Nichols' ex-wife says she found hidden cash

McAlester News-Capital & Democrat ^ | April 7, 2004 | JAMES BEATY

[tomball]

An ex-wife of accused Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols testified Tuesday she found $20,000 hidden in a Wal-Mart bag Nichols hid in her kitchen in November 1994.

Lana Padilla said Nichols stashed the money at her home in Las Vegas while he traveled to the Philippines.

Padilla testified Tuesday afternoon at the Pittsburg County Courthouse, where Nichols is facing trial on state charges for the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing.

Nichols and Padilla were divorced and married to others in November 1994, but Padilla said Nichols traveled to her home to visit their son.

Padilla said she found the money after she opened a package Nichols gave her before leaving for the Philippines. He told her to open the package only if he didn't return, she said.

"I opened it the next day," Padilla told Oklahoma County Assistant District Attorney Sandra Elliott.

Padilla said she opened the package because she feared Nichols was suicidal. Among the items it contained were instructions on how to find the money, hidden behind a kitchen drawer.

Padilla said she found the money and put it in a fireproof safe in her office.

She said Nichols returned from the Philippines on Jan. 16, 1995. He seemed shocked when he returned to her home and couldn't find the cash, she said.

"I walked in and he looked like he had discovered it was gone. I was happy; I was rejoiceful he was back," Padilla said.

She said she had been worried about having to tell their son his father had died,

Padilla said she asked how much of the $20,000 she could keep for "child support." Nichols told her she could keep $3,000 if she would open a savings account for their son, Padilla said.

She said she kept the $3,000 and gave Nichols $17,000 back.

Padilla said she never opened the account.

She said she also entered a storage shed Nichols had rented in Nevada.

Padilla testified she found insurance papers, gold coins, green gemstones, and a bag with a wig, a ski mask, pantyhose and costume makeup, among other things. Padilla said she later learned the value of the items in the shed was estimated at $38,000.

Padilla said she also found messages from Nichols to Timothy McVeigh inside the sealed package, including instructions to empty storage sheds Nichols had rented.

A letter to McVeigh ended with the line "You're on your own. Go for it."

Padilla said she contacted the FBI about a piece of jade one of her sons took from the gemstones in the storage shed, after learning similar stones had been taken from Roger Moore, an Arkansas gun dealer.

Authorities have contended the Oklahoma City bombing was partly financed by robbing Moore
 

[cmsgop]

Lana Padilla=Jose Padilla ???????

TIN-FOIL ON!

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[johnfrink]

There's no way that would have escaped notice this long.

[bayourod]

"Nichols stashed the money at her home in Las Vegas while he traveled to the Philippines. "

If I hit a $20,000.00 jackpot in Vegas I would hide it from my wife also.

[Yaelle]

I was wondering myself how common the Padilla name was. Wasn't Jose from the Chicago area? Or was that where he was headed when he was caught?

[livius]

No, there's no connection. She was a Filipina, while Jose was an American born Hispanic Muslim convert.

Lana Padilla was Nichols' "wife of convenience." However, her family lived in the same building in the Philippines that a number of terrorists lived in. She was apparently not involved, but it appears that the marriage was set up mostly to enable Nichols to travel to the Philippines and make contact with Muslim terrorists there.

[Richard Kimball]

Bump for later

[Moonman62]

Padilla testified she found insurance papers, gold coins, green gemstones, and a bag with a wig, a ski mask, pantyhose and costume makeup, among other things.

Slim Pickens voice: Shoot, a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

[Shermy]

Memories. Return to the question "Why did Nichols fear he might not return?"

[Shermy]

Lana Padilla was Nichols' "wife of convenience."

They had a kid. And why would Nichols need to marry to visit the Philippines?

[cmsgop]

Thanks, I had just never seen the Padilla name before with the OKC thing, I'm not really up to snuff on that whole story anyway, it has grown so much in the last few years.

[There's millions of'em]

ex-wife says she found hidden cash

Well, finally something I don't ever have to worry about my ex saying in court!

[livius]

That's pretty obvious. Nichols avoided the death sentence only because he appeared to be a somewhat more sympathetic person than McVeigh (and I still think McVeigh converted to Islam during the Gulf War, but I have never been able to find more than rumors of this).

Nichols was clearly a major part of the plot, but I have always felt that he was part of it because he was a weak person, picked by McVeigh and McVeigh's handlers precisely because of his weakness.

I think Nichols knows a lot, and I hope somebody, in these post-Clinton times, is working on him to get his information out.

[cripplecreek]

Compare the photos of john doe and jose padilla.

Actually i allways found it odd that a white supremistist would marry non white women twice.

[livius]

Sorry, cut off the first part of my reply when I was reviewing it...

I think Nichols was not perceived as totally committed, and knew he was dealing with dangerous people.

[livius]

One of the Philippines' major exports is wives.

And this wife had some unsavory relatives, and lived in a building full of terrorists (actually, I think it was the one where the people who planned to kill the Pope were holed up). In other words, it was set up for Nichols.

[cmsgop]

I've seen that, it's shocking to say the least....

[CIBvet]

So when do the Feds start talking about the Middle-Eastern guys McV was hanging around with, and seen fleeing the scene just prior to OKC bombing ??

When do they put Andreas Carl Stassmeir, the rich son of German Nobility, and under-cover wannabe, when does he arrive for questioning??

When does Carol Howe, the Dallas-Deb turned Fed-slut arrive in court to talk about all the guys/principles she knew and knows ??

Awww, who cares. Let's just pin it all on the White Militia Stooges and be done with it.

Doesn't anyone remember what Clintonian/Reno entrapment smells like?

[cripplecreek]

Clearly both were involved but they were involved in a much larger event.

As for Mcveigh his "racism" isnt evident in a lot of the things he said and wrote over the years. The was a website (gone now) called parenthocarpy.com that had some of his written comments. Most seemed to rail against the govt for attacking an innocent nation (iraq) that would have brought a standing ovation at an ANSWER rally.

Its possible that the smokinggun.com has some of that stuff.