By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 14 – John Pierre Dupont faces trial on wire fraud and aggravated identity threat charges. He is 82 years old and in a nursing home.
On May 5,U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Richard M. Berman held a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.
Judge Berman asked if and why the US Attorney's Office is pursuing an 82 year old man who may have dementia on these charges.
The AUSA replied that no one has raised competency, and that it had allowed Dupont to reside in a contracted nursing home given his age.
Dupont was asked to mute his phone. He replied that he didn't know how.
Judge Berman said he would be setting an August 2021 trial date.
But on July 29 SDNY announced the guilty plea today of JOHN PIERRE DUPONT, a/k/a “John Gary Rinaldo,” in connection with a years-long scheme to defraud thousands of donors to scam political action committees that impersonated numerous U.S. Senate campaigns and candidates. DUPONT pled guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft before U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.
On January 10, 2022 Judge Berman held what was supposed to be Dupont's sentencing. But Judge Berman said he wanted more information, about Dupont's youth and parents and their education, his bail jumping, the Windsor Park Nursing Home and his medical records. Sentencing was re-set for February 10 at 11 am.
It actually only happened on April 14, and Inner City Press live tweeted it here. The Federal Defenders argued about his health, wanted him to get time served. But Judge Berman returned from a break to reflect and imposed a sentence of 42 months on a guideline of 75 months, plus $245,000 restitution, citing Dupont's "lifetime of criminal behavior."
This case is US v. Dupont, 19-cr-444 (Berman)
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