By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Thread Scope
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - Vulture
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Dec 8 – Daniel Hernandez a/k/a Tekashi 6ix9ine was sentenced to 24 months of total imprisonment in a proceeding live tweeted by Inner City Press before U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Engelmayer.
Now Hernandez' co-defendant and car-jacker Anthony Ellison a/k/a Harv, already serving a long sentence, has been indicted again for a smuggle conspiracy while in the Metropolitan Correctional Center. DOJ said, "During the course of the scheme, in an effort to obtain a lesser sentence for ELLISON, GRIFFITH-MCKNIGHT submitted a letter to the District Judge responsible for sentencing inmate and co-defendant ELLISON that falsely described ELLISON as a “model inmate” even though at the time GRIFFITH-MCKNIGHT was smuggling contraband to ELLISON and therefore knew he was anything but a “model inmate.” Relying on this letter from GRIFFITH-MCKNIGHT, the District Judge who presided over ELLISON’s sentencing remarked that ELLISON’s purported good behavior in prison was “impressive” and that “[u]nless this is some sort of Grisham novel, and people are all corrupt and making all of this up about [ELLISON], it seems to me that it’s unavoidable that [ELLISON’s] trajectory at the MCC contains a lot of good.”
Inner City Press went to the detention of release hearings of Griffith-McKnight, lead defendant Perry Joyner and another inmate, Valerio, and live tweeted it here and here (podcast here)
OK- detention hearing on David Valerio, US says he admitted wiring money to MCC prson guard to not search his cell
AUSA says Valerio admitted wiring to also indicted guard Mario Felciano. Magistrate Judge Cave says he will be detained OK- hearing on Corrections Officer Perry Joyner for allegedly bringing in contraband to the Metropolitan Correctional Center
Unlike briber Vslerio, detained, US is agreeing to release (ex) guard Joyner on $300,000 bond, no contact with nemed individuals. His mother is a C.O. as well. He is hiring a private lawyer.
Next up, the defendant Inner City Press focused on earlier today: "trying for a lesser sentence for [Harv] ELLISON, GRIFFITH-MCKNIGHT submitted a letter to the District Judge describing ELLISON as a “model inmate” even though she was smuggling contraband to him"
All counsel disappeared into Mag Court chambers. After a time, they returned. Judge said it was just to save time...
DOJ is agreeing to release this ex guard, unlike Harv Ellison and Valerio, on $150,000 bond.
Here's a photo of Griffith-McKnight's letter to Judge Engelmayer. The case was assigned to Judge Andrew L. Carter.
Jump cut to October 26 when this was docketed: "Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr:Arraignment as to Anthony Ellison (6) Count 1s,3s and Starlin Nunez (11) Count 1s,2s held on 10/19/2023. Defendants arraigned and enter pleas of NOT GUILTY to the Superseding Indictment. Jury Trial & Selection set for 11/20/23 at 10 a.m."
On November 28, Inner City Press attended the trial, opening and then the prosecutor's critique. Counsel for Starlin Nunez referred to the cooperating witnesses as rats who made a deal with the Devil.
Later, outside the presence of the jury, the AUSA noted this, and argued that to compare the gravity of the cooperators' admitted crimes with those the defendants are being tried for is akin to nullification. Judge Carter said he would address things as they arose, that invoking the Devil might be inappropriate but the use of the word rat, at least in closing argument, probably was not.
On November 29, cooperator Alamo was on the stand, describing how he was moved to Tier 9 and hid the cellphone he bought in the wall behind defendant Starlin Nunez' bed. We said everyone used CashApp, and some cigarettes were broken up during boofing...
On November 30, Alamo was cross examined about how much he fights and smokes in jail, from Fort Dix to FDC in Philadelphia, and why he cooperated (faced a 20 year minimum). Video of the empty MCC was shown again, unable to be muted, at least initially. The question "did you ask your father's advice on drug deals" was objected to, and withdrawn.
On December 4, on cross was a member of the BOP Special Operations Response Team which search the MCC for a gun, and phones. But he could not remember when phones had been found, while testifying that not all BOP facilities have phones in them. With him off the stand, talk turned to the past acts of witness Jose Reynoso, and the defense's duties under Rules 608 and 609.
On December 5, Reynoso was on the stand, being asked to explain his CashApp transfers to people he said he didn't know. Musta been Junior who told me to do it, he said repeatedly. There were test payments of $1, and a variety of Cash Tag names including ones with dollar signs in them. These were not shown on the video monitor facing the courtroom gallery.
On December 6, another cooperator was on the stand, a man with many names. Nunez' lawyer demanded he answer yes or no, ICE was letting him stay for this testimony? Yes. Indicted for drug trafficking in Texas in 2000? Only found out about it in 2018. Jurors looked on.
On December 7 cooperators Taveras was on the stand describing how "Chino" got in trouble after "that man died" -- seeming, from the timing, to be a reference to Jeffrey Epstein -- as he was perceived as ratting out the guards involved. But it was the Bloods who tried to get to Chino - he gave Tavares a phone and told him NOT to delete the text messages, as he managed to escape to another part of the prison. The name used: Arepa.
On December 8, Taveras was on re-direct. The AUSA pointedly asked if the death of "the man" in 2019 had anything to do with the gun. Taveras said no. He disclosed another drug deal, paying "the Chinese" and then the Mexican cartels, and an arrest in Massachusetts. He explained his knowledge of 5K1.1 letters and that he wants time served. The trial continues - no other media is covering it.
The case is US v. Joyner, et al., 21-cr-673, (Carter). More on Patreon here.
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