Judge in Peru issues warrant for carbon cowboy David Nilsson’s arrest

AIDESEP (Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon) reports on its website that a judge of the Criminal Court of Maynas, Loreto in Peru has issued a warrant for David Nilsson’s arrest.

In July 2012, 60 Minutes Australia broadcast an investigation into Nilsson’s activities in Peru. A 60 Minutes producer posed as a potential investor and filmed Nilsson claiming to have three million hectares of forest in Peru under a 200 year contract. The carbon contract was for 25 years, Nilsson explained, unaware that he was being filmed. He added that after 25 years, the forests could be logged and replaced by oil palm plantations.

The warrant for Nilsson’s arrest is, according to AIDESEP, for defamation and libel.

AIDESEP’s statement refers to Brad Francis, who designed a website for Refund Real Estate. The website was registered by David Nilsson. It explains, “How to become a millionaire in just ten years” (“no get rich scheme, it is proven”) and invites potential clients to,

“Take advantage of what David Nilsson calls the OPM Principle; in other words, use Other People’s Money to borrow as much of the purchase price as possible . . . ”

AIDESEP accuses Edward Barry Warden, a retired policeman from Queensland, Australia, of helping Nilsson by “creating defamatory websites against Nilsson’s detractors who participated in the 60 Minutes production”. (This information is also available on this website.)

On 6 September 2012, the domain danpantone.info was registered anonymously. Dan Pantone is a US scientist who has lived in Peru for many years working with indigenous peoples. He was interviewed in the 60 Minutes programme about Nilsson. The website, danpantone.info, accuses Pantone of planning to kill an indigenous leader (based on a google translate version of one article, which provides no evidence to back the accusation whatsoever).

The website also accuses Pantone of selling videos and images of indigenous peoples without their approval. The only “evidence” provided for this is that Pantone filled in part of an authorisation form himself. The form is filled out in the name of Bina Tucum Matis, an indigenous leader, and included the words “not literate” (in Portuguese) where the signature would have been. A fingerprint appears at the end of the form. Pantone comments that, “Any suggestion of ‘fraud as proven by a handwriting expert’ is preposterous and is classic Nilsson.”

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UPDATE – 18 September 2012: The above four sentences added giving Pantone’s response to the accusations that he sold videos and images of indigenous peoples without their approval.

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Two days ago, the videos were posted on YouTube. A YouTube user called AmazonIndianVideos posted the following comment:

“freeamazonvideos” is really David John Nilsson, as seen in the television exposé about him on 60 Minutes Australia entitled, “The Carbon Cowboy.” If you are curious to know why David Nilsson is illegally posting my copyrighted videos on YouTube and defaming me, please google “David Nilsson” and “60 Minutes” and you can learn the truth by viewing the 60 Minutes television report about him. People are not as naïve as Nilsson believes and can judge for themselves who’s telling the truth.

Below is AIDESEP’s statement, in English and Spanish:

David Nilsson flees from Peru after judge from Maynas signs arrest warrant

10 September, 2012

Thanks to the revelations of a news report by the Australian news program 60 Minutes and the various complaints and testimonies that AIDESEP has made since 2010 about the intent of the citizen David John Nilsson to commit fraud via carbon-offset projects, the judge of the Criminal Court of Maynas (Loreto, Peru) has issued an arrest warrant against the Australian and his conveyance by force to the authorities over charges of defamation and libel perpetrated in the press.

But as is typical with this kind of person, Nilsson fled the country. As explained in the television report, this individual sought to defame and discredit those who helped reveal his scams, using a vicious smear campaign against 60 minutes and others who gave interviews in the report. Presumably, Nilsson has enlisted the support of a web developer from Queensland, Australia named Brad Francis to help in his defamation campaign, and he has written threatening emails to those involved in the 60 Minutes program. In addition, he has used the services of a retired constable from Queensland, Edward Barry Warden, to assist him in their defamation campaign by creating defamatory websites against Nilsson’s detractors who participated in the 60 Minutes production.

However Nilsson’s harassment of those who reveal his scams is not new. Last year he filed a criminal complaint in Peru against Daniel Manquid Jimenez Huanán, the indigenous chief who first exposed Nilsson’s scam in a local newspaper interview. The prosecuting attorney refused to formalize a complaint against Jimenez and now Nilsson could be prosecuted for filing a false criminal complaint and face six years of prison time.

If Nilsson returns to Peru, he will be immediately arrested and will be prohibited from leaving the country until his trial in the Criminal Court is completed and he has finished serving the prison sentence ordered by the judge.

David Nilsson se huye del país después que juez de Maynas firmara orden de captura

10 September 2012

Gracias a la revelación de un reportaje del noticiero australiano 60 minutes y las diferentes denuncias y testimonios que realizó la Aidesep desde el 2010 sobre las pretensiones de estafa a través de proyectos de carbono que pensaba utilizar el ciudadano David John Nilsson es que el juez del Cuarto Juzgado Especializado en lo Penal de Maynas (Loreto) emitió una orden de captura contra el australiano y su conducción a las autoridades de grado fuerza por las acusaciones de difamación perpetrado en medios de comunicación y de calumnia.

Pero al igual que este tipo de personas, Nilsson huyó del país. Como detalló el reportaje televisivo, este personaje pretendió difamar y desacreditar a aquellos que ayudaron a revelar sus estafas, utilizando una campaña de difamación viciosa contra 60 minutes y otros que dieron entrevistas en el reportaje. Presuntamente, Nilsson consiguió el apoyo de un desarrollador web de Queensland, Australia llamado Brad Francis para que le ayude en su campaña de difamación, pues habría escrito correos electrónicos amenazantes a los que participaron en el programa. Además, habría utilizado los servicios de un ex agente de policía de Queensland, Edward Barry Warden, para que le ayuden en su campaña de difamación mediante la creación de sitios web difamatorios contra los detractores de Nilsson que participaron en la producción de 60 minutos.

Pero el hostigamiento de Nilsson a las personas que revelen sus estafas no es nuevo. El año pasado Nilsson presentó una denuncia penal en nuestro país contra de Daniel Manquid Jiménez Huanán, el jefe indígena que expuso las estafas de Nilsson por primera vez en una entrevista con un diario local. El fiscal se negó formalizar una denuncia en contra de Jiménez y ahora Nilsson podría ser procesado por haber presentado una denuncia calumniosa y se enfrenta hasta seis años de cárcel.

Si volviera al Perú, estaría inmediatamente detenido y se le prohibiría la salida del país hasta que su juicio en el Cuarto Juzgado se haya completado y se haya terminado de cumplir la sentencia de prisión que sea ordenado por el juez.