By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC - Honduras - CIA Trial Book - NY Mag
EDNY COURTHOUSE, August 22 – Hip hop artist Fetty Wap, whose given name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, pleaded guilty on August 22 to a superseding indictment on which there is a five year mandatory minimum.
The only way out of a mandatory minimum would be the "safety valve" - not eligible, it seems clear - or cooperating. But his lawyer was quoted, "He is NOT cooperating. I want that to be very, very clear. This is a standard plea."
The guilty plea was taken by U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Locke in federal court in Central Islip. He did not make a request to be released on bond, which would have been unlikely to be granted, and so remains in custody.
Previously in the same overall indictement, co-defendants Robert Leonardi pleaded guilty to Count 1 and Anthony Cyntje pleaded guilty to Counts 1 and 2. These pleas got much less coverage, understandable, given music and celebrity. But what about this:
Howard Davis is in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn facing a November 30, 2022 sentencing. But he has questions.
On August 22, 2022 U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York Judge Joan Azrack held a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it. Davis was produced late, even to the virtual proceeding, due to some problem with the "475" process.
When he got on, Judge Azrack said if Davis continued to resist speaking to Probation for the Pre-Sentencing Report, she might have to issue a force order.
Davis replied that he had questions he'd been wanting to ask, adding the lockdown in the MDC ended only the day before. Judge Azrack asked, What is your question?
Davis asked about his representation - specifically, why he never got a copy of the letter to the Court by his former lawyer, Christopher Joseph Cassar, asking to withdraw from the case.
The letter was said to have been cc-ed to Davis, but he says he never got it, nor signed for it as legal mail in the MDC. He wanted to know why the reasons for withdrawal had not been put on the record.
Inner City Press checked in CourtListener and then PACER but as to this letter, which in other cases would be public unless a motion to seal was approved, was not available: "You do not have permission to view this document."
We aim to have more on this.
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