By Matthew Russell Lee, Thread, Patreon
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SDNY COURTHOUSE, June 10 – When former Congressman Chris Collins came up for sentencing on January 17, he and his lawyers were ready with arguments about the Boy Scouts.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Vernon S. Broderick was ready with a statement that he had not considered Collins' political views in imposing sentence on him, ultimately 26 months in a prison camp in Pensacola, Florida, to begin on March 17. Hear Inner City Press recap on WBEN Radio, here.
On December 22, Collins received a pardon.
Now on June 10, 2021, Cameron Collins has asked Judge Broderick for an early end of his five years of probation, noting a his settlement with the SEC and that he "disgorged all of his avoid [sic?] losses (plus interest)." Is money enough? The letter is dated June 1, but was only docketed on June 10 in the afternoon, along with a sealed document in the vault. Watch this site.
In August, as Collins pushed for a second delay of surrender, Judge Broderick invited a status letter - and to his credit docketed two constituents' letter protesting delay. Sue Perry, handwritten, says "Enough is enough." Christopher White, on a computer, asks "Why Mr. Collins is granted a delay in his incarceration when other prisoners of lesser means and more medical risks are currently actually in prison?"
Now on October 1 Collins' lawyer have filed an emergency motion to again delay his report date, from October 13 to December 8, or for a "modification of sentence" to home confinement.
They quote Dr Anthony Fauci, and Vice President Mike Pence (that COVID cases will rise). Ironically, they cite the case of Ng Lap Seng, the United Nations briber whom Judge Broderick also sentenced Will Judge Broderick seek submissions from others? Watch this site.
On March 2, Collins pushed his surrender date back to April 21, with Judge Broderick "granting request that Collins Report date be extended and re-set to 2:00pm on April 21, 2020."
On April 1, Collins asked for another extension, citing Coronavirus COVID-19, and at 9:13 am on April 2 he got it: ": MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to Christopher Collins (1) granting [184] LETTER MOTION addressed to Judge Vernon S. Broderick from Jonathan B. New dated April 1, 2020 re: Extended Self-Surrender Date. ENDORSEMENT: APPLICATION GRANTED. SO ORDERED. (Signed by Judge Vernon S. Broderick on 4/1/2020) (ap)."
Here was the request agreed to: "on January 17, 2020, Mr. Collins appeared before Your Honor for sentencing pursuant to his plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and one count of making a false statement. At sentencing Your Honor, in relevant part, sentenced Mr. Collins to concurrent sentences of 26 months imprisonment, recommended that Mr. Collins be designated to FPC Pensacola in Florida and set a Report Date of March 17, 2020. On January 31, 2020, a Judgment in a Criminal Case issued as to Mr. Collins, ECF No. 171, formalizing this sentence and recommending that BOP designate FPC Pensacola if possible. On February 28, 2020, Mr. Collins moved the Court, with the Government’s consent, to continue the Report Date to April 21, 2020, because Mr. Collins had not yet been processed into the BOP system, had not been designated to a facility and there was a concern that the designation would not be able to occur prior to March 17. The Court granted the motion to continue the Report Date to April 21, 2020. Since the filing of the last motion to continue Mr. Collins’ Report Date, the impact of the new strain of coronavirus which causes COVID-19 greatly worsened, prompting the World Health Organization, on March 11, 2020, to officially classify COVID-19 as a pandemic... we respectfully request that Mr. Collins’ Report Date be extended and re-set to 2:00 pm on June 23, 2020, for the reasons set forth below. We have conferred with counsel for the Government, which does not object to the relief requested herein." And then? Inner City Press will stay on these cases.
On January 24, in sentencing tippee Stephen Zarsky who was directly tipped by the ex-Congressman's son Cameron Collins to whom he gave five years probation, Judge Broderick gave only four years probation, no jail time. The sentencing, in nearly empty Courtroom 110 where phone use was not permitted, leading to a mere three tweet thread from the hallway, was replete with references to an undisclosed disease of Zarsky's that led him to communicate with people in the "wee hours."
Zarsky's lawyer said "he is not a politician... He is a romantic poet, a songwriter, he has a guitar collection." When at last it was Zarsky's own turn to speak, he told Judge Broderick he hopes the Judge hears his songs one day.
How about this one: Don't look for justice in Foley Square. OneCoin version here. Or these Periscope videos, I & II. More on Patreon here. We'll have more on and of this.
As to Cameron Collins' five years probation, somewhat defensively Judge Broderick said that anyone questioning his sentence could consider the context.
Inner City Press did its best to live tweet that sentencing, here. But to some, we are left with the message that for example a Bronxite who attempts to rob a bank without a weapon of any kind gets 151 months, and the affluent son of a Congressman who essentially steals $500,000 gets no jail time.
Then again, Francis Lorenzo who bribed the United Nations then testified against co-defendant Ng Lap Seng got time served. More on Patreon here.
Much of the debate back on January 17 concerned whether Chris Collins, when he told his son Cameron about the setback for Innate Immunotherapeutics, could or should have told him, "You can't trade on this."
Another concerned whether Collins recklessly harmed his constituents by actively running for office when he knew or should have known he likely could not serve out the term.
What made that issue complex is that a defendant has a right to proclaim his innocence and should not be punished for it. But to attack the opposing candidate?
Collins said he did not want to return to Buffalo. Judge Broderick after imposing sentence urged him to do so.
Watch this site - and the @InnerCityPress Twitter feed, podcast and Patreon site. In fact, more on this Chris Collins story on Patreon, here.
This case is US v. Collins, et al., 18-cr-567 (Broderick)
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