By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
SDNY COURT EXCLUSIVE, Feb 18 – In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on February 18, a detention or release proceeding was held by Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron on a defendant charged with money laundering and running an unlicensed money transfer business.
Inner City Press covers the Magistrates Court, sometimes alone in the gallery, as it was on February 18. This defendant's name was given as Shukhrat Adbullaev and he had an Uzbek interpreter. (During the proceeding it was called Russian, but the docket says Uzbek.)
The complaint describes meetings in JFK Airport, and Abdullaev being told the funds were fraudulent but nonetheless proceeding.
The Assistant US Attorney quickly agreed that he should be released on $100,000 unsecured bond, and it happened within minutes, unlike other defendants on February 18, like Ervan Purnell who was brought in, walking slowly with a cane. His initial crime was attacking a VA employeee. Despite medical issues, he was detained.
After Abdullaev was allowed out to sign his bond, another man followed him out of the lock-up.
The case is US v. Abdullaev, 22-mj-1662 (Aaron)
After this proceeding there was a scheduled appointment of counsel for a Ms. Blanks, described as a witness (presumably for the US Attorney's Office). But Ms. Blanks after first saying she should hear Judge Aaron over the phone then, when he raised his voice, said You don't have to talk to me like that. She called him racist and hung up. It remains unclear in what case the US Attorney's Office seeks to use Ms. Blanks and if defense counsel in that case get this information as 3500 material in discovery.
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