Colorful past may return to haunt fraud suspect
Michael “Mickey” Munday, a colorful ex-pilot who helped make Miami the epicenter of 1980s narco-trafficking, became something of a celebrity after appearing in the 2006 documentary, “Cocaine Cowboys.”
Fame could haunt him.
Federal prosecutors — who have charged Munday in connection with a fraud ring involving come back to stolen cars — are now asking a judge to allow them to show jurors excerpts of the film, as well as tweets and other media appearances that show Munday was well-versed in the art of smuggling.
“For over 10 years, the defendant has openly advertised himself as a ‘Cocaine Cowboy,’ a criminal mastermind, an expert in moving contraband through the use of cars and tow trucks, and a master in employing his tradecraft to avoid law enforcement,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein wrote in a motion to the court.
Munday’s defense lawyers will fight the request at a hearing this morning in Miami federal court. They declined to comment. The trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday before U.S. Judge Robert Scola.
Munday, 72, was indicted last May along with seven other men. He is charged with conspiracy and mail fraud.
He spent nearly all of the 1990s in federal prison for smuggling 10 tons of cocaine from Colombia to Miami on behalf of the Medellín and Cali cartels. He was featured prominently in “Cocaine Cowboys,” a widely praised documentary by Miami filmmakers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman. It