MIAMI, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Maria del Lujan Telpuk, a Buenos Aires airport police officer turned celebrity sex symbol, says she came to Miami to "tell the truth" in a high-profile trial.
Telpuk, known as "the Suitcase Girl," was to testify Monday in the trial of Venezuelan businessman Franklin Duran, charged by prosecutors with illegally acting as an agent of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in the United States, The Miami Herald reported.
Telpuk, 27, is at the heart of the so-called "suitcase case," in which Duran and others are accused of coming to the United States to hush up an alleged attempt by Chavez to funnel an $800,000 gift to Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Telpuk discovered a suitcase filled with cash at the Buenos Aires airport, and has since parlayed her fame into a Playboy magazine photo shoot and reality television show appearances.
The "Suitcase Girl" told the Herald she was grateful for the fame, but didn't totally comprehend it.
"The truth is I still don't totally understand" the events, she said. "It's been very shocking for me, though it's brought many new and good things. I'm at peace because I know I'm here to tell the truth."
