Wasn’t really sure where to put this, but this seems as good a place as any.
Every so often I read stories about gringos who have traveled to the DR and fallen victim to various scams by Dominicans. Almost each and every time the gringo was willing to pay the Dominican in an effort to “avoid jail”, get back on the plane and just go home, or to just make it go away. I ain't one of those gringos.
About a year ago a friend and I decided to explore ways to keep myself busy while I was in town. After having taken a one year leave from my job (which stretched out to 2 ½ years) and spending much of that time in Puerto Plata, I decided I wanted to do something to keep myself busy. Anyhow, after a period of time I decided I didn’t travel to the DR to work my ass off, but to party, bang chicas, and just chill. I decided to go back to what I really wanted to do. Contracts were signed off, monies were paid, and I went on my way. Or so I thought.
Three months later I received an e-mail from one of my local Dominican friends informing me that I was being sued by the landlord of some property we had previously rented, and I already had a court date. WHAT!!!! WHO!!!! HUH???? I was fucking pissed. I told him to inform my lawyer and that I’d be down for the court date.
I won’t go into the specifics of the case (and I won’t, so don’t ask) but after arriving in PP and conferring with my attorney (he was the same guy who had handled the property rental contract, so was familiar with the whole issue) I told him that I didn’t give a damn how long it took to fight this case but that I would absolutely not pay this piece of shit ONE FUCKING PESO. I didn’t care if I had to go to jail, I was not going to allow myself to be a victim to these bullshit scams that some of the Dominicans tend to perpetrate against foreigners. Fortunately for me, I am not in the position that most tourists find themselves in. I have a vested interest in the country in addition to fucking chicas and drinking Presidentes all day.
We had to appear before the fiscal and present our arguments. It took everything I had to keep from reaching out and touching this son of a bitch right there in front of the fiscal. He layered on lie after lie. I admit that I have been guilty of a number of things during my life. But I’ve always been an honest man and never a thief. Fortunately, for me, I was able to produce all of my records, along with a local, high-ranking member of the National police who spoke about my character and integrity. In spite of this, I still wasn’t sure if the fiscal was going to side with his fellow countryman or not but, in the end, the fiscal noted that this case was not something for him to decide, and that we should try and resolve it amongst ourselves.
After leaving the courthouse I cut loose on this son of a bitch and told him exactly what I thought of him. Well, the truth is that my buddy had to interpret, but the asshole got the message. It’s been another few months and I just returned to the states on Memorial Day and I haven’t heard another thing. So maybe, just maybe, this issue is over.
I wasn’t raised to give in and give up. There are times I want to call the people who do, cowards. But I realize that everybody has their reasons for doing what they do. What some people don’t realize is that these people who pull this type of shit are just playing the odds. They figure that they can make the most frivolous claim, and you being not only a foreigner, but a tourist at that, will simply want to pay to make the problem go away so that you can return to the comfort of wherever it is you come from. I just refuse to be a victim without putting up a fight.
Next up: Trying to sell a house with strangers still attached
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