US Judge Jesus Bernal has given Jason Cardiff permission to flee travel to Ireland.

Judge Bernal’s July 25th order is brief, stating only that “good cause” had been shown by Cardiff in his request for permission to leave the US.

Judge Bernal’s decision overruled concerns raised by the DOJ, asserting Cardiff (right) was a flight risk and proven liar.

Once the defendant leaves the United States, he will be free to travel to Ireland and any other foreign jurisdiction, should he choose.

Indeed, he could leave Ireland and travel to another country that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.

Defendant has a record of disobeying court orders and lying to the court. He cannot be trusted to tell the truth to the Court or comply with conditions set by the Court on his word alone.

Judge Bernal’s order allows Cardiff to travel to Ireland for 10 days. A travel itinerary is to be submitted to the US Probation Office.

In related news, a second motion requesting permission to withdraw as Cardiff’s attorney was filed on July 25th. The court approved the motion later the same day.

As it stands, here’s the current situation regarding Cardiff’s pending criminal trial:

  • Cardiff failed to dismiss the criminal case against him last month;
  • Cardiff’s previous legal counsel has withdrawn a month out from trial due to Cardiff’s failure to meet contractual obligations (although not explicitly clarified, this is believed to be non-payment of fees);
  • Cardiff is currently not represented by legal counsel in his criminal case;
  • the DOJ was denied an opportunity to review supporting evidence tied to Cardiff’s request to travel to Ireland;
  • the DOJ’s concerns about Cardiff potentially engaging in witness tampering have been ignored;
  • instead of ordering him to secure new legal counsel and prepare for trial, Judge Bernal has given Cardiff permission to travel to Ireland for ten days;
  • Cardiff’s criminal trial remains scheduled to kick off on September 3rd, 2024; and
  • if convicted on all counts, Cardiff, 49, is facing up to 57 years in prison

I suppose on the plus side ten days isn’t all that long to wait to see if Cardiff does in fact flee. Stay tuned…

 

Update 27th August 2024 – Cardiff appears to have returned to the US sometime in August. This is based on there being nothing about him absconding in late August court filings.

Said filings pertain to a request to delay Cardiff’s trial, filed on August 22nd. In the filing, Cardiff requests his September 2024 trial be pushed back to 2025.

The request is based on Cardiff switching lawyers in late July and lacking time to prepare for trial. The DOJ did not oppose the request.

The court granted Cardiff’s request on August 23rd, delaying his criminal trial to February 4th, 2025.

 

Update 5th September 2024 – On September 3rd Jason Cardiff filed a second ex-parte application, again requesting permissiont to travel to Ireland.

Mr. Cardiff respectfully requests the Court’s permission to travel to Ireland.

This request is made to allow Mr. Cardiff to assist his wife, Eunjung Cardiff, with her ongoing medical needs during the time period and assist with their small child.

Mr. Cardiff also has scheduled necessary medical appointments for himself, including a consultation with his pulmonologist.

Cardiff proposed he be permitted to leave the US on September 9th and return to Texas on September 25th.

The DOJ opposed Cardiff’s motion for the same reasons cited in their previous filing.

Once again the court overruled the DOJ’s opposition and granted Cardiff’s motion on September 4th.