59 Hours by Johnny Kovatch

Author:Johnny Kovatch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Chapter 24

A Break in the Case

VALENCIA HAD BEEN ON THE case a little over eight months. Finally, while tracking Jack Hollywood’s phone he learned that one of Hollywood’s family members was headed to Brazil to visit Jesse. Through other intel, American investigators had suspected that Hollywood could have been in Brazil since 2002. “So it was Jack that we got up on. He was my primary target [for any leads] because following him? He actually gave it up”—intel on his son’s whereabouts—“and didn’t know it.” Valencia knew one hard fact about Jack. “He set up his kid for failure from the word go.”

In the beginning, Jack wasn’t Valencia’s primary focus. “He had come up in several major investigations. We have computer databases all over the United States.” Jack’s name was included. “If anybody sees him [in the database],” which included the FBI and that small chain of command within the department, they were advised to “contact me.”

Just how was Valencia made aware of Jack’s illicit behaviors? “The weirdest thing happened. An [undercover] crew from San Bernardino or Riverside, they’re working a Colombian kilo-level case—coke, not weed.” Valencia was working for the Department of Justice, so he didn’t even know this crew. “The crooks show up in a car [to meet the undercover agents]—somebody wants twenty, thirty kilos, somebody has the money,” but it turned out the suspect couldn’t or wouldn’t do the deal.

“The undercover agents and informants—it has nothing to do with my case—they put a tracker on his car. They’re all Spanish speakers.” By law the tracker could be placed on a car for only a month. Three weeks later, when law enforcement had no intention of following the vehicle except to stop it and covertly remove the tracker, Valencia received correspondence that “Jack was driving it.” Valencia couldn’t believe it. He had zero clue as to why Jack was there. Valencia only received the call because Jack had been “flagged” in the database.

Valencia used classified tracking techniques to keep up on Jack 24/7. “I knew where he was and what he was doing at all times. I would go in plainclothes and just watch him.” Jack “gave it to us,” the lead that would send Valencia to Brazil—after moving around seaside resort towns, Jesse Hollywood had planted himself for the last year in a small fishing village called Saquarema near Rio de Janeiro.

* * *

The FBI was in charge of the UFAP warrant. An agent by the name of Dave Cloney was assigned to it. He would head to Brazil with Valencia. “Dave is one of my heroes, a very, very good guy. I have nothing but good things to say about that man—a true patriot.”

Agent Cloney wasn’t only a mentor; according to Valencia, “Guys like that make you a better cop.” The state and the FBI didn’t always see eye-to-eye. “I’ve had cases where I worked undercover and we were side by side and it didn’t work out well just because of difference in legality. But as an agent? This guy—I haven’t had a problem with any FBI agents, even the guys in Chicago.

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