EL PASO, Texas, Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — On October 19, 2015, Angélica Fuentes Tellez filed a lawsuit against Jorge Vergara in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas alleging that Vergara violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (commonly known as “RICO”), a law designed to combat organized crime in America.
In the complaint, Fuentes contends that Vergara designed a scheme involving acts of coercion and intimidation directed at Fuentes, with the ultimate goal of taking Fuentes’s shares in Grupo Omnilife, and keeping the shares for himself. Vergara intended to coerce Fuentes into relinquishing her shares in Grupo Omnilife by unilaterally ousting her from Grupo Omnilife, taking complete control of Grupo Omnilife and all of its subsidiaries, including Omnilife USA. Fuentes alleges that Vergara took control of, and continues to operate, Grupo Omnilife and Omnilife USA through a pattern of racketeering behavior including mail fraud, wire fraud, and extortion. According to the complaint, Vergara improperly convened a meeting of the shareholders of Grupo Omnilife while Fuentes was on vacation with her two young daughters during Holy Week. Fuentes alleges that Vergara falsely represented to those present at the meeting that he controlled 100% of Grupo Omnilife, and of all of its subsidiaries, including Omnilife USA and took unilateral and unauthorized action against Fuentes, including wrongfully ousting her as Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Omnilife and its subsidiaries.
The lawsuit also alleges that Vergara threatened Fuentes, during a meeting in Texas, to destroy her in the press and to organize public protests against her unless she gave him her shares in the company. Vergara and his lawyer have repeatedly gone on television shows and radio programs accusing Angelica of criminal mischief and wrongdoing. Vergara´s lawyer, Javier Coello Trejo, has also been named in the lawsuit.
Fuentes is represented by Jones Day, a global law firm with 42 offices in major centers of business and finance throughout the world.
