By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Thread
BBC - Decrypt - LightRead - Honduras - Source
SDNY COURTHOUSE, October 20 -- In what was called a racehorse doping take-down, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York on the morning of March 9, 2020 announced more than a dozen arrests.
Inner City Press went to cover the presentments in the SDNY Magistrates Courts and personally witnessed 11 of them, all given bail packages and released: " Defendants up now, arrested 4-5 am in race horse drug adulteration conspiracy case: Alexander Chan (Federal Defender), Christopher Marino, Henry Argueta, Kristian Rhein (retained, R), Michael Tannuzzo, Nicholas Surick (R), Rebecca Linke and Ross Cohen (R)."
On August 2, Federal Defenders filed for defendant Alexander Chan a motion to suppress Title III wiretaps, writing that "When the FBI filed wiretap affidavits to intercept calls from Jason Servis and Kristian Rhein, they knowingly and intentionally misrepresented to the court that SGF-1000 and Clenbuterol were PEDs. They did so despite knowledge that SGF-1000 had been tested by a world reknown laboratory, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Lab and had been foudn not to be a PED." Watch this site.
On July 30, it emerged the lead defendant was set to plead guilty, see below.
Now on October 20, Christopher Oakes had pleaded guilty. Inner City Press covered it. Judge Vyskocil asked if he trained and drugged thoroughbred or standard horses (standards), and if it was at Yonkers (it was). The AUSA described a covert search of the barn associated with the defendant. Judge Vyskocil accepted the plea and set sentencing for February 17 at 10 am.
On September 29: "ORDER as to Jordan Fishman. Change of Plea Hearing for Jordan Fishman is scheduled for 10/6/2021 at 4:30pm before Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil."
And Inner City Press covered and live tweeted it here
On August 30, trial dates: "ORDER as to Seth Fishman, Lisa Giannelli, Jordan Fishman: It is hereby ORDERED that the following trial schedule will be in effect as to Defendants Seth Fishman, Lisa Giannelli, and Jordan Fishman: The parties must be prepared for trial to commence on November 15, 2021 at a time and courtroom to be notified; Jury charge requests, proposed voir dire questions, and any motions in limine will be due October 25, 2021; Any opposition papers to motions in limine will be due November 1, 2021; The final pre-trial conference will be scheduled for November 10, 2021, at 10:00am in Courtroom 18C of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007. SO ORDERED. (Signed by Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil on 8/30/2021)."
But on September 15 in another status conference, one defense lawyer cited having another trial before SDNY Judge Valerie E. Caproni. Yet another lawyer had written to SDNY Judge Andrew L. Carter. Other issues arose. It was agreed to postpone this trial to the first quarter of 2022.
This 19 defendant case is US v. Navarro et al., 20-cr-160 (Viskocil).
But what of Amr Abdelaziz of Phoenix Thoroughbreds, who used horses to launder money from OneCoin about which the SDNY prosecutors were so concerned until, like with the UN, they weren't? Watch this site.
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