Robert P. Martin Business Dealings with James Jensen
After Mrs. Jensen’s death Mr. James Jensen continued the business regiments Mrs. Jensen had put in place regarding their business interests on the Island of San Pedro in Belize.
Robert P. Martin is an Attorney with the firm of Bailey and Wyant PLLC of Charleston, West Virginia.
Robert Martin owned the Pink Motel in San Pedro and frequently traveled to Belize for business dealings. After Mrs. Jensen’s death Robert Martin also traveled to Belize to assist Mr. Jensen in decisions regarding the pending legal actions with ROE group, RF&G Insurance, Belize Health Partners, and business dealings. This required Robert Martin to frequently be in Belize.
After Mrs. Jensen’s death a number of local and ex-pat business owners in San Pedro approached Mr. Jensen to purchase his and his late wife’s business interests in San Pedro. Mr. Jensen at the recommendation of Robert Martin rejected all offers.
Tamara Sniffin , the publisher of the San Pedro Sun Newspaper in San Pedro, offered her friendship and support during this difficult time in Mr. Jensen’s life. She gave the eulogy at Mrs. Jensen’s funeral service.
Three weeks after Mrs. Jensen service Tamara Sniffin introduced Mr. Jensen to Vince and Cherie Chenot Rose of Punta Gorda Belize. The Rose’s owned a resort and animal sanctuary in Punta Gorda Belize. The Roses were in San Pedro for an animal rescue.
A friendship developed between Mr. Jensen and Vince and Cherie Rose. Mr. Jensen, seeking an escape from the memories and constant reminders of Mrs. Jensen death, flew to Punta Gorda for a week away from San Pedro and stayed with the Roses’s.
Mr. & Mrs. Jesen previously had interests in coffee and cocoa in the agricultural region of southern Belize. What spawned out of this week visit with the Rose’s was Mr. Jensen sharing his and his late wife’s ideas for future ventures. Mr. Jensen shared with the Roses that he and his late wife had invested $5,000 USD with a small Cocoa producer that the Jensen’s had met on previous trips to Punta Gorda.
The weeklong trip visiting with the Rose’s resulted in furthering the idea of a co-op and agricultural production facility in Punta Gorda processing coffee and cocoa. The Roses shared Mr. Jensen’s and his late wife’s interest in this.
The Roses then shared with Mr. Jensen their idea of opening a liquor business in Punta Gorda as no liquor store existed. The Roses owned a building in Punta Gorda that would act as both the liquor Store and a shipping location for agricultural products processed within the region. Plans came together with legal services provided by Bailey and Wyant and Robert P. Martin.
Adiferous Wines and Liquors, owned by Mr. Jensen and Cherie Chenot Rose opened a week before Thanksgiving in 2008 with support of the local community. Mr. Jensen invested approximately 50,000 BZ dollars, which was used by the Roses for renovations on the building, shelving and the initial inventory of liquor.
A press release written by Tamara Sniffin and published in the San Pedro Sun Newspaper announced the agricultural co-op beginning, developed by Mr. Jensen with the Roses as partners. Part of the Roses 27 acre resort would become a holding area for raw products, with future plans to process coffee and cocoa on the Roses property. This was met with increasing support of the Punta Gorda community.
Through the Roses Mr. Jensen was introduced to a Will Mahia, a politician and the head of a non profit TIDE, based in Punta Gorda Belize. Mahia had raised 23 million USD through a US 501 (C) Friends of Belize. The group over a ten-year period had amassed 20,000 acres of land along the coastline of Belize. This was a protected area for the wild life in the region.
Mahia suggested that the Roses and Mr. Jensen form a 501 (C) and follow the path he once used to fund TIDE. Environmental and animal protection in developing countries remains of interest to those seeking tax deductions and offering good will around the world.
Robert Martin and the law firm of Bailey and Wyant formed a corporation, The Belize Economic & Ecological Development Fund, and filed for registry of the 501 (C) with Robert Martin, Penny Fioravante (Robert Martin ‘s business partner and a professional fundraiser for the March of Dimes), Mr. James Jensen and Cherie Rose as directors.
Robert Martin and the law firm Bailey and Wyant afforded Robert Martin exposure in West Virginia to individuals with high net worths who had philanthropic ideals and would contribute to organization such as The Belize Economic & Ecological Development Fund. The Rose’s had an animal sanctuary and afforded the newly formed corporation with media exposure from the San Pedro Sun Newspaper. While Mr. Jensen had the money to invest and ensure the corporations the interim financing.
In December of 2008, Robert Martin wire transferred to Mr. Jensen $50,000 USD to support the development of the co-op. The $50,000 USD came from Mr. Jensen’s US trust account Martin maintained for Mr. Jensen. Supporting documents clearly state that this wire transfer was for the “lease of a coffee plantation”.
Robert Martin suggested to Mr. Jensen that a formal agreement was required between all parties. Prior to Mrs. Jensen’s death, Mr. & Mrs. Jensen’s business’s in Central America were operated under a Caricom Corporation J Squared registered in Belize.
At the instruction of Robert Martin, Mr. Jensen was advised to sell shares of the Caricom Corporation to the partners (Robert Martin, Penny Fioravante, and Vince & Cherie Chenot Rose). The $50,000 USD previously wired for the co-op was to be used as the financial instrument for the sale of shares. The agreement would relieve Mr. Jensen of any potential future tax liability in the US.
Robert Martin informed Mr. Jensen that the Liquor Box business in San Pedro could be considered an asset that could be seized in the event that the pending legal actions by the Supreme Court of Belize regarding the civil action by Belize Health Partners could result in loss of those assets if the Belize Supreme court ruled in favor of Belize Health Partners.
In January of 2009, under the direction of Robert Martin, Mr. Jensen sold his interest in the Liquor Box business and other interests in other businesses on the Island of San Pedro. Mr. Jensen sold the businesses in San Pedro to an American for the net some of $145,000 USD. Under the terms of the contract at the new purchaser’s request, the sale was kept private to ensure the continued success of the businesses that the Jensen’s had made successful based on years of reputable business practices.
In Belize Robert Martin and his business partner Penny Fioravante became involved in a Land deal in February of 2009 through the same group that sold Robert Martin and Penny Fioravante the Pink Motel they jointly owned in San Pedro. Martin and Fioravante felt they had US investors that would invest in the project. The investors fell through leaving both with $25,000 USD to be lost. Martin and Fioravante were in a financial bind and pleaded with Mr. Jensen to supply the needed funds, which exceeded $100,000 USD.
At the same time period the Belize Supreme Court decided that the decision involving the Civil case pending with Mr. Jensen and Belize Health Partners in Belize should await the findings of the civil action being filed in Miami on Mr. Jensen’s behalf by attorney Bill Thompson regarding Bupa Health Insurance and their failure to insure Mrs. Jensen.
In a letter drafted by Robert Martin on the firm of Bailey and Wyant's letterhead dated February 14th 2009, Martin outlined in detail the civil legal actions the law firm of Bailey and Wyant and Bill Thompson were executing against Bupa on Mr. Jensen and the estate of Mrs. Jensen’s behalf in Miami, Florida.
The Supreme Court of Belize requested documents to support that a civil action had been filed in Miami by Bill Thompson. The letter dated February 14, 2009 was submitted to the Supreme Court of Belize and satisfied the court’s request.
The submission of this letter to the Supreme court of Belize enraged Godfrey Smith, the attorney for Belize Health Partners. Smith pushed for proof of the filing. Mr. Jensen’s legal council in Belize, Fred Lumor pursued Godfrey Smith’s request. Numerous requests were made by email by Fred Lumor, Mr. Jensen’s legal council in Belize, to Robert P. Martin requesting documentation as to the filings in Miami. Fred Lumor found that no civil action had ever been filed in Florida by Bill Thompson.
Robert Martin then sent an email to Mr. Jensen and outraged by the action of Fred Lumor. Penny Fioranvante sent an email to Mr. Jensen in which she begged him to invest in the land deal. Mr. Jensen did not invest in the land deal and ended all association with Robert P. Martin and Penny Fioravanate.
In March of 2009 Robert Martin retained the legal service of Godfrey Smith. Godfrey Smith was the same attorney acting on behalf of Belize Health Partners, which Robert Martin was defending Mr. James Jensen and the estate of Mrs. Janis Jensen in a Civil action filed by Belize Health Partners..
Godfrey Smith under the direction of Robert P. Martin had Mr. Jensen arrested on the Island of San Pedro. Robert Martin claimed in the arrest complaint that the $50,000 USD previously wire transferred to Mr. Jensen was to be used to purchase land on behalf of Robert Martin and Penny Fioravante. The $50,000 USD was in fact used for the purpose of the agricultural co-op in Punta Gorda.
The Roses seeing Robert Martin having control of the NGO and other aspects of their business future sided with Robert P. Martin in the arrest complaint. Tamara Sniffin, of the San Pedro Sun Newspaper, aided the parties by creating a media event around Mr. Jensen's arrest.
Mr. Jensen was arrested and spent 27 days in what is considered the third worst prison in the world - Hattieville Central Prison in Belize. During the first week of Mr. Jensen’s detention, Godfrey Smith on behalf of Robert Martin had all of Mr. Jensen’s bank accounts in Belize frozen citing Mr. Jensen was involved in international money laundering.
A bail hearing was set 14 days after Mr. Jensen was detained. The chief justice of the Belize Supreme Court heard the case and found no evidence existed to support the complaint. Mr. Jensen was granted bail of 100,000 BZ.
As Mr. Jensen exited the court he was served with a Civil Action filed by Godfrey Smith on behalf of Vince & Cherie Chenot Rose. They claimed that Mr. Jensen owed them 20,000 BZ for the time he spent at their resort in Punta Gorda, Belize.
Mr. Jensen was released from Hattieville Prison in Belize approximately 11 days after bail was granted. Godfrey Smith attempted a number of actions to stop this event, which failed.
Upon Mr. Jensen’s release he instructed Fred Lumor, his legal council, to attempt to have his bank accounts unfrozen. Fred Lumor was successful and had Mr. Jensen’s accounts unfrozen. Mr. Jensen then left Belize and returned to Honduras.
A week after Mr. Jensen left Belize, Robert P. Martin, Vince & Cherie Chenot Rose, and Godfrey Smith posted “wanted posters” online and throughout Belize for the capture of Mr. James Jensen. The Belize authorities did not support or participate in these events. Mr. Jensen was never charged with a crime. An arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Jensen for failure to appear for a court appearance only.
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