by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, July 26 – For days Inner City Press had heard from its sources there would be a "takedown" on February 6, each SDNY Magistrate Judge would handle seven to 10 defendants.
Arrests happen at 6 am. So at 5:55 am Inner City Press tweeted it, first to X subscribers with the spoiler alert: the expectation was that each of the current or former NYCHA employees would be released on bond the same day.
And then hours later at 9:39 am the prosecutors announced it. Media rushed around reporting it. Inner City Press had it first, and after discretely waiting, published it first. Then this thread of presentments, here
Now in Courtroom on 9 Charles Starks, 57, of NYCHA70 with a Big Law CJA lawyer argues for no bond, release on own recognisance. He's accused of $7000 in bribes over 3 years. He's already fired. "This is not Bernie Madoff."
Judge: $50,000 bond; wife can co-sign
On March 5, this defendant's case was indicted and assigned to District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon.
On July 18, Judge Rochon held a status conference with Starks; Inner City Press was there. Starks' lawyer said he might be moving to dismiss under the Supreme Court's decision on June 2024 in US v. Snyder. Judge Rochon gave him until September 16 to make that motion. We will be covering it - as it has implications for the other NYCHA cases, many of which are already pled out.
Including on July 26, when before Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain Erick McCreary pled guilty and waive appeal rights to any sentence 14 months or below. Inner City Press understand that some are not citing Snyder because the plea offers are pre-discovery...
Meanwhile a sentencing chart requested by Judge Swain in another NYCHA case shows that the overall case began in 2022 - we'll have more on this.
The case is US v. McCreary 24-cr-451 (Swain)
Watch this site.
The other case is US v. Starks, 24-cr-126 (Rochon)
Watch this site - and these feeds: X and X for subscribers.
And Substack here
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