Roberto Arzú, candidato presidencial por la coalición Partido de Avanzada Nacional (PAN) y Podemos. (Foto Prensa Libre: Hemeroteca PL)

La petición se origina por una denuncia civil promovida por Juan José Rendón, de nacionalidad venezolana y conocido por ser un estratega político.

En el documento firmado por la jueza Areces se indica que Arzú fue citado a comparecer ante el tribunal el pasado 4 y 17 de abril.

Sin embargo, Arzú no asistió a las audiencias y eso motivó que la jueza hiciera la petición a los Sheriff —autoridad policial electa— de Miami para que detengan al candidato presidencial.

Se considera que Arzú está en desacato civil al Tribunal debido a su falta de comparecencia para una audiencia del 17 de abril de 2019, según lo exige la orden de la Corte del 4 de abril de 2019.

El Tribunal además ordenó a los sheriff que mantengan a Arzú en custodia y lo lleven ante un juez de primera comparecencia dentro de las 24 horas de su detención

Documentos a los que tuvo acceso Prensa Libre señalan que la demanda fue promovida por la empresa JJ Rendón & Associates Strategic Creativity, LLC.

Lea más: TSE: 8 millones están habilitados para votar el 16 de junio

La demanda fue ganada y la sentencia pide que Arzú pague la suma de US$ 5.5 millones más intereses previos al juicio hasta el 17 de septiembre de 2018, que ascienden a $ 660.5 mil.

Es decir, el demandante busca que Arzú pague US$ 6 millones 160.5 mil, los cuales seguirán devengando intereses legales hasta que se pague en su totalidad, señala el documento.

Confirma información

Consultado por Prensa Libre y Guatevisión, Roberto Arzú confirmó la veracidad de la orden de la jueza de Miami-Dade, aunque señaló que se trata de un ardid de Rendón, a quien calificó de chantajista y extorsionista.

“Es una demanda civil. Eso fue hace tres años donde nosotros evaluábamos la posibilidad de participar en política electoral y fuimos con un grupo de asesores de Guatemala por recomendación de una persona que conocía a este personaje”, aseveró el candidato presidencial.

Lea también: Jimmy Morales insiste en que Gobernación pagó por el uso del helicóptero de Mario Estrada

Arzú confirmó que se reunió con Rendón y junto a sus asesores se interesaron en la presentación que les hizo e incluso consideraron “que era un buen asesor con experiencia”.

“Al mes de eso, salió una noticia en una revista donde él era acusado de jaquear elecciones y aquí salió la noticia también, al darnos cuenta de eso en ningún momento íbamos a contratar a semejante tipo, que después nos enteramos que se dedica a chantajear y extorsionar a las personas y vivir de eso. Rompimos cualquier lazo”, contó el político.

Aseguró que posteriormente de esto Rendón lo demandó en Miami pese a que “el trabajo era en Guatemala” y no en Estados Unidos.

“Él nunca trabajó para nosotros y tenemos a nuestro abogados viendo el tema para colocar una demanda seria a este señor, que es un delincuente”, acotó Arzú.

LE PODRÍA INTERESAR “Por su apellido uno no gana unas elecciones” Andrea Orozco,William Oliva 10 de abril de 2019 a las 05:15h

No había contrato

El candidato presidencial de PAN y Podemos explicó que nunca firmó ningún contrato con la compañía de Rendón, pero sí una carta de intención.

“Aparentemente allá —Miami— una carta de intención no es como en Guatemala, parece que se toma como un contrato, donde se habían acordado las condiciones para una asesoría”, expresó.

En la orden que giró la jueza Areces se señala que Arzú fue citado a comparecer por este caso el pasado 4 de abril, sin embargo, el candidato aseguró que no fue notificado, ni tuvo ninguna noticia sobre este proceso.

“Nuestros abogados ya están encima. Es un chantaje y una extorsión, casualmente a 50 días de la elección. Estamos claros que vienen por otros movimientos por atrás, pero no vamos a caer en estos juegos”, acotó Arzú.

Lea además: Así cambió el MP sus argumentos sobre la candidatura de Zury Ríos

El candidato presidencial no descartó que Rendón pueda estar en contubernio con algún otro candidato en el país, particularmente para desprestigiarlo, y aseguró que no pagará nada a alguien que es un “extorsionista”.

“Si tenemos que tomar acciones legales y eso nos lleva a comparecer, por supuesto que lo haremos. No hemos hecho nada malo a nadie, ni cometido nada ilegal”, concluyó Arzú.

Señalamiento contra estratega

En marzo de 2016, la revista Bloomberg Businessweek publicó una nota titulada Cómo hackear una elección, que cuenta la historia de Andrés Sepúlveda, quien supuestamente dirigía a piratas informáticos con los cuales ayudaba a ganar elecciones en América Latina.

Sepúlveda aseguraba que estuvo en la nómina de Juan José Rendón, quien admitió conocerlo y lo empleó para diseños en páginas web, por lo cual consideró que no hizo nada ilegal.

El 13 de abril último, en una nota del diario El País, se publicó la nota Jefe de Jefes, donde indica que durante el juicio a Joaquín el Chapo Guzmán, condenado a pena perpetua, surgió un señalamiento “de que durante la campaña a la Presidencia de Enrique Peña Nieto, en México, el cartel de Sinaloa donó dinero a través del estratega electoral venezolano J. J. Rendón”.*

*Nota del Editor: El 25 de abril de 2019 el señor Juan José Randón se comunicó a esta Redacción e hizo una observación sobre el último párrafo de esta nota: “Eso es sujeto a demanda aunque se cite al diario El País y explico por qué: La mención fue aclarada por el Washington Post, el New York Times, CNN en Español y CNN en Inglés. Es una mención que no dice que hubo un involucramiento. Aquí en los Estados Unidos, un abogado defensor puede usar cualquier nombre, cualquier situación falsa o real en el proceso de preguntas.

Yo le puedo preguntar a alguien ¿Es verdad que usted llevó un platillo volador a la fiesta? y eso es legal. Pero lo que no es legal es que el testigo diga eso. El testigo no me implicó en nada, por favor les pido que retiren la última línea, aunque sea de una fuente de El País de España. Por favor, pido que lo retiren. Es lo único para lo que tengo una objeción porque también le solicité a El País por escrito que la retire y estamos en un proceso donde estamos decidiendo si demandamos a El País o no. Creo que es suficiente para un medio serio para ustedes que yo les aclare que esa mención no está sustentada bajo ningún hecho real y lo pueden verificar. Entiendo que ustedes no actúan de mala fe, por eso lo pido”.

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> Partido UCN dice que “nunca” ha recibido financiamiento ilícito</s>In this April 19, 2019, photo, Democratic presidential candidate South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg answers questions from employees during a campaign stop at a dairy company in Londonderry, N.H. Buttigieg’s presidential campaign has attention and money. Now he has to convert that into a sustainable operation that can keep him in the race well into next year. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

South Bend, Indiana Mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is expected to be in the Chicago area tomorrow for a pair of fundraisers in Chicago and north suburban Evanston. He has recently gained donations from influential backers of former President Barack Obama. Buttigieg will attend the first fundraising event headed by Chicago businessman John Atkinson in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Meanwhile, the Evanston fundraiser later on will be hosted by Democratic activists and donors Eric Janssen and Marco Zerega.</s>MIAMI: Formula One and local organisers have given up on plans to hold a race in downtown Miami because of the disruption for businesses and residents, the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday (Apr 24).

It said they were now looking into an alternative race location on land next to the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team, to the north of the Florida city.

"We want to do something great for Miami," the paper quoted Tom Garfinkel, vice chairman and CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, as saying.

"Unfortunately when we finally received the detailed report of what it would take to build out a street circuit each year, the multiple weeks of traffic and construction disruption to the port, Bayfront Park and the residents and businesses on Biscayne Boulevard would have been significant."

Formula One had hoped to add the street race to the calendar for this year but that was pushed back last July until at least 2020 as a result of emerging local opposition to the proposed harbourside layout.

The sport's owners Liberty Media say they want to make sure Miami, which has been offered a 10-year contract, has long-term viability with maximum local support.

The race would be a second grand prix in the United States after the one in Austin, Texas.

Miami Dolphins franchise owner Stephen Ross is supporting the project, with a company owned by the US entrepreneur lined up as the potential promoter.

"A lot would have to happen for us to be able to do it," said Garfinkel of the new proposal.

"But we have over 250 acres of land so adding an F1 race to where Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Open sit means we can create a world-class racing circuit that is unencumbered by existing infrastructure."</s>If selecting our bottom-5 Miami Dolphins draft picks of the 21st-century was tough because there were so many valid options to choose from, the top-5 draft picks were equally as difficult to conjure up for the exact opposite reason.

Though there may be plenty of options that you can plug into the list, the unfortunate realization you come to is that this list is so difficult to confidently put together because there are so few clear-cut answers.

At least the rest of the AFC East was able to draft players that would undoubtedly make a similar list:
• New England Patriots: (I refuse to name a specific quarterback from 2000), Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymoure, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Devin McCourty (and a plethora of others)
• New York Jets: D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold in the same draft, Darrelle Revis, Jonathan Vilma

Plenty of more-recent players happened to make (or just miss) this list, but the decisions were just as surprising to me as they may be to you.

There was one great Miami Dolphins receiver that should have instantly made the list, but after comparing and contrasting careers, you’ll see that the decision wasn’t as easy at you’d think. Our perceptions of certain players seem to change depending on how they ended their careers with the Dolphins; we view players that had unorthodox exits as less-impressive than earlier counterparts.

We took into account more than just statistics when deriving this list. How much value did the player provide from their respective draft slot? What is their lasting impression with the team? How expensive or inexpensive were they?

Take a look at the best and most-impactful Dolphins drafted this century and see how you may have listed the players yourself:

The easiest and best risk the Miami Dolphins ever took in a draft this century, Laremy Tunsil is on his way to being one of the best players in the entire NFL.

Sure, we can crack an unlimited amount of jokes over his draft-day gas mask bong and how his 5th-year extension came just a few days before weed smokers everywhere celebrated their national holiday, but without that video, the Miami Dolphins offensive line is even more inept than it currently is. If his social media account isn’t “hacked”, the team is either still searching for a franchise left tackle or in the process of grossly overpaying for one.

Tunsil was collectively graded out as the best prospect coming out of the 2016 NFL draft, and the Miami Dolphins were in the right place at the wrong time (for Tunsil).

I’m not sure why a video of a player smoking weed in college is such a turn off to professional football clubs who deal with rapists, murderers, and felons of all types, but it caused multiple teams to skip over Tunsil when drafting their respective left tackle.

After a short public relations “nightmare” (I wouldn’t even call it a bad dream), Miami was able to gloat over the fact that they currently have one of the best left tackles in the game.

What keeps Tunsil from being higher on this list is the obvious abbreviated career he has had with the Dolphins. We don’t know what the future holds for him, and it’s possible injuries mount or his play deteriorates for a myriad of reasons.

However, if Tunsil is anywhere close to the prospect he’s shown he can be, he’ll find himself much higher on this list in the future. It’s not crazy to say that 10 years from now, he could be #1.

There isn’t much about this draft pick you can talk about. It’s about as generic as offensive linemen stereotypically are, though his publicity is a far cry from the previous offensive lineman on this list.

Vernon Carey traveled a very short distance from The University of Miami to the Miami Dolphins after being drafted 19th-overall in the 2004 NFL draft.

A career that spanned 8 years and 121 games (107 starts), Carey is your quintessential compiler; never really doing anything wrong, but not dominant enough to be a memorable 1st-round pick.

Really, his longevity and durability (active for 94.5% of all possible games), are what have him on this list. We know that Laremy Tunsil is currently a better player than Vernon Carey ever was, but we still don’t know if Tunsil will survive longer than Jake Long did, let alone go on to have a solid 8-year career like Carey had.

For a guy who was a bit overweight towards the end of his career, he was one of the most reliable Dolphins throughout his tenure. Most casual Dolphins fans didn’t even know who Carey was, and that’s a good thing for an offensive lineman.

This selection speaks more to the the Dolphins draft history this century than it does Carey’s skill. Frankly, Carey should never be on this list – he’s just one of the only draft picks to last longer than their rookie contract while still remaining durable. If the Dolphins were even adequate drafters at the start of the century, or if they knew how to handle immaturity, Carey would most likely be viewed lower than Mike Pouncey.

The toughest debate of this entire piece, Chris Chambers was almost replaced by another wide receiver recently selected by the Miami Dolphins.

Both players are virtually the same, but if you talk to most Dolphins fans they’ll speak glowingly of Chambers while looking down on Jarvis Landry. So you’d think this was an easy decision to make…but taking into account everything involving these players, it was a closer call than we expected.

Like any good story, it begins with their origins. Miami gave up a 4th-round pick in the 2001 draft to move up 4 slots and select Chris Chambers at #52. If you have conviction in a player and he’s someone you want, I will always encourage you doing what is necessary to grab him (similar to what happened when Miami traded up to get Patrick Surtain back in 1998; no one cares what you spent when you get the pick right).

Landry, on the other hand, didn’t cost Miami anything extra. In fact, he was more of a risk than Chambers, as most teams saw Landry’s body type as a detriment in the NFL.

In his 6.5 year career with Miami, Chambers amassed 5688 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns on 405 receptions. Landry accumulated 4038 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns on 400 receptions.

At first glance, it seems like Landry’s numbers are stacked in his favor. The prevailing thought was that Landry was a possession receiver that benefited from Miami’s inept offense and short-passing game. A deeper dive into the numbers tells us that Chambers was almost as “possessive” as Landry was, we just have a different perception of it all.
• Chambers racked up 5688 yards on 846 targets (6.72 yards per target) while Landry had 4038 receiving yards on just 570 targets (7.08 yards per target)
• Chambers’ 5688 yards came in 100 games (56.88 yards per game) while Landry’s 4038 yards came in just 64 games (63.09 yards per game)
• Chambers did score touchdowns at a better pace than Landry, scoring a touchdown once every 2.33 games compared to Landry scoring once every 2.91 games.

The kicker? Their overall value, longevity, and their ball handling.

Chambers cost Miami an additional 4th-round pick in 2001, but the team was able to trade him to the San Diego Chargers in 2007 for a 2008 2nd-round pick. Miami didn’t have to give up any additional draft picks for Landry, but they were only able to deal Landry for a 4th and 7th-round pick last offseason. And that was after the team decided they didn’t want to extend Landry. You can’t fault Chambers for being able to sign a 5-year, $23m extension in 2004, just like you can’t fault Landry for wanting to cash in on free agency.

Difference is, one is better for the Dolphins and the other is better for the player. I’ll always side with the player in those scenarios, but when we’re trying to figure out who the top-5 draft picks are for the Miami Dolphins, the contract differential plays into it.

Chambers played an extra 2.5 years, has 4 less fumbles, and was able to net Miami a 2nd-round draft pick in return for 6.5 years of service. With everything so evenly matched statistically, Chambers gets the slight nod. It was just a lot closer than I would have imagined.

Through contract disputes, quitting mid-game, and game-sealing interceptions, Reshad Jones has had an enigmatic career with Miami.

Drafted in the 5th-round (163rd-overall) in the 2010 NFL draft, Jones has been the Dolphins biggest steal of the century. Forever overlooked because he plays for a team no one in America cares about (see Zack Thomas‘ bid to get into the Hall of Fame), Jones has consistently been one of the top safeties in the NFL.

And a swagger to match his aggressive playing style, Reshad Jones was everything you wanted out of a hard-hitting safety; especially one you unearthed so late in the draft.

Regardless of how the rest of Jones’ career with the Dolphins plays out, it’ll be hard for him to negate all of the passion and love he received from the fans throughout his 9+ year tenure. While recent history may not reflect too fondly on Jones, his name will forever be solidified as one of the great defensive players to put on a Dolphins uniform.

This interception against Tom Brady will always be one of my favorite Reshad Jones plays.

We remember (most of) these players fondly for their time with the Dolphins, though none of us can correlate success with any one of them. You might be able to slot them into this top-5 list, but where would you put them and who are you going to take off?

A 4th-round pick that turned into a dominant defensive tackle for the Dolphins, Paul Soliai was as forceful as he looked. His inclusion on the defensive line theoretically improved the running game, though Miami’s linebackers behind him were typically sub par, leading to underwhelming overall statistics.

That said, Soliai was certainly a steal for the Dolphins, but everything else that encompasses Paul Soliai leaves him just barely off the list.

To start, Soliai took A LONG TIME to develop. We’re talking one training camp away from being cut.

Though active for 22 games his first two years in the NFL, Soliai barely played, and combined to record just 6 tackles between 2007-2008. After a productive 2009, Miami began to realize Soliai was a really good player – eventually causing the team to use the franchise tag on the Samoan defensive tackle after the 2010 season.

After, once again, failing to have the foresight to sign one of their emerging players at a cheaper value and being forced to use the franchise tag, the Dolphins signed Soliai to a more-reasonable 2-year, $12m contract after the 2011 season.

Between his long development, the expensive franchise tag, and frankly, performance that was great but not elite, Soliai finds himself missing the top group of draft picks this century.

Annually one of the best positions on the Dolphins roster, Miami always seems to have one of the more-premier punters in the game.

Brandon Fields played 8 seasons for the Dolphins and was active for every game.

At some points, he was worthy of being the team’s MVP; specifically remembering the game against the Jets in 2010 where the Dolphins accumulated 131 yards of total offense and Brandon Fields ended the game with 10 punts for an average of 50-yards per punt. Miami won 10-6 that day.

He was excellent at his craft, and most-certainly worth a 7th-round draft pick. If it weren’t for the fact that Miami’s offense was so anemic throughout Fields’ career, it’s possible we don’t realize how effective he was. Though he certainly deserves the recognition, it’s tough to put a punter into the top-5 category when there are other athletes affecting the game much more than a punter would.

…Still doesn’t mean we don’t love and appreciate what he did for us throughout his tenure.

A playmaker uncovered in the 6th-round, Charles Clay provided much more value than we could have hoped from his draft slot.

Selected as a multi-dimensional player who can both block and line up as a possible receiving threat, Clay initially served as a fullback/H-back hybrid before being unleashed more as a receiver the final two years of his Dolphins tenure.

Though never flashy, Clay was exactly what you wanted out of a tight end. He was seen as such a viable asset to Miami’s offense, that Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills devised a contract that made it nearly impossible for Miami to match and retain Clay during the 2015 offseason (this all occurred because Miami placed the Transition Tag on Clay leading into free agency).

The contract proved to be unwise for Buffalo, and it hamstrung them throughout its entirety as Clay was both injured and underwhelming. But that doesn’t negate anything he accomplished with the Dolphins.

An offensive playmaker for an organization that hadn’t had a playmaker since pre-marijuana suspension Ricky Williams, Jarvis Landry gave Dolphins fans something to be excited about. It also gave the rest of the nation a reason to tune in to Miami – an otherwise desolate franchise tucked away in the corner of the United States.

He certainly didn’t have the “experience” the other players on this list had for Miami, but between his production, vastly outplaying the original “bust” vibe that followed him out of college because he wasn’t built like a “prototypical” football player, and the passion he brought to Miami, if he wasn’t a breath of fresh air he was certainly a dose of moxie that this club hadn’t had in years.

Though Landry ended his Dolphins career on a sour note, I wouldn’t doubt he’d be welcomed back to Hard Rock Stadium with open arms and a round of applause. His passion bordered on immaturity and toxicity, but it was his infectious desire to win that won over the hearts of fans and fellow teammates. If Miami extended Landry prior to the final season of his rookie contract, he may still be on the team. Instead, the Dolphins let his price tag balloon outside of their price range (and, for the contract he signed, rightfully so).

You’re tripping if you think Brian Hartline doesn’t deserve to be recognized on this list!

Though the only sexy thing to originate from Hartline’s playing career was his 253 yard receiving game against the Arizona Cardinals back in 2012, we shouldn’t discredit what Hartline has done for the organization.

9th on the team’s all time receptions list with 298 receptions and 7th on the all time receiving list with 4243 yards, Hartline quietly compiled one of the best receiving careers in Dolphins history. Never a player opposing defenses felt threatened about, Hartline seemed like a guaranteed first down every time he was open.

A crafty receiver who was an exceptional route runner with soft hands, Hartline didn’t have the speed, strength, skill or intangibles to defeat his defenders, but he was one of the smartest receivers on the field, and knew exactly what his quarterback was looking for.

Ryan Tannehill‘s “blanket” before Jarvis Landry was drafted, Hartline may get teased for ending nearly every reception with a trip right before being tackled (an extremely healthy tactic, frankly), but at times he was the only legitimate “playmaker” on Miami’s offense.

The team’s lack of success doesn’t help Hartline’s image, but as a 4th-round draft steal, he should be remembered fondly by Dolphins fans. Lest we forget Patrick Turner was the alternative selected one round earlier than Hartline…

A couple injuries away from being on this list, Xavien Howard is already a star for the Miami Dolphins. Thing is, does a near-shutdown cornerback for 1.5 seasons translate to one of the top-5 draft picks of the entire century?

While we don’t think Howard is going to regress, we can’t put Howard on this list with such minimal experience under his belt. Does he turn into the next Jake Long or does he continue to excel as one of the top cornerbacks in the AFC? You can certainly use the same logic for Laremy Tunsil; how is he on this list but Howard is not?

Tunsil nearly missed the list for the same reason Howard made it, but Tunsil’s durability and the potential length of his career (compared to cornerbacks) has him higher than Howard at this very moment. Ultimately, Miami should have been able to fill the top-5 without such a debate between 2016 draft picks, but that shows you just how poorly Miami has drafted since 2000.

Barring a trade or the Dolphins unwisely letting Howard leave in free agency, expect Howard to land near Tunsil towards the top of this list 5 years from now.

Both a force on the offensive line and a route running threat, Randy McMichael was an absolute bad*** for the Miami Dolphins throughout his tenure.

If his career began 10 years after he was originally drafted in 2002, he would probably be putting up numbers equivalent to (prime) Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski.

Reliable and menacing, McMichael started every single game throughout his 5-year tenure – averaging 57 receptions, 619 yards, 3.6 touchdowns and just 0.8 fumbles per season during that time.

If you had any thoughts about including Charles Clay on this list, you can scrap it immediately for McMichael – this is the kind of tight end Miami has been missing since his departure in 2007.

One of the best draft-day steals in the history of the organization, Yeremiah Bell was an underrated, overlooked and unknown safety throughout his 8-year tenure.

Easily the best set of contracts Miami has signed any player to in the past 30 years, on average, Bell annually cost just 1.66% of the team’s cap space. A phenomenal bargain for a starting safety who had a knack for making plays.

While his overall statistics aren’t as glossy as Reshad Jones’, his draft status (selected 50 picks after Jones), career contracts with Miami (Bell’s 8 years with Miami cost $2.5m more than Jones 2019 cap hit alone – $19.7m vs $17.2m), and a non-existent ego that didn’t quit on the team mid-game, Bell is easily the best draft pick the Miami Dolphins have selected this century.

If we had to pick between Jones and Bell for one game or for one season, the answer is going to be Reshad Jones; but take into account all the baggage that comes with Jones, and it makes more sense why Bell gave Miami more value for their draft pick.

While people have various opinions about Jones currently (overpaid, playmaker, quitter, leader, over-the-hill), no one has a negative connotation they can associate with Bell.

On a gloomier note, it certainly says something when the team’s best draft pick factored into just one playoff appearance throughout his 8-year career with the team.

By no means would we ever want to replace Bell, and he certainly isn’t the reason the team didn’t make the playoffs most of those years, but it does give us an indication why the team has been so mediocre all this time.

How many of these players were obvious selections? Now how many of them became obvious selections because there weren’t any other obvious choices you could make?

This list isn’t pretty, but it’s a bit prettier than the bottom-5 draft picks we put together this century. If you’re in the mood to torture yourself leading up to the NFL draft, check out who cracked the bottom-5 here.
A judge in Miami orders the arrest of Guatemalan presidential candidate Roberto Arzú. Arzú is the second presidential candidate who has had legal problems with the United States.