Instagram model distracts guard while mom escapes prison using rope ladder and bike
An Instagram model reportedly helped her former politician mother escape prison by distracting the security guard.
Aída Victoria Merlano, 21, was able to execute her ballsy plan of helping former politician Aída Merlano Rebolledo escape a Bogota prison by raising a hidden rope and a getaway bike. Prosecutors heard during a trial this week how the Colombian influencer helped her mother in climbing out of a dentist's third-story window using a rope to get to the ground. In July, MEAWW reported how inmate David Mordukhaev was caught 12 hours after escaping Bronx barge jail. And in January, we reported how Arizona inmates John Charpiot and David Harmon were caught after breaking out of prison.
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Senator Rebodello was sentenced in 2019 after being convicted of voter fraud, corruption, and illegal possession of weapons. The then-38-year-old was given 15 years within six months of her election victory, but she escaped prison just two weeks after. While her daughter was also charged at the time, she has remained free on bail and continues to post saucy snaps and short-skits with her 2.5 million followers on Instagram.
The mother-daughter duo is said to have hatched the plan when Rebodello was granted leave of jail to attend a dentist appointment. She was accompanied by a prison guard and a driver to the dentist's clinic outside of jail but was allowed to enter the office alone. It later emerged in court that the felon was left by herself in the examination room, during which she executed the escape plan as her daughter chatted up the security guard in a bid to distract him.
El escape de Aída Merlano, dentro del consultorio! pic.twitter.com/ABDpSehK31
— John Giraldo (@JohnGiraldo15) October 2, 2019
In video footage obtained by El Tiempo, Rebodello was seen climbing down from the window using a red cord before dropping to the ground in front of shocked bystanders. She then jumped on the back of a bike driven by a man posing as a delivery driver and fled the scene. Meanwhile, Merlano took advantage of the situation as the apparent prison break made headlines. She was featured on the cover of a magazine posing naked in handcuffed with the tagline, “The Daughter of the Fugitive Congresswoman Confesses."
The moment that female inmate escape from her dental appointment visit, Aida Merlano the ex representative Congress member was helped the all time, only in Colombia 🇨🇴!pic.twitter.com/lUdTZP6G1q
— Norbey Cortes (@nycbeing) October 2, 2019
Rebolledo was eventually apprehended in Venezuela a couple of months later in January 2020. Her daughter and the dentist, Javier Cely Barajas, were officially charged as accomplices in the escape after authorities suspected their involvement. While both pleaded innocence during a trial this week, they are facing years behind bars if found guilty.
Despite the ordeal, Merlano continues to engage with her fans on social media. “Despite getting up every day knowing that I can go to jail for 21 years, I am happy because I have the conviction that happiness is a decision that one makes every day," the Instagram model stated in a video post, adding, “Be happy today because you do not know what will happen tomorrow.