Paul Frampton, a physicist from the University of North Carolina, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after being found guilty of drug-smuggling on November the 21st.
Paul Frampton
Frampton (68) got into trouble, rather naively, after flying from North Carolina to Bolivia, where he was planning to meet a 32-year-old Czech-born lingerie model Denise Milani. He believed he had been chatting with her on the internet.
Denise Milani, image courtesy of FHM
She did not show up, instead he was met by a man. This man then asked him to take “Milani’s” suitcase to Buenos Aires, where she would then meet up with him. There is no evidence that Milani knew her persona was being used in this way.
Frampton then tried to board a plane back to the US at which point he arrested after airport-security officials discovered the cocaine inside a false lining of the suitcase.
Frampton has always claimed that he was innocent of the drug-smuggling charges. He insists that the cocaine was placed into the luggage without his knowledge.
Despite health issues while locked up, Frampton continued to supervise his two current PhD students by phone and managed to place preprints on arXi.
Link