(QCOSTARICA) In Court, for the start of his trial on Monday, David Strecker aka as Cuba Dave, asked for a postponement of trial, telling the judge he had not been aware of the charges against him until that morning and not had time to a prepare a defense.
The start of trial was pushed to September 9, 2016.
Strecker is the first (and only so far) to be charged under Costa Rica’s 2013 Sex Tourism Law, and faces up to 12 years in prison if found guilty.
Prosecutors allege that Strecker, by way of websites and blogs, promoted Costa Rica as a sex tourism destination to North American tourists.
In Costa Rica, prostitution is not illegal, but promoting sex tourism is.
Strecket’s new lawyer, Luís Diego Chacón says he feels confident his client will cleared of all charges. For his part, Strecker, talking to Michael Krumholtz of the TicoTimes.net, by phone from La Reforma prison in Alajuela, said he has a renewed sense of optimism.
On September 4, 2015 Strecker was arrested at the Suan Santamaria (San Jose) airport.
According to the website Cubadave.com, when Strecker was first arrested he apologized “for having caused any problem or embarrassment” and offered to leave the country and never return if prosecutors would let him go. However, in July, just before committing to trial prosecutors demanded a 12 year prison sentence for any plea agreement.
