Trial of Pinoy ex-car dealer in US accused of swindling moved anew to May

The trial of a Pinoy ex-car dealer in the US who was once looked up to in the US for his success story has been moved to May this year because of his case's "unusual and complex nature," according to a court. An Asian Journal story published Tuesday said the trial of Eminiano "Jun" Reodica has now been set to May 21, following the decision of US District Court for the Central District of California Judge S. James Otero to grant a continuance, or postponement, of the trial. Asian Journal said this will be the second time the judge postponed Reodica's trial since the ex-car dealer was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in November last year. His trial was supposed to have been done on January 29 before it was moved to March 12. The story cited a court document dated Feb. 27 in which, among others, Otero wrote about Reodica's "unusual and so complex" case: “The Court further finds that: the ends of justice served by the continuance outweigh the best interest of the public and defendant in a speedy trial; failure to grant the continuance would be likely to make a continuation of the proceeding impossible, or result in a miscarriage of justice; and the case is so unusual and so complex, due to the nature of the prosecution, that it is unreasonable to expect preparation for pre-trial proceedings.” Reodica, 68 years old and former president of Grand Chevrolet in Glendora, California, is accused of swindling more than $100 million from banks, savings, loans, and around 1,000 investors in Southern California. If found guilty, the story said he faces up to 250 years in jail. Reodica used to be one of the Filipino immigrants who were looked up to by the Filipino-American community in the US. He graduated with flying colors as a summa cum laude from the University of the East and arrived in the US in the mid-1970's. From being a busboy, he worked his way up the ladder to become the vice president of a car dealership in Encino. He then bought his own dealership in 1978 and employed an immigrant workforce that helped bolster employment in their area. His dealership, Grand Chevrolet then became the third in national sales volume with over 600 employees in the mid 80's. - Gian C. Geronimo, VVP, GMA News