Playboy Magazine South Africa November 2013 November 2013 | Page 42

FEATURE INSIDE EL RODEO

SKRWR E\ DIS

The stress of trying
to secure Tim’s
release from a
government that
appeared to have no
regard for reality,
diplomacy or justice
made for tense
moments back in
the States.

mosquito bites on his feet. There was a horrifying realization – this was his existence, and
it was highly possible he would never see the
light of day again as a free man and would die
in this Venezuelan hellhole.
The next morning, the two beautiful nurses
appeared at Tim’s cell. He had no choice but to
follow them. He did not know if he was following them to his death, to another cell or to his
freedom. He was led to a room where a doctor
gave him a medical checkup. He realized he
was being released when he was given exit
papers to sign and not one minute before. He
was given his clothes back, the clothes he was
wearing when he arrived at El Rodeo. Like his
arrest, his release came quickly, without warning. Tim Tracy was set free.

5 June 2013
With no evidentiary hearing, Tim was
expelled from Venezuela and put on a flight
to Miami. The only explanation consisted of a
single tweet from Interior Minister Rodríguez
Torres: “The American Timothy Hallet Tracy,
who was caught spying in our country, has
been expelled from the national territory.”
Tim was supposed to land in Miami and
then board a connecting flight to Los Angeles,
but his family intercepted him in Florida and
took him to their vacation home in Palm
Beach. It appeared that Tim’s homecoming
wasn’t exactly smooth, that he wasn’t in the
best shape mentally. By all accounts he had
been a marvel of positive energy during his
first month behind bars. Something must have
happened inside El Rodeo.
The diplomatic savvy of retired congressman
Bill Delahunt was what ultimately won Tim his
freedom. In a classic quid pro quo, Delahunt managed to secure a meeting between
Venezuelan foreign minister Elías José Jaua and
US secretary of state John Kerry in exchange
for Tim’s release. A few hours after Tim landed
in Miami, Kerry and Jaua were sitting down
together.
Ten days later, Tim got on a plane to Los An-

geles. Despite having a loyal support network
in LA, he decided to stay under the radar. Reporters had camped outside his Laurel Canyon
home for days, and to avoid being spotted,
Tim spent his first week in town hiding out
at his friend Stone Douglass’s house in Santa
Monica’s Rustic Canyon.
Tim’s older brother Tripp was the only member of the Tracy family to speak to the pr W70?&?WBF??( ?2&V?V6R??F??Vv???2ffV7F????f?"??2?GF?R'&?F?W"v2????Wf?FV?B2?P?6???VB&6?FV'2??6?W&??R&Vv?F?P???FW'f?Wrv?F?FV???rFW67&?F????( ?f?"??&?G?v??( ?26VV?F?R??f?R7?W2??RW2v?F??6?Wg?6?6R?BF???&??B?( ?G&?6?B??( ?F?N( ?2&?WB26??6RF?7?2F??G&7??2?( ?v???R??2??FV?Bv2??F???r'WB??6??W2??F?R7FFV?V?B7G'V6??R2?'&??r?6??&??p?F?R'V?&??r6??2GV?V?7V?FVBf?"7W'f?f????f?&V?v?6?V?G'?F?F???B??2?&FV????fV?W?VV???Bf??v?F??F?RF?F??v2&V?V6V@??B?B&VV???v??r&?V?Bf?"Gv?vVV?0?v?V??f????v?BF?R6???( ?B&VV?v?F??rf?"?Bv2g&??F?R7&?6?2???vV?V?BV&?6?G??W?W'BF???B??&VBgFW"?Rv?B?WB?v???6?BF??v2??F?v??BW?6WBf?"?R?P??BFV6?FVB??BF?w&?B????FW'f?Ww2f? ?F?Rf?&W6VV&?RgWGW&R??( ?BvWB2?V6?F??P?2??VVFVB?F?Rf????v??r??&???r?G&?fRF??6?F????6?B???BvF6?VBf?fR?6V6??Bf?FV?6???bF??v???rF?&?Vv?F?R6&62?'?'BF?P???&???r?Rv2&V?V6VB??&?&&?v?V?F?( ?@??fR&V6?v?VB???????WrF??2F?Vv????6?vw???&VB&W??'WBF?RwW?v??w&VWFV@??RBF?RF??"v2&?VB?B&?6???r'W???7WB??b?R?B7VffW&VB6WfW&RG&V???V?&?FV??2?( ?B&VV??VBF?&V?WfR??Rv2??F??r?@?&WGG?vV????2vR6B??v&FV??F??7F'FVBF?F??@?F?F?( ?B7F?f?"F?R?W?BGv?F?2??????v?0??Rv2F?R6?RwW??&V?V?&W&VB?VWF??p?'WB??&R6??f?FV?B?B??76???VB'??6V?6R?b6?6???W7F?6R??RF??B?RF?BF??Vv???^( ?B?B6?W?R?bW?2?V?FF?v?2f????v??p?C ????$???4???????2&V?V6R( 2??R??F?R??Rv?V??^( ?B?7?6VB??277?'B?B?V&?v?B??6?VB?f`??B??R&6?????&V6?v?F???2&V?G0?( 2?Rv2??rfVV??r??R???6V?b?Bf?7W6V@???f???6???r??2f????v??6??RW7F??FVB6?V?@?F?R?V"F?VF?B???R??W2F??fR?B&VG??f?"7V?F?6R??#R???66????VB???F???7GG&V?F?27G&W72F?6?&FW"Wf?VF???v?F??7?6??G&?7B?vR&?F??Vv?VB2F??&V@???VB?B?7vW&VB6??R?bF?RVW7F???0???F?RF?GF??rf?&?( ?F???RWfW"fVV???P?V??R&R6??7?&??rv??7B??S??W2?F???P?WfW"fVV?F?Rv?fW&??V?B?2??RV?FW"7W'fV????6S?V???W2?( ?F???B?7V?BF?R???( ?26?&R?bF?R?W?@?F???F?R&??gF?FV6??bF?RWF?BW&?FvP???FV???vW7B????v??B?fWrfVWBg&???G&???b7GV????rV7FW&?WW&?V???FV?2??F?R6??G&7B&WGvVV?F?W6R7W'&?V?F??w0??BV?&?FV?v2??B??7B??F???v??( ?@?&VV?&V6?V?F??r??27F?'?F??Rv?F??WB?'&V?f?"??W'2?2F?R7V?6WB??6?VBF??&?WB??2&V7F???F?G&?( ?2??FW'f?Wr?@?F?R7?W2??RW2&VfW&V?6R?( ?BFVf???FV???W'B?( ?F??F?GFVB?( ?Bv2???B?b&?GFW'7vVWBF???r?&V6W6R??f???F?F?( ?B?????Bv?B?( ?BF??R?B6??( ???R???rv?C??F???( ?2'&?fVB?v^( ?&R&?VB?bF????( ???F?F?( ?B?V"F?B?'WB?( ????F?R&WGFW"f? ??B?&V6W6R?&V??R??rF?BF??6RvW&P?f?F6?W2??( ????v??W&?f?"v?B?F?B??'WB?( ???6?wW?v??WB?&V?G2?@??f??F?&?Vv??V???( ?fWr??W'2?FW"???VgBF?????Rv?F?F?P?V7FW&?WW&?V???FV?2F?W6RF?R&F?&?????v?V??&WGW&?VB??Rv2???F??r6?W'B???g&??B?b6F?fRVF?V?6R?7?????r?&??F?Bv2v???&R?&?v???F??F?R??R?^( ?@?W6VB??FV?Ff?&6R??v?B??BF??2??R?P?F??Bv?F??WB6??R?&V6W6R?B?V?VBF??&RG'VR?gFW"?W"v?FW"???V?6VB?7B6????F??????VBBW2?B6??VBv?F?F?R6?P?f?W'?v??B????2W?W2?&V?V?&W&VBg&??F?P?f?'7BF??R??WB????( ?????( ??R6?B?( ?v???v?G2F?'&V???F????W6R?7v??r????6??FV?W"?B?fRF?6R'G??( ???