In SDNY Photographer Sues CBS Which Said It Was Publicity Handout Dirty Hands Mocked As Frivolous

By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, February 22 – From images of pain to images for sale. In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on February 22, a child pornography sentencing was quickly followed by oral argument on a photographer suing CBS for using his images without credit or payment. The case is Sands vs CBS, and network's claim is that it though the photos were publicity hand outs. The lawyer for photograph Steve Sands called this frivolous, pointing out the watermark on the photographs and mocking CBS' invocation of the dirty hands defense. Reference was made to Iron Fist and "barging onto a set." Whatever the outcome, the parties are doing OK unlike the victims in the day's earlier case: a man in his fifties from Mexico, an American citizen, pled guilty to commissioning child pornography of two girls in the Dominican Republic, ages 5 and 7, through their mother who is now in jail in the DR. On February 22 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York defendant Nunez Torres was sentences to six years in prison, with five years of supervised release and a lifetime of sex offender registry to follow. SDNY Judge Richard J. Sullivan marveled aloud how Nunez Torres, a worker at a West Side Market until its closed in November 2017, had preyed on these girls. His lawyer, whom Inner City Press previously covered when she represented UN bribery case cooperating witness Cheikh Gadio, emphasized that the mother had sold images to others, that it wasn't the case that Nunez Torres had put the girls in an orphanage, at least not by himself. She argued for five years, the mandatory minimum. But Sullivan, a former prosecutor, said he was tempted to go above the sentencing guidelines and wondered if he will be judges for only imposing six years. Three hours after the sentencing, the U.S. Attorney had still not reduced it to a press release. It is, as the prosecutor said, disturbing. Inner City Press was present for the hour and a hour sentencing, apparently the only media there. An oral argument on Harvey Weinstein is of import; the destruction of two prepubescent girls in the Dominican Republic apparently less so. This is the SDNY: it is rare for a defendant to take the witness stand, but it happened on February 19, the day before summations, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ernesto Lopez MD was a long time internist who made a lucrative switch to pain management such that, according to the prosecution, he filed an amendment tax return for 2015 with $750,000 in income. That also happened to be the amount of cash found in shoeboxes in his house, along with fentanyl patches, in a November 2017 raid. Now he has been found guilty by the jury - while his codefendant Audra Baker, whose lawyer adopted a different style than Lopez' including getting repeatedly warned and admonished during his summation, was acquitted. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Inner City Press which covered the trial spent time, too, in the hallway where Lopez was pacing, but ultimately learned of the verdict through this press release: "Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction yesterday of ERNESTO LOPEZ, a New York-licensed medical doctor who wrote thousands of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl over an approximately three-year period, following an eight-day trial before the Honorable Denise L. Cote.  LOPEZ was remanded into custody following his conviction.  Audra Baker, a medical assistant who worked in one of LOPEZ’s medical offices, and who was tried with LOPEZ, was acquitted of all charges against her." We aim to have more on this. On February 20 the prosecution's summation hammered at Lopez as a drug dealer, emphasizing how he told a women to crush up oxy and put it in her urine so that, when tested, it would appear she was using and not "diverting" the opioid. They depicted Lopez prescribing the breakout cancer pain drug SubSys to people who never had cancer, to make more money through a speakers' program. MRIs were forged on Microsoft Word to justify more pain drugs, forgeries depicting spinal injuries so severe that if true, patient couldn't have walked. He didn't care, the prosecution said. Will the jury? Midday on February 20, after a hearing on Harvey Weinstein at the other end of the courthouse's 18th floor, the jury was out to lunch. Inner City Press will continue to cover the case. Here's from the prosecutors' old press release: "From 2015 until October 2017, LOPEZ operated medical clinics located in Manhattan,New York; Jackson Heights, New York; and Franklin Square, New York, where LOPEZ wrote thousands of prescriptions for large quantities of oxycodone and fentanyl patches in exchange forcash payments. LOPEZ typically charged $200 to $300 in cash for “patient visits,” where LOPEZ performed no meaningful physical examination of patients. Instead, a typical “patient visit” consisted primarily of recording a patient’s vital signs and sometimes involved the brief movement of a patient’s limbs. LOPEZ then prescribed large quantities of oxycodone, most frequently 120 30-milligram tablets, and fentanyl patches. Between January 2015 and the present, LOPEZ wrotemore than 8,000 oxycodone prescriptions, resulting in an estimated $2 million in fees to LOPEZ." That's real money. The previous business day on February 15,when Gustavo Salvador pled guilty to selling oxycodone in The Bronx before SDNY Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, his two lawyers tried to argue for a suspended remand based on the cold in the MDC Brooklyn. Judge Engelmayer turned them down saying he had personal knowledge that the heat was back on; not surprising. Surprising, though, was that a Bronx oxy dealer was represented by the white shoe Goodwin Proctor law firm. Was it pro bono? Their representation goes back at least until Thanksgiving, before the MDC Brooklyn conditions became public. In the audience, a young child then a baby cried. The volume of oxy pills was in the thousands, according to the indictment. The sentencing guidelines run from 57 to 71 months. Judge Engelmayer said he said something else on his schedule coming up, should the sentencing be rescheduled? It went forward. Goodwin Proctor. 

In SDNY West Side Market Worker Who Commissioned Debasement Videos Gets Six Years No Coverage

By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, February 22 – A man in his fifties from Mexico, an American citizen, pled guilty to commissioning child pornography of two girls in the Dominican Republic, ages 5 and 7, through their mother who is now in jail in the DR. On February 22 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York defendant Nunez Torres was sentences to six years in prison, with five years of supervised release and a lifetime of sex offender registry to follow. SDNY Judge Richard J. Sullivan marveled aloud how Nunez Torres, a worker at a West Side Market until its closed in November 2017, had preyed on these girls. His lawyer, whom Inner City Press previously covered when she represented UN bribery case cooperating witness Cheikh Gadio, emphasized that the mother had sold images to others, that it wasn't the case that Nunez Torres had put the girls in an orphanage, at least not by himself. She argued for five years, the mandatory minimum. But Sullivan, a former prosecutor, said he was tempted to go above the sentencing guidelines and wondered if he will be judges for only imposing six years. Three hours after the sentencing, the U.S. Attorney had still not reduced it to a press release. It is, as the prosecutor said, disturbing. Inner City Press was present for the hour and a hour sentencing, apparently the only media there. An oral argument on Harvey Weinstein is of import; the destruction of two prepubescent girls in the Dominican Republic apparently less so. This is the SDNY: it is rare for a defendant to take the witness stand, but it happened on February 19, the day before summations, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ernesto Lopez MD was a long time internist who made a lucrative switch to pain management such that, according to the prosecution, he filed an amendment tax return for 2015 with $750,000 in income. That also happened to be the amount of cash found in shoeboxes in his house, along with fentanyl patches, in a November 2017 raid. Now he has been found guilty by the jury - while his codefendant Audra Baker, whose lawyer adopted a different style than Lopez' including getting repeatedly warned and admonished during his summation, was acquitted. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Inner City Press which covered the trial spent time, too, in the hallway where Lopez was pacing, but ultimately learned of the verdict through this press release: "Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction yesterday of ERNESTO LOPEZ, a New York-licensed medical doctor who wrote thousands of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl over an approximately three-year period, following an eight-day trial before the Honorable Denise L. Cote.  LOPEZ was remanded into custody following his conviction.  Audra Baker, a medical assistant who worked in one of LOPEZ’s medical offices, and who was tried with LOPEZ, was acquitted of all charges against her." We aim to have more on this. On February 20 the prosecution's summation hammered at Lopez as a drug dealer, emphasizing how he told a women to crush up oxy and put it in her urine so that, when tested, it would appear she was using and not "diverting" the opioid. They depicted Lopez prescribing the breakout cancer pain drug SubSys to people who never had cancer, to make more money through a speakers' program. MRIs were forged on Microsoft Word to justify more pain drugs, forgeries depicting spinal injuries so severe that if true, patient couldn't have walked. He didn't care, the prosecution said. Will the jury? Midday on February 20, after a hearing on Harvey Weinstein at the other end of the courthouse's 18th floor, the jury was out to lunch. Inner City Press will continue to cover the case. Here's from the prosecutors' old press release: "From 2015 until October 2017, LOPEZ operated medical clinics located in Manhattan,New York; Jackson Heights, New York; and Franklin Square, New York, where LOPEZ wrote thousands of prescriptions for large quantities of oxycodone and fentanyl patches in exchange forcash payments. LOPEZ typically charged $200 to $300 in cash for “patient visits,” where LOPEZ performed no meaningful physical examination of patients. Instead, a typical “patient visit” consisted primarily of recording a patient’s vital signs and sometimes involved the brief movement of a patient’s limbs. LOPEZ then prescribed large quantities of oxycodone, most frequently 120 30-milligram tablets, and fentanyl patches. Between January 2015 and the present, LOPEZ wrotemore than 8,000 oxycodone prescriptions, resulting in an estimated $2 million in fees to LOPEZ." That's real money. The previous business day on February 15,when Gustavo Salvador pled guilty to selling oxycodone in The Bronx before SDNY Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, his two lawyers tried to argue for a suspended remand based on the cold in the MDC Brooklyn. Judge Engelmayer turned them down saying he had personal knowledge that the heat was back on; not surprising. Surprising, though, was that aBronx oxy dealer was represented by the white shoe Goodwin Proctor law firm. Was it pro bono? Their representation goes back at least until Thanksgiving, before the MDC Brooklyn conditions became public. In the audience, a young child then a baby cried. The volume of oxy pills was in the thousands, according to the indictment. The sentencing guidelines run from 57 to 71 months. Judge Engelmayer said he said something else on his schedule coming up, should the sentencing be rescheduled? It went forward. Goodwin Proctor. 

In SDNY Oxy Doctor Ernesto Lopez Found Guilty But Assistant Audra Baker Acquitted Lawyering Contrasts

By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, February 22 – It is rare for a defendant to take the witness stand, but it happened on February 19, the day before summations, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ernesto Lopez MD was a long time internist who made a lucrative switch to pain management such that, according to the prosecution, he filed an amendment tax return for 2015 with $750,000 in income. That also happened to be the amount of cash found in shoeboxes in his house, along with fentanyl patches, in a November 2017 raid. Now he has been found guilty by the jury - while his codefendant Audra Baker, whose lawyer adopted a different style than Lopez' including getting repeatedly warned and admonished during his summation, was acquitted. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Inner City Press which covered the trial spent time, too, in the hallway where Lopez was pacing, but ultimately learned of the verdict through this press release: "Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction yesterday of ERNESTO LOPEZ, a New York-licensed medical doctor who wrote thousands of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl over an approximately three-year period, following an eight-day trial before the Honorable Denise L. Cote.  LOPEZ was remanded into custody following his conviction.  Audra Baker, a medical assistant who worked in one of LOPEZ’s medical offices, and who was tried with LOPEZ, was acquitted of all charges against her." We aim to have more on this. On February 20 the prosecution's summation hammered at Lopez as a drug dealer, emphasizing how he told a women to crush up oxy and put it in her urine so that, when tested, it would appear she was using and not "diverting" the opioid. They depicted Lopez prescribing the breakout cancer pain drug SubSys to people who never had cancer, to make more money through a speakers' program. MRIs were forged on Microsoft Word to justify more pain drugs, forgeries depicting spinal injuries so severe that if true, patient couldn't have walked. He didn't care, the prosecution said. Will the jury? Midday on February 20, after a hearing on Harvey Weinstein at the other end of the courthouse's 18th floor, the jury was out to lunch. Inner City Press will continue to cover the case. Here's from the prosecutors' old press release: "From 2015 until October 2017, LOPEZ operated medical clinics located in Manhattan,New York; Jackson Heights, New York; and Franklin Square, New York, where LOPEZ wrote thousands of prescriptions for large quantities of oxycodone and fentanyl patches in exchange forcash payments. LOPEZ typically charged $200 to $300 in cash for “patient visits,” where LOPEZ performed no meaningful physical examination of patients. Instead, a typical “patient visit” consisted primarily of recording a patient’s vital signs and sometimes involved the brief movement of a patient’s limbs. LOPEZ then prescribed large quantities of oxycodone, most frequently 120 30-milligram tablets, and fentanyl patches. Between January 2015 and the present, LOPEZ wrotemore than 8,000 oxycodone prescriptions, resulting in an estimated $2 million in fees to LOPEZ." That's real money. The previous business day on February 15,when Gustavo Salvador pled guilty to selling oxycodone in The Bronx before SDNY Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, his two lawyers tried to argue for a suspended remand based on the cold in the MDC Brooklyn. Judge Engelmayer turned them down saying he had personal knowledge that the heat was back on; not surprising. Surprising, though, was that aBronx oxy dealer was represented by the white shoe Goodwin Proctor law firm. Was it pro bono? Their representation goes back at least until Thanksgiving, before the MDC Brooklyn conditions became public. In the audience, a young child then a baby cried. The volume of oxy pills was in the thousands, according to the indictment. The sentencing guidelines run from 57 to 71 months. Judge Engelmayer said he said something else on his schedule coming up, should the sentencing be rescheduled? It went forward. Goodwin Proctor. 

In SDNY US v Middendorf Sweet Recrossed on Citi and Northern Trust His Own Mortgage Fraud

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, February 22 – As the second week of the criminal trial involving a scheme to defraud the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York came to a close on February 22, witness Brian J. Sweet was subject to re-cross about which companies were on his so-called Wada list pilfered from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and given to KPMG, including Citi and Northern Trust. These names were read out after a lengthy sidebar involving all 12 of the defense lawyers and the government's three, compete with white noise so the jury couldn't hear. Sweet's agreement with the government, including not being prosecuted for mortgage fraud, were put into evidence; some expressed surprise that Sweet wasn't in jail already.  "You broke your agreement with the government," Sweet was told on cross.

  "I think that's up for them to determine, Ma'am," Sweet replied. Yes, but how? And when? SDNY Judge J. Paul Oetken canceled his other pre trial conference upstairs scheduled for the morning, to keep the KMPG trial on track. This is Judge Oetken, who a week before  expressed support for a confidentiality agreement to cover claims that Qatari royals cheat their employees out of overtime, see below. The KPMG case is United States v. David Middendorf, et al., 18 Cr. 36 (JPO); others in the mix include Thomas Whittle 1:18-cr-00036-JPO-3, David Britt 1:18-cr-00036-JPO-4, Cynthia Holder 1:18-cr-00036-JPO-5, and Jeffrey Wada, whose lawyer it was who sought and got into evidence Sweet's bail and bond documents. It is being tried in the same large first floor SDNY courtroom that UN briber Ng Lap Seng was convicted in. Meanwhile in Judge Oetken's smaller courtroom upstairs, the sister of the ruler of Qatar is being sued by at least three employees who say they were made to work six days a week without being paid overtime, and were retaliated against. Inner City Press was the only media present at the initial pre trial conference on the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on February 14, and was tempted to object when the Qatari royal's lawyer from the Proskauer law firm urged SDNY Judge J. Paul Oetken for a confidentiality order. 

Royals of a gas-rich emirate that has locked up poets for criticizing them, seeking to cover up their retaliation and refusal to pay overtime? It remains to be seen how much will be covered up in the case. The defendants are Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani and Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al- Thani. 

For now we can report: the Proskauer firm on February 14 not only opposed any certification of the claim to include other wronged employees of the family, it also proposed to sever the three plaintiff from each other. The plaintiffs' lawyer argued that many of the Qatari royals' employee are afraid to join the lawsuit, absent a noitce or invitation from the court promising them protection from retaliation, because they are in the United States on special visas which only allow them to work for this family, and they could have to leave the country as two of the plaintiffs have. 

From the answer to the Complaint: "Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft began his employment in Doha, Qatar and that he accompanied Defendants when they moved to New York, but otherwise deny the  allegations in Paragraph 39 of the Complaint.  40. Defendants deny the allegations in Paragraph 40 of the Complaint.  41. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their European travels in various countries during the summer of 2016, but upon information and belief,  otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 41 of the Complaint.    42. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their trip to Qatar in the summer of 2017, but otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 42 of the  Complaint.  43. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their European travels in various countries during the summer of 2018, but upon information and belief,  otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 43 of the Complaint.    44. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft traveled with the family to Miami and Boston."

 This is the life of corrupt royals and diplomats, such like those at the UN up to and including its Secretary General Antonio Guterres who lives alone in a $15 million mansion on Manhattan's Sutton Place. This is the world of immunity and impunity and now, it is urged, confidentiality. Inner City Press, now covering the SDNY daily, will have on on this. 

And on this: before Norman Seabrook, former head of the NYC Corrections Officers union, was sentenced on February 8 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to 58 months in prison, a victim's statement to the court cited what it called Seabrook's racist rant on YouTube. 

   Afterward on Worth Street Inner City Press asked Seabrook about the YouTube video - actually, an audio file with an array of still photographs.  Seabrook told Inner City Press they doctored it to make him look bad. His (actual) answer on Periscope here - and herenow audio file on YouTube, here.

As NYC de Blasio Talks Parking UN Abuse of Diplomatic Plates Raised By Inner City Press

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, Photos

NEW YORK CITY, February 21 – When Mayor Bill de Blasio took questions in the Chinatown Senior Citizen Center on February 21 on parking placards, Inner City Press asked him if his new digital approach can do anything about abuses by the UN and diplomatic missions withe blue licence plates. Good question, de Blasio said. Video here. Then his team said this is an issue for the City's Office of International Affairs - which has yet to respond to a months' old Inner City Press Freedom of Information Law request. We'll have more on this. De Blasio to his credit then took questions on other topics. Inner City Press asked him about the City's proposed $5 million settlement with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Video here. De Blasio replied, we screwed up, some of our friendly in the Department of Transportation present company excluded screwed up. (Alongside him on the placard issue was DoT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.) De Blasio said the City worked with the Federal government to make them whole. The settlement is for now proposed - here's from the U.S. Attorney's press release: "Following Sandy, the NYCDOT created a list of vehicles within the agency’s fleet that had been damaged by the storm and submitted it to FEMA for indemnification pursuant to the Public Assistance program.  The NYCDOT personnel responsible for generating the list of damaged vehicles, to whom the City provided no training on the Public Assistance program, made no effort to inspect the vehicles or otherwise determine whether any reported damage was attributable to Sandy.  In fact, a number of the vehicles included on this list were inoperable long before Sandy.  In 2014, based on this faulty list, the City submitted a request for indemnification to FEMA seeking to recover the full cost of replacing 132 NYCDOT vehicles.  The City submitted a certification to FEMA as part of the program and a request for indemnification that falsely attested that all costs were incurred as a direct result of Sandy.  Many of the vehicles for which the City sought full replacement costs had been nonoperational or not in use prior to the storm.  As a result of these false certifications, FEMA paid the City millions of dollars to which it was not entitled.  As part of the proposed settlement, the City will pay the United States a total of $5,303,624.  Specifically, the City will make a cash payment of $4,126,227.34 and relinquish rights to an additional $1,177,396.66 that FEMA had previously approved for disbursement.  During this Office’s investigation, the City withdrew another $3,196,376 in indemnity requests, acknowledging that the costs were ineligible for reimbursement." We'll have more on this, and these beats. Back on February 8 before Norman Seabrook, former head of the NYC Corrections Officers union, was sentenced  by the SDNY to 58 months in prison, a victim's statement to the court cited what it called Seabrook's racist rant on YouTube. 

   Afterward on Worth Street Inner City Press asked Seabrook about the YouTube video - actually, an audio file with an array of still photographs.  Seabrook told Inner City Press they doctored it to make him look bad. His (actual) answer on Periscope here - and herenow audio file on YouTube, here.

As NYC Pays $5M For Defrauding FEMA Inner City Press Asks de Blasio Abou...

Near UN When Inner City Press Asks Haass About Rubio Critique of Guterre...

UN Spox Haq Claims Doing Great in C.A.R. No Answer to Banned Inner City ...

Exclusive: Qatar Royals Engaged in Human Trafficking To NYC Mansion With Massages and Large Knives Inner City Press Is Multiply Informed

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, Video

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, February 16 – The Qatar ruling family's abuse of employees and laws was exposed in an off the record initial conference Inner City Press was the only media at in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on February 14. Since its exclusive report that day, Inner City Press has been contacted by more employees and whistleblowers and a range of apparent legal violations by the Qatar royal family has come to light. 

Beyond the failure to pay overtime which was the subject of the February 14 proceeding, Inner City Press is now informed that others of the Qatar royals' workers are brought in through JFK airport on private jets, into limousine that drive onto the tarmac and then work long hours with no protections in the mansion at 9 East 72nd Street in Manhattan. 

Inner City Press is informed, tellingly, that one female worker from the Philippines in forced to sleep in front of  Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani's bedroom room to be ready to bring him food or water or even give massages at any hour. His wife Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, the sister of Qatar's ruler, buys art for Qatar's museum and runs the "Reaching Out To Asia" foundation while her workers have their hair pulled and a tooth broken by her son, and when fired are urges to fly to Doha where they would face arrest. 

The scams work this way: the Qatari royals' employees signed contracts in Doha and then are told that their visas to the US, unless they are smuggled / trafficked in through the JFK Airport tarmac, are under the control of the royals. While waiting to be processed at JFK they are presented with a new less favorable contract and told if they do not sign it, they will not be admitted. If they work for the family in Qatar, they face imprisonment for any disagreement. 

In New York the family's close protection guards, some without visas, brandish illegal large knives. NYPD was called when the royals sought to have one fired employee, Chantelle McGuffie, removed from her apartment at 221 East 50th Street near the UN. Still this family, these systematic crimes, have yet to be acted on by authorities including the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York despite the facts dragged through the SDNY court. 

Inner City Press, in reporting this despite threats - at the UN, Qatar's state media Al Jazeera has worked with UNSG Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric to have Inner City Press roughed up and banned, see Columbia Journalism Review here - aims to put an end to this impunity. Watch this site.

The sister of the ruler of Qatar is being sued by at least three employees who say they were made to work six days a week without being paid overtime, and were retaliated against. Inner City Press was the only media present at the initial pre trial conference on the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on February 14, and was tempted to object when the Qatari royal's lawyer from the Proskauer law firm urged SDNY Judge J. Paul Oetken for a confidentiality order. 

Royals of a gas-rich emirate that has locked up poets for criticizing them, seeking to cover up their retaliation and refusal to pay overtime? It remains to be seen how much will be covered up in the case. The defendants are Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani and Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al- Thani. 

From the answer to the Complaint: "Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft began his employment in Doha, Qatar and that he accompanied Defendants when they moved to New York, but otherwise deny the  allegations in Paragraph 39 of the Complaint.  40. Defendants deny the allegations in Paragraph 40 of the Complaint.  41. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their European travels in various countries during the summer of 2016, but upon information and belief,  otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 41 of the Complaint.    42. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their trip to Qatar in the summer of 2017, but otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 42 of the  Complaint.  43. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their European travels in various countries during the summer of 2018, but upon information and belief,  otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 43 of the Complaint.    44. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft traveled with the family to Miami and Boston."

 This is the life of corrupt royals and diplomats, such like those at the UN up to and including its Secretary General Antonio Guterres who lives alone in a $15 million mansion on Manhattan's Sutton Place (where he favors Qatar state media Al Jazeera, using it to oust the independent Press which questions him.) This is the world of immunity and impunity and now, it is urged, confidentiality. Inner City Press, now covering the SDNY daily, will have more on this. 

Qatar Royals Human Trafficking To NYC Mansion With Massages and Large Kn...

Qatari Royals Claim Extortion After Cheated Workers Out Of Overtime SDNY Is Told

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, Periscope

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, February 16 – The sister of the ruler of Qatar is being sued by at least three employees who say they were made to work six days a week without being paid overtime, and were retaliated against. Inner City Press was the only media present at the initial pre trial conference on the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on February 14, and was tempted to object when the Qatari royal's lawyer from the Proskauer law firm urged SDNY Judge J. Paul Oetken for a confidentiality order. 

  Now Inner City Press can reported that the Qatari royals' Proskauer lawyer told Judge Oetken that they received a demand for $5 million from "a gentleman" --

  "Doesn't sound like a gentleman," Judge Oetken remarked. The Proskauer counsel said that his partner the (former) U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Bob Cleary got involved, and the gentleman backed off. The goal of saying this seemed to be to convince Judge Oetken that the plaintiffs are connected to extortion and / or that he should agree to an extensive confidentiality order.

Royals of a gas-rich emirate that has locked up poets for criticizing them, seeking to cover up their retaliation and refusal to pay overtime? It remains to be seen how much will be covered up in the case. The defendants are Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani and Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al- Thani. 

For now we can report: the Proskauer firm on February 14 not only opposed any certification of the claim to include other wronged employees of the family, it also proposed to sever the three plaintiff from each other. The plaintiffs' lawyer argued that many of the Qatari royals' employee are afraid to join the lawsuit, absent a noitce or invitation from the court promising them protection from retaliation, because they are in the United States on special visas which only allow them to work for this family, and they could have to leave the country as two of the plaintiffs have. 

From the answer to the Complaint: "Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft began his employment in Doha, Qatar and that he accompanied Defendants when they moved to New York, but otherwise deny the  allegations in Paragraph 39 of the Complaint.  40. Defendants deny the allegations in Paragraph 40 of the Complaint.  41. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their European travels in various countries during the summer of 2016, but upon information and belief,  otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 41 of the Complaint.    42. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their trip to Qatar in the summer of 2017, but otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 42 of the  Complaint.  43. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft accompanied Defendants on their European travels in various countries during the summer of 2018, but upon information and belief,  otherwise deny the allegations in Paragraph 43 of the Complaint.    44. Defendants admit that Mr. Bancroft traveled with the family to Miami and Boston."

 This is the life of corrupt royals and diplomats, such like those at the UN up to and including its Secretary General Antonio Guterres who lives alone in a $15 million mansion on Manhattan's Sutton Place (where he favors Qatar state media Al Jazeera, using it to oust the independent Press which questions him.) This is the world of immunity and impunity and now, it is urged, confidentiality. Inner City Press, now covering the SDNY daily, will have more on this. 

In Corrupt UN of Guterres UNOPS Karim Hires and Fast Tracks Cronies As Dujarric Refuses All Press Questions

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive CJR Video

UNITED NATIONS, February 13 – Amid UN travel waste scandals overseen and mostly covered up by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres - his firing of Erik Solheim being an incongruous example - whistleblowers have told Inner City Press of a new one...thrice. Since banned Inner City Press started reporting on the UN Office of Project Services UNOPSthis year, multiple sources have approached it to offer more information which we exclusively report as Guterres' spokesman have refused to answer any Inner City Press questions on UN system corruption despite lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric's on camerapromise of answers, and the written one of Guterres' USG Alison Smale: 

We continue receiving reports of UNOPS unethical recruitment practices, especially evident in UNOPS Geneva office. Since Mr. Moin Karim, described by multiple staff as a Saudi citizen of Pakistani origins, took office as the regional director for UNOPS global services portfolios, based in Geneva but working globally, the proportionate number of Indian, Afghani, Iraqi and Pakistani employees (mostly young, male) has increased in UNOPS offices in New York, Geneva and Copenhagen, that are under Mr Moin Karim management. This is a consistent complaint among staff, that Guterres' UN has not addressed. But this is not the only part of the scam. Mr Karim is also known for using UNOPS to fast track recruitment of his acquaintances. The initial placement is usually done by Mr Karim's office through issuing those individuals with short term work contracts, which are then used to process Swiss residence permits, which Mr Moin Karim can authorize without clearance of the UNOPS central HR office and then using the short term contracts as justification to place people to more permanent jobs. UNOPS ethics office is unable to trace any of the cases directly to Mr Karim, because so many people were 'job placed' through this scam over the past years, who then owe favors to Mr Moin Karim and who he then uses them to feed his scam in roles such as members of so-called selection processes, who are told to sign off on the recruitment processes of the next person being hired using this scam, all within the rules of UNOPS.  The whistleblowers also think that Mr Karim's scam involves some of the senior managers, heads of division, human resourses in UNOPS Geneva and headquarters in Copenhagen, who owe him favors or exchange recruitment or patronage favors to each other. Mr Moin Karim is widely known among UNOPS civil servants and consultants for his way of offering patronage, protection and promises of career promotion in exchange for participating in his pyramid.   Among other interesting corrupt practices reported by whistleblowers to us state that Mr Moin Karim uses UNOPS and his authority as regional director, to ‘hire’ consultants in Geneva on symbolic lump-sum contracts that pay ‘contractors’ symbolic fees (few hundred to few thousand US dollars) who then use their contracts to obtain Swiss work permits and stay in Switzerland for several years. It is said that a number of individuals, who otherwise would not be eligible to reside in Switzerland, have entered the country on those fake contracts and are now seeking citizenship, or are temporarily hiding from their respective authorities.... Several reports were received in the last few weeks by Inner City Press from UNOPS consultants in Geneva who claim that after years of administrative uncertainty, they are now facing a threat of paying taxes for up to 5 years retroactively, which, for some of them, amounts to few hundred thousand US dollars. The consultants claim that while UNOPS has for the last few years denied any knowledge of tax issues in Geneva, UNOPS more recently have directed them to talk to Swiss local authorities,  the local authorities were often unaware of what their status entailed, explaining that they were not liable to tax payments, while the UNOPS Geneva Human Resources had not provided clarity on the matter to incoming workers. It is said that UNOPS deploys over 300 consultants in Geneva, who have, all of a sudden, been told, in late 2018,  that their contracts were not tax exempt. We are told that over the past couple of months few dozen UNOPS consultants have resigned, and fled the country.    In an attempt to save face, Mr Moin Karim, UNOPS Regional Director, has forced some of his consultants to sign fraudulent new contracts, that claim that they work from countries other than Switzerland, where UN is exempt from paying tax on its consultants, in order to avoid mass resignations or fines by the Swiss government. These consultants, who pretend to be working from abroad, continue coming to their offices at UNOPS in Geneva on daily basis – a scam that Mr Moin is trapped to maintain in order to justify the relatively large size of the UNOPS office in Geneva, which in turn justifies the size of his Directorate and his position, rank and pay grade within UNOPS.   Moin Karim of UNOPS reportedly does not frequently come to his office in Geneva these days, and mostly works from either his expensive Geneva mansion - akin to Guterres and his $15 million Sutton Place mansion -  or his private resort apartment in the Swiss mountains, to avoid dealing with UNOPS disgruntled employees or anything to do with UNOPS. Instead, Mr Karim has been paying frequent visits to a number of fashion events in Geneva and London (where he happens to own yet another luxury apartment), as can be seen here and here.   It is also reported that Mr Moin Karim is not just an ordinary visitor to these fashion events, but he also heavily invests into the fashion industry, perhaps as his fallback plan, should UNOPS Executive Director one day find down the extent to which matters are confused in UNOPS Geneva office and ask Mr Karim to resign, the whistleblowers muse.  One also wonders, how a UN staff member, whose career has seen nothing but civil servant work to UN over the past 20 years, can afford buying properties in 2 most expensive capitals to live in the world. But a fish rots from the head - Guterres omitted from his UN public financial disclosure covering 2016 his paid board position with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation which tried to sell its Partex Oil to UN briber CEFC China Energy. A fish rots from the head - but we will continue to ramp up coverage of both the head and the tail, or fins...  

  It seems clear that Guterres and his team have engaged in censorship for corruption, to conceal a blatant conflict of interest by Guterres. It has been raised by Inner City Press to the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, and others.  Watch this site.