Florida court awards Mexican government massive civil judgment against former security chief

MEXICO CITY AP A Florida court awarded the Mexican governing body a massive civil judgment Thursday against its former defense chief who is now serving a lengthy prison sentence in the United States for taking bribes from drug traffickers Judge Lisa Walsh ordered Genaro Garc a Luna to pay more than million and his wife Linda Cristina Pereyra to hand over more than billion Garc a Luna was sentenced to more than years in a U S prison last October for taking massive bribes to help drug traffickers Mexico s former secretary of community shield was convicted by a New York jury in of accepting millions of dollars in bribes to protect the violent Sinaloa cartel that he was supposedly combating He is the highest-level Mexican cabinet official to be convicted in the United States He served as secretary of inhabitants safety to then-President Felipe Calder n from to Follow AP s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https apnews com hub latin-america Source