DEFENSE ATTORNEY PLEADS GUILTY TO HELPING LAUNDER DRUG-DEAL PROFITS

A well-known attorney praised for his years of generosity and skillful
legal representation choked back tears Monday as he admitted
laundering drug-deal profits to help a convicted trafficker buy a home
worth $630,000 in Wellington.

Criminal defense attorney John Anthony Garcia was overcome by emotion
for several minutes as U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley lauded
his work representing clients with "skill and dignity," then
acknowledged that Monday was "an intensely sad day."

Though federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 18 to
24 months, Hurley said that he must hear all the evidence before
deciding Garcia's fate.

The charges against Garcia stem from his dealings with former client
and convicted drug trafficker Joel McDermott, 32. Garcia admitted
depositing $18,000 into his personal checking account -- once in 2002
and again in 2003 -- and $28,000 into his law firm's trust account to
help McDermott buy a five-bedroom, $630,000 home in the Olympia
community in Wellington. Garcia purchased Bank of America cashier's
checks for McDermott, who's serving a 21-year federal prison sentence.

Garcia was exposed by a wiretap sting operation by the Drug
Enforcement Administration.

In early 2003, the DEA began investigating McDermott, who it suspected
of trafficking in cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, prosecutor Stephen
Carlton said. During that investigation, DEA agents came across
records detailing the Olympia home, built by developer Minto Homes.

McDermott began cooperating with the DEA following his arrest for
cocaine trafficking, telling agents that he gave drug-related profits
to Garcia, who then bought the cashier's checks. The cash transactions
were always less than $10,000 to avoid reporting to the federal government.

The DEA gave McDermott $5,000 and had him ask Garcia to help him pay
off a car loan. During the wiretapped conversation, Garcia appears
willing to launder the funds, according to Carlton.

The government eventually searched Garcia's West Palm Beach office and
learned that he had used his firm's trust account to help McDermott.

Garcia, a 45-year-old father of two, hung his head during much of
Monday's colloquy. His wife, Karen, and some criminal defense
colleagues showed their support from the gallery.

Garcia remains free on $100,000 bail. As part of his plea deal, he
forfeited $75,000 to the government. Sentencing has been set for Feb.
16. He is expected to lose his license to practice law as a result of
the plea.