US embassy cable - 04PANAMA419

UNCLAS PANAMA 000419 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
STATE PASS FOR G/TIP/LINDERMAN/HOLLIDAY 
WHA/PPC/FALLS, WHA/CEN/BRIGHAM 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, PM, KTIP, LABOR, HUMAN RIGHTS,POLMIL 
SUBJECT: PANAMANIAN MADAM HEADED TO PRISON 
 
REF: PANAMA 229 
 
 
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  SUMMARY 
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1.  (U)  After two trials, two guilty verdicts, years of 
appeals, and not one day behind bars, the former head of a 
child prostitution ring, Thonya Xiomara Hubbard (aka Madam 
Thonya), will be spending the next 76 months in prison.  On 
February 16, the Supreme Appeal Court rejected Hubbard's 
appeal and ordered her immediate arrest based on sentences 
handed down by the 5th and 14th criminal courts for 
procurement of sexual services for others, corruption of 
minors, and procurement of sexual services with minors. 
Hubbard's child prostitution ring was originally uncovered, 
in 2000, by a Spanish television channel.  This decision 
comes less than a month after an unrelated child prostitution 
ring was broken up (Ref A) and in the wake of highly 
publicized GOP proposals to create a "cyber police force" to 
investigate child pornography on the Internet  End Summary. 
 
 
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AT LONG LAST 
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2.  (U)  The case of Thonya Xiomara Hubbard (aka Madam 
Thonya) has been on-going since 2000.  In that year, Antena 
Tres, a Spanish television station, conducted an undercover 
report in which Hubbard offered the sexual services of minors 
in exchange for cash to reporters posing as foreign 
businessman.  The first investigation resulted in Hubbard 
being sentenced to 40 months in prison for "pimping". 
However, she was freed on bail pending appeal.  In 2002, a 
second formal complaint was filed by the mother of a minor 
who Hubbard had hired out for sexual services.  In the second 
trial, Hubbard was found guilty and sentenced to 36 months in 
jail for corruption of a minor and procurement of sexual 
services to the detriment of a minor.  A Hubbard associate, 
Thanya Yamila de La Lastra Bedoya is already serving a 40 
month sentence and a former client, Venezuelan businessman 
Larry Pinto, was sentenced and served a 27 month jail term. 
Hubbard maintains her innocence and claims the Spanish 
reporters were on a witch-hunt against her and that all 
charges are unjustified. 
 
 
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MAKING BIG STRIDES 
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3.  (U)  The Supreme Appeal Court's decision comes less than 
a month after a high-profile bust of another child 
prostitution ring (Ref A).  In addition, in the same week as 
the Hubbard decision, the GOP announced it is considering 
proposals to establish a "cyber police force" to monitor and 
investigate internet crimes in Panama.  The GOP is especially 
concerned about internet "scams", identity theft, and child 
pornography.  (NOTE: The E-Panama Commission is a 
collaboration between the GOP and the Canadian Commerce 
Corporation.  End Note.) 
 
 
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COMMENT 
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4.  (SBU)  If the decision to send Hubbard to prison holds, 
Panama will achieved another victory in its efforts to combat 
TIP.  The Hubbard case is especially significant given the 
high level of national and international attention.  Members 
of Judicial Police (PTJ) sex crimes unit informed PolOff, 
NAS, and others that Hubbard claimed she had names of 
prominent Panamanian who were her clients and would expose 
them if she was sent to prison.  It appears, for now, that 
those were empty or unsubstantiated threats.  While Embassy 
has been pressing GOP for continued action combating TIP, the 
recent positive developments should be fully credited to GOP 
initiative. 
WATT