. Mr Sealey only remembers; his only memory of the third vehicle is that it had four doors. A man got out of the third vehicle, removed the victim from the second vehicle, and placed the victim in the back seat of the third vehicle.
The man also sat next to the victim in the back seat of the third vehicle. So as the man removed the victim from the second vehicle, Mr Sealey also exited the second vehicle, and the vehicle immediately drove off. After securing the victim in the back seat of the third vehicle, it drove off to an unknown location, and Mr Sealey advised that he take a taxi home.
More information:
Marvin Freeman was assigned to the US Embassy in Port-of-Spain at the time that US citizen, Balram "Balo" Maharaj, was kidnapped.
Long after the recovery of Maharaj's remains in the Santa Cruz forest, Freeman got the opportunity to interview one of the suspects, Christopher Sealey. He told a Washington jury, on June 29, that Sealey admitted his involvement in the kidnapping, saying the gang, which included three soldiers, wanted to kidnap an American for ransom.
Seven Trinidadians were found guilty before Judge John Bates on July 31, and will be sentenced on February 12. Freeman was questioned by Asst US Attorney, Emily Miller. A supervisory special agent with the FBI for the past nine years, Freeman, 52, has 25 years' service altogether. He is assigned to FBI headquarters in the inspection division. His job is to travel around the country, inspecting other FBI field offices for compliance with FBI policy and with federal laws. Before he started that job in 2008, he was assigned to the US Embassy in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, as the FBI's assistant legal attache'.
