U.S. Department of Justice says Deepak Paradkar, centre, provided a range of illegal services to Ryan Wedding and his drug-trafficking organization that went 'beyond the scope of a normal attorney-client relationship.'Mark Blinch/The Canadian Press
Until his arrest this week, Deepak Balwant Paradkar was known as the kind of flashy, brash defence lawyer that drug dealers in Canada paid handsomely to help keep them out of jail.
On Wednesday, Mr. Paradkar was in custody in Toronto, facing extradition to the U.S., where officials accuse him of helping an international drug boss plot the murder of a key witness.
The high-profile Mississauga lawyer, indicted as part of the drug-trafficking case against former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, has long embraced the infamy of representing notorious clients, including serial killer Dellen Millard.
He used the Instagram handle “Cocaine_lawyer” – a nickname referred to in the indictment – and boasted about clients who beat drug charges, until a regulatory review in 2017 by the Law Society of Ontario. He has a well-known taste for luxury cars and has described trials as warfare.
“People with money hire me because I don’t do legal aid,” he once told the Hamilton Spectator.
Several Canadians have been arrested for extradition to the United States in relation to a drug trafficking probe involving Ryan Wedding, a former Team Canada Olympian turned fugitive believed to be hiding in Mexico.
The Canadian Press
But U.S. officials say his work as Mr. Wedding’s lawyer has crossed over into criminality. According to an unsealed indictment released Wednesday, he advised Mr. Wedding to murder a key witness who was set to testify against him.
U.S., Canadian authorities announce new arrests in efforts to prosecute fugitive Ryan Wedding
Speaking to reporters in Washington, U.S. Attorney-General Pam Bondi – the top law-enforcement official in America – said the homicide in Colombia that followed his alleged advice, in January, was exceptionally deplorable.
“The witness was gunned down at a restaurant in Medellín before he could testify against Wedding,” Ms. Bondi said.
Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding’s alleged drug trafficking organization
An organizational chart prepared by U.S. law enforcement agencies showing what prosecutors allege is an international criminal network responsible for drug trafficking and violence in Canada, the United States, Mexico and elsewhere.
Alleged human
connections
Alleged business
connections
Protector
Owner / director
Attorney
Associated with
Relationship
Money laundering
Ryan Wedding
RELATIONSHIP
Miryam Andrea
Castillo Moreno
(Wife)
Carmen Yelinet
Valoyes Florez
(Madam)
Daniela Alejandra
Acuna Macias
(Girlfriend)
PROTECTOR
ATTORNEY
Edgar Aaron
Vazquez Alvarado
(’The General’)
Deepak
Balwant
Paradkar
VRG Energeticos
S.A. de C.V.
Grupo RVG
Combustibles
S.A. de C.V.
Grupo Ares
Imperial S.
de R.L. de C.V.
MONEY LAUNDERING
Rolan
Sokolovski
Gianluca
Tiepolo
John Anthony
Fallon
2351885
Ontario
Inc. d.b.a.
Diamond Tsar
Stile Italiano
S.R.L.
LMJ Trading
Ltd.
Windrose
Tactical
S.R.L.S.
Made in
Italy Motor
-cycles Ltd.
TMR Ltd.
Cristian
Diana
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding’s alleged drug trafficking organization
An organizational chart prepared by U.S. law enforcement agencies showing what prosecutors allege is an international criminal network responsible for drug trafficking and violence in Canada, the United States, Mexico and elsewhere.
Alleged human
connections
Alleged business
connections
Relationship
Owner / director
Protector
Associated with
Attorney
Money laundering
Ryan Wedding
RELATIONSHIP
Miryam Andrea
Castillo Moreno
(Wife)
Daniela Alejandra
Acuna Macias
(Girlfriend)
Carmen Yelinet
Valoyes Florez
(Madam)
PROTECTOR
ATTORNEY
Edgar Aaron
Vazquez Alvarado
(’The General’)
Deepak
Balwant
Paradkar
VRG Energeticos
S.A. de C.V.
Grupo RVG
Combustibles
S.A. de C.V.
Grupo Ares
Imperial S.
de R.L. de C.V.
MONEY LAUNDERING
Rolan
Sokolovski
Gianluca
Tiepolo
John Anthony
Fallon
2351885
Ontario
Inc. d.b.a.
Diamond Tsar
Stile Italiano
S.R.L.
LMJ Trading
Ltd.
Windrose
Tactical
S.R.L.S.
Made in
Italy Motor
-cycles Ltd.
TMR Ltd.
Cristian
Diana
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding’s alleged drug trafficking organization
An organizational chart prepared by U.S. law enforcement agencies showing what prosecutors allege is an international criminal network responsible for drug trafficking and violence in Canada, the United States, Mexico and elsewhere.
Alleged human
connections
Alleged business
connections
Protector
Owner / director
Attorney
Associated with
Relationship
Money
laundering
Ryan Wedding
PROTECTOR
ATTORNEY
RELATIONSHIP
MONEY LAUNDERING
Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado
(’The General’)
Deepak Balwant Paradkar
Miryam Andrea Castillo Moreno
(Wife)
Rolan
Sokolovski
Gianluca
Tiepolo
John Anthony
Fallon
VRG Energeticos
S.A. de C.V.
2351885
Ontario
Inc. d.b.a.
Diamond Tsar
Stile Italiano
S.R.L.
LMJ Trading
Ltd.
Daniela Alejandra Acuna Macias
(Girlfriend)
Grupo RVG
Combustibles
S.A. de C.V.
Windrose
Tactical
S.R.L.S.
Made in
Italy Motor
-cycles Ltd.
Grupo Ares
Imperial S.
de R.L. de C.V.
TMR Ltd.
Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Florez
(Madam)
Cristian
Diana
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
According to authorities, the alleged murder conspiracy was hatched to help Mr. Wedding escape the reach of the U.S. charges that he has faced for the past year.
The witness, left unnamed in the indictment, is identified in Montreal court documents as Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia. He was shot five times in the head and died instantly after Mr. Wedding reportedly placed a bounty on him, authorities allege, although the indictment did not share the specific evidence against the lawyer.
“The lawyer in Canada, his lawyer advised him to kill this witness,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California told reporters in Washington. “His lawyer told him ‘if you kill this witness, the case will be dismissed.’”
The U.S. Department of Justice says Mr. Paradkar was a member of Mr. Wedding’s criminal enterprise and provided a range of illegal services to him and his drug-trafficking organization that went “beyond the scope of a normal attorney-client relationship.” Investigators say he introduced Mr. Wedding to the drug traffickers who moved his cocaine, and has also helped him arrange bribes.
A reward poster for the arrest of Ryan James Wedding.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The indictment says Mr. Paradkar “violated the trust of his clients and the ethics of his profession” by allowing Mr. Wedding and his associates to eavesdrop on privileged conversations between Mr. Paradkar and his other clients, some of whom Mr. Wedding wanted to kill. It says Mr. Wedding paid the lawyer with luxury watches and additional fees for these illegal services.
Toronto lawyer Ravin Pillay said Thursday that he is representing Mr. Paradkar, but could not comment on the case. Mr. Paradkar’s office was listed on Google as “permanently closed” and his LinkedIn page was taken down.
Who is Ryan Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who is on the FBI’s Most Wanted list?
Born in India, Mr. Paradkar was brought to Canada at age seven by his father, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, and his mother. Mr. Paradkar got his licence to practice law in Ontario in 1993, and became known in media interviews and on social media for dishing out uncensored advice to potential clients.
“Best advice for all my clients and those who are gangstas: trust no one including your right hand. In every drug case I’ve done, there is always a rat responsible for taking you down and you won’t see it coming,” he wrote in a post on Instagram that was later taken down in 2017.
In 2014, Mr. Paradkar was investigated by the Hamilton police after he was accused of smuggling Mr. Millard’s jailhouse letters to a girlfriend who was on a court-ordered no-contact list. The lawyer was cleared of any wrongdoing, but withdrew from the case. Mr. Pillay, who had also visited Mr. Millard in jail, was similarly cleared of any wrongdoing and went on to represent him at trial.
The arrest of Mr. Paradkar at his Thornhill home has sent shock waves through the legal community. Peter German, a Canadian legal academic and anti-money-laundering expert, said lawyers have a unique position when working with clients accused of criminal acts – but cannot become facilitators in those crimes.
“This is extremely unusual to see a criminal lawyer facing allegations such as this,” he said.
“There are limits on what a lawyer can do for a client, and a lawyer can never become involved in criminality,” he said, speaking generally.
Who are the Canadians facing charges connected to Ryan Wedding?
Mr. Essayli, the assistant U.S. Attorney, told reporters that it was critical for public trust that lawyers accused of working with organized crime are held accountable.
“It was very important for us to get him,” he said, “because when you have people who are officers of the court, who are lawyers, we take oaths to protect the public and defend the law.”
Mr. Paradkar’s profile on the Law Society of Ontario’s member registry says he has no regulatory history or practice restrictions. The regulator added, however, that whenever a lawyer or paralegal is charged with a serious offence, the Law Society does investigate and, if the evidence warrants, will begin regulatory proceedings.
An LSO spokesperson said specific complaints and investigations are confidential unless they result in public regulatory action.
The only public record of an LSO matter involving Mr. Paradkar dates back to 2017, when he was the subject of a regulatory meeting related to the use of his Instagram handle at the time, “Cocaine_lawyer.” In that matter, the society determined that formal regulatory proceedings were not warranted.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli told reporters it is critical for public trust that lawyers accused of working with criminals are held accountable.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
According to a regulatory notice issued on Dec. 5, 2017, Mr. Paradkar was accused of engaging in “improper advertising and public communications” that brought “discredit to the legal profession” with respect to his Instagram content.
The notice said a “discussion took place” about the social-media content, which featured “uncritical reference to organized crime and various illegal drugs” as well as “images of weapons of violence and ammunition.”
In addition, according to the notice, the content included a photo of Mr. Paradkar with a client at the Superior Court of Justice with the caption “Cocaine_lawyer 2.5 kilos of cocaine charges dropped.”
Members of the Law Society committee that addressed the matter expressed their concern, and Mr. Paradkar acknowledged it was inappropriate, the notice said. Ultimately, the committee “agreed the discussion was useful” and determined that Mr. Paradkar was “unlikely to conduct himself similarly in the future,” the notice said. No further action was taken.
The U.S. Department of Justice press release issued Wednesday announcing Mr. Paradkar’s indictment said his daughter, Chicago-based lawyer Madeline Paradkar, is now facing immigration enforcement action. The release does not detail any connection between Ms. Paradkar and her father’s alleged criminal activities.
With reports from Colin Freeze and Sara Mojtehedzadeh