The Case of the Welched Reward

Reward takes the reader behind the scenes of an international manhunt and an unusual lawsuit that rattled law enforcement in three countries. The story is born out of a real-life spy thriller--the flight of Peru's notorious National Security chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, who was accused of many crimes. The lawsuit, Jose Guevara v. Republic of Peru, was brought by a Venezuelan spy who claimed Peru's $5 million reward after he was caught in an FBI sting attempting to extort a Miami banker to release Montesinos' dirty money. The next day, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez triumphantly announced Montesinos' capture and extradition to Peru. What happened in Guevara's jail cell is an untold story that is the key to whether Guevara earned Peru's reward. Cymrot took over Peru's defense after the U.S. Court of Appeals had rebuked Peru for "welch[ing]"--reneging-on its promise to pay Guevara the reward. He uncovered a story that "read like the latest spy thriller," according to the court's second opinion. As this tense story unfolds, Reward provides insights for courtroom spectators into the art of persuasion, strategies for cross-examination, and storytelling.