Time Line:
Prior to Death - Richard ended up in Costa Rica when his children in Florida bought him a vacation package for a birthday present. Richard loved it so much - he went back and forth between Florida and Costa Rica.
Eventually over several years of going back and forth, on one of his trips Richard met Cindy at a bar. Cindy was a Prostitute. She gave a sap story and they started dating. He thought he could be the hero and save her.
He moves her and her son in. Her son was living in Cindy's brother's closet... Shortly comes and moves in Cindy's mother and her brother and his family. Cindy's family borrows money from Richard and doesn't pay back over time so he asked them to get their own place.
Richard makes a Last Will and testament in Costa Rica and has it registered in the Civil Registry. To be attached. Cindy is not the benefactor of the items in Costa Rica. Of two corporations, she would only get any proceeds of the one she uses to manage paperwork for Richard's other corporation. Richard makes sure to keep the corporations separate. Richard shares the one that Cindy is not entitled to with Richard's cousin. 50/50. The 50% of Richards is to go to his daughter to be managed and then dispersed accordingly.
Richard set up 3 businesses - all funded by him to help Cindy become independent. She didn't want to work and all businesses failed, even the corporation he set up for her.
Cindy said she couldn't have children. Out pops Endy.
Richard feels he can't trust her and doesn't want to marry her. He requests a paternity test or he wants her out. Results show that he is the father so he files with Social Security, whereas the form shows that when he filled it out - he states that he is the ONLY guardian parent of Endy.
While in the United States in 2011, Richard makes a Living Will and Testament to reinforce his wishes.
Over time, things get worse. Richard still thinks he can make things better if he marries her - due to rocky relationship - for the sake of Endy. Richard finds out that Cindy is sleeping around and steeling money from him. After being married a little over a year. Cindy files for Divorce requesting $3,200 in alimony and says she is taking everything - making a claim on everything Richard owns (not even 50%, but she wants all). She figured that she was in the position to get what she really was waiting on: $$$$$.
Cindy and Richard split up but she continues to put stress on him nonstop. Meanwhile her oldest son is living with Richard and Richard's youngest son goes back and forth between parents. Richard takes Endy every weekend so Cindy can go out and party.
Richard is in the process to make sure his wishes are carried out - just in case. He makes a trust for Endy to get Richard's home in Costa Rica. (Of which he borrowed $40,000 from his children in the United States to build.) He begins to move is shares of the corporation he intended to be dispersed by - to his daughter.
Richard doesn't feel good and Cindy's son calls her. Ambulance take 45 min. to get there. and one hour to get him back to the Liberia hospital. He was in the hospital for a few hours running tests and the doctors are concerned that he will not make it. During this time, Cindy is roughly 30 minutes away and
NEVER went to the hospital to be by his side.
After Richard passes away does she then call the family in the United States. She goes to the hospital and collects Richard's personal items and her son that was left there. The hospital says that Richard has a bill that will need to be paid. Cindy says she is not paying for it and leaves.
Upon the arrival of Richards son and daughter from the United States, they go straight to the hospital to see their father. The hospital says in order to do so that they will need to pay for the bill. Without hesitation, they do so and wait... and wait.... for over 6 hours. They see people going back and forth but are told to wait. Where thereafter, they say that the father has been moved to San Jose as per request of the "wife" (5 hours away). The children request documentation and the hospital staff are reluctant to provide it. However, they do in the end. On the payment receipt (to be attached) Cindy's signature appears! She knows the family is there to see the father but doesn't even greet them. She simply leaves now that the bill is paid.
The children then have to make the trip to San Jose to see their father. Because it is the weekend, they have to wait and will only get to see their father on the 4th day. In the meantime, the family pays for food for themselves as well as Cindy and her family. Richards family also have to pay for a hotel and rental car. Cindy and her son request to go to San Jose and see Richard as well. The family from Florida pays for Cindy and her son's expenses- food and hotel.
Richard's kids from Florida, pays for all funeral expenses and goes back to Coco to await their travel back to the US.
Cindy says that she added Richard's kids to the probate proceedings - of course it is fair correct? (She says her and her son have rights to everything and Richard's remaining family to get nothing.)
She then begins taking Richard's items, tools, and car and tries selling them. Of which she is successful in selling a portion.
Cindy collects funds from social security for: widow death benefits, Endy, and being a guardian of a minor. This is a substantial amount of money.
The property in Costa Rica needs to be addressed, so Richard's daughter pays for back taxes that have not been paid in two years: $3,000. She also pays for additional funds that will need to be collected to sustain the property.
Richard's daughter goes with family and Richard's best friend to one of Richard's properties (with permission of Cindy) to find that Richard's clothes and personal items have been thrown out of the house. In addition, there were also Richard's family's photos and his favorite chair. The family had asked for the chair to remain inside of the property in Coco, but instead, Cindy chose to remove it and place outside to be weathered. (Photos of the state of how they were removed from the home to be posted.) Richard's family gathers the personal photos that were being weathered and left outside. Whereas, Cindy posts a video online calling them thieves to make out that she was a victim. All items taken were documented by third party.
Cindy creates lavish stories and lies and starts spreading them and saying she is left destitute and penniless....
The facts:
- Cindy has a house in Limon where she rents out and collects rent, she collects social security for Endy AND she collects additional funds for being a widow and having a minor child. (Many people think that you have to be married 10 years or more to collect spousal benefits. This is not true and the facts will be posted.)
- Cindy has a brand new house in Santa Cruz - completed and fully furnished by Richard - with no debts.
- Cindy has received money from Richard's personal items that she has been selling off and collecting funds for.
- Cindy is still active as a prostitute and is collecting funds for her services, which is legal in Costa Rica.
- Cindy and her family is staying in Richard's property which is now owned by Richard's cousin rent free and utility free since August.
- Cindy has all new clothes and hairstyles, a $400 cell phone, a $1,000 ipad tablet and is seen all over Costa Rica celebrating festivals and parties. Yet, she claims she has no money.
- During the duration of her relationship, she never invested any funds into any of Richard's investments. Richard borrowed funds from his children in Florida and even made a promissory note ($30,000) as well as documentation in excess of to show that his children in Florida were active in Richard's financial affairs.
- Since Richard's death, not only did Cindy not be there at his side, she has not contributed one penny towards his medical or funeral services. She did not go to the hospital to be by his side during his final moments, she did not attempt to go to his funeral services in the United States and she did not hold a memorial service in Costa Rica for friends and family there.
- Richard's daughter wanted to place some ashes in Costa Rica and have a memorial for her younger brother to be able to go to and visit. When Cindy was asked is she had a place to put the ashes she said that she would just put the ashes in the ocean.
- Cindy has filed that she and her son, Endy are the SOLE beneficiaries of all of Richard's assets; that Richard's other children should be exempt.
- Richard's children have filed a petition with the courts for visitation rights to continue to see Endy. Endy is going on 6 years old and STILL not enrolled in school.
- much, much more....
Bottom line, while Richard's family and friends always treated Cindy Winter Ortega and her family with respect and always gave gifts upon meeting and included them in events and celebrations, she only put on a show - a show that she was there for love and not the money. However, true colors can never be concealed for too long and she has shown her's.
Here is what Cindy States:
Her
and Endy get everything, and Richard's other children did not have a
relationship with their father so they get nothing. I guess, all of the
pictures, videos, emails, visits, oh and documented lending of funds
from his children in Florida are lies. Not to mention, that his children
paid for Richard's medical bills and funeral costs. She did not even
hold a memorial service in Costa Rica for her "beloved husband".
Even
though her prior attorney, Ricardo Vargas, had a copy of Richard's Last
Will and Testament and that this will mentions what she is entitled to;
not to mention that the will was registered in the capitol of Costa
Rica's national registry, she says that it DOES NOT EXIST. In addition,
Richard had a Last Will and Testament that was made in the United
States. Since the laws of Costa Rica agree to comply with United States'
laws on US citizens who pass away in Costa Rica... her blindness to the
situation will end in an eye opening experience.
Majority of Costa Rican families earn less than $10,000 a year. Even a well-educated person might only earn $1000 to $2000 a month. Construction workers, police men and other similar jobs get less than $500 a month. With just social security, she earns over $1,800 per month by simply doing nothing. She doesn't have house payments, car payments, or any noted debts. Most US citizens do not live so well and the cost of living in the US is much higher. She gets free medical. HOW CAN SHE POSSIBLY BE DESTITUTE??!! She is so full of herself.
