Trial begins for Tacoma man held in Nicaragua prison

A trial has begun in Nicaragua for a former Tacoma man whose family insists is being held on bogus drug charges.

Nicaragua officials allege Jason Puracal was part of an international drug trafficking ring. He has been in a maximum security prison in Managua since November 11, 2010.

Puracal’s sister, Janice, a Seattle lawyer, has been fighting tirelessly for his release, arguing there’s no evidence. She said he’s basically the victim of an illegal kidnapping and torture and he’s been treated like an animal since his arrest.

“He was beaten in the back of the head with a revolver and then he was denied food and then denied water for days at a time. Every day he has no idea whether that’s going to be the day he gets stabbed in prison,” she said.

Puracal recently recorded a five-minute message while at a courthouse on the conditions in prison.

“We, the accused, were taken out at 4 a.m. and have not had breakfast or water,” Puracal read from a letter he wrote, referring to the circumstances under which he was brought to the courtroom.

“They had us all take off our shirts, handcuffed us in pairs, placed us in a van and had us put our shirts over our heads with our heads between our knees,” he read.

Jason Puracal, an American citizen from Tacoma, moved to Nicaragua after joining the Peace Corp in 2002.

“He loved Nicaragua so much and then he met his wife Scarleth and they had a son together and so he wanted to raise his son in that environment,” said Janis.

Puracal found a new life in the village of San Juan del Sur, where he worked as a successful real estate agent. It may be his success that contributed to his imprisonment.

“They essentially said this: People who launder money have money. Jason Puracal had money. Therefore, he must be a money launderer,” said retired FBI agent Steve Moore, who has reviewed Puracal’s case.

Moore is not only convinced that there is no evidence, but that the charges against Puracal have been entirely manufactured by the Nicaraguan police. He’s also convinced that the U.S. State Department has done absolutely nothing to help.

“What they could do is start living up to their responsibilities to American citizens overseas,” he said.

Congressman Adam Smith sent a letter to the State Department, urging Secretary of State Clinton to get involved in Puracal’s case.

“Nicaragua has a history of sort of leveraging prosecutions against American Citizens,” Smith said.

97.3 KIRO FM’s Brandi Kruse contributed to this report.