| 27 Bronxites
Indicted on Valentine Ave Death Penalty
Mulled now a Co-D Gets 5 Years
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Aug 14– Angel Villafane,
previously convicted of a
felony, was arrested for
having a gun in incidents
starting at 97th Street and
Second Avenue then 110th
Street and the FDR (long
barrel firearm)
On May 20,
2022 U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York Judge Victor
Marrero held a conference.
Inner City Press covered it,
the only media there.
Jump cut to March
6, 2024 - now it was grown to
a 16 defendant indictment: "As
alleged, day in and day out,
this crew distributed
fentanyl, heroin, and crack
along several blocks on
Valentine Avenue."
Inner City Press
went to arraignments including
that of Christopher Meadows,
who the prosecutor described
as an enforcer for the lead
named defendant (who was
detained on consent).
Based on
medical conditions named in
court but which Inner City
Press will voluntarily not
report, he was ordered bailed
on $50,000 bond to his
mother's residence in
Soundview by Magistrate Judge
Valerie Figueredo. On the day
of appeal, the US agreed to
release.
On March 20,
co-defendant Damel Marcus
asked for release on bail, in
Magistrates Court. Inner City
Press was there, thread
Late in the day
came notice that the defense
has appealed to Part I, for
March 21. Inner City Press was
there, thread
On October 4, a
bail review and a full-case
proceeding, thread
On March 20,
counsel filed a critique of
slow production of discovery,
and of the scope of the
alleged conspiracy, now back
to 1993, "when many of the
defendants either were not
born, were in diapers or had
never even been to The Bronx."
On March 21,
Inner City Press went, from
the thread:
Here in 15th
floor hallway, at least 50
family members. Defendants
were brought from MDC Brooklyn
by bus, not van.
All the
family members who have come
can't fit in courtroom 15B.
Defendants will be split into
two groups...
On April 2,
referring back to the March 21
conference, Paramus-based
retained counsel to
co-defendant Calderone wrote
in that she opposed Speedy
Trial Act time exclusion on
his behalf, not of another
co-defendant she was also
standing in for.
On April 23
co-defendant Banks was
presented and detained on
consent; the next conference
is set for May 16.
On May 15 the US
Attorney's Office wrote in
that two trials should be set,
March 2 and May 4, 2024,
saying "should the Government
be directed to seek the death
penalty," motions would ensue.
Directed from Main Justice?
Inner City Press
went to the 15th floor
courtroom on May 16. The
courtroom was entirely full,
with defendants in the jury
box, CJA lawyers at the tables
and in the front row. They
spoke in term, some more
recently in the case. Judge
Marrero floated the idea of
having another judge preside
over one of two trials. The
AUSA was feisty, saying one of
the defense lawyers were
verging on being "disruptive."
She joked back, as to pushing
back a trial date, "I wish I
was that busy." Several
defendants laughed.
On December 2,
another guilty plea in the
case: " Juan Calderon.
Defendant detained. Sentencing
set for 3/2/2026 at 10:00 AM
before Judge Victor Marrero.
On January 7
after a long bail fight live
tweeted by Inner City Press
Johana Alcantara who the US
says confessed to killing
"Gino" with a hot shot in
exchange for 20 bags of
fentanyl worth $200 was
ordered freed to drug
treatment.
But on January 8
it was stayed: "ORDER as to
Johana Alcantara. The Court
schedules a bail modification
appeal hearing in the
above-captioned matter for
January 16, 2026, at 12:00 PM.
The Court additionally STAYS
the Release Order entered on
January 7, 2026, by the
Honorable Ona T. Wang, United
States Magistrate Judge for
the Southern District of New
York, pending the January 16
hearing (Signed by Judge
Victor Marrero on 1/8/26)"
Jump cut to March
2 when co-defendant Calderon
who pled guilty asked for an
84 month sentence.
On March 10,
before a March 13 sentencing,
the US Attorney's Office
submitted a one paragraph
sentencing letter asking for
the same 84 months.
On March 12
co-defendant Hernandez pled
guilty in SDNY Mag court, with
only Inner City Press in the
gallery, to a minimum of 15
years on Counts 5 and the
lesser included offense in
Court 14. His defense lawyer
asked him questions, then when
asked if he sought release
pre-sentencing said, He'd like
to go home, but...
On March 16, also
in the Mag court, co-defendant
Marcus pled guilty to Count 17
of the S9 Superseding
Indictment, with a sentencing
control date of June 15.
On March 17,
another guilty plea, by
Christian Serrano, with a
half-dozen supporters in the
Mag Court gallery. Magistrate
Judge Sarah L. Cave noted this
on the record, for the
transcript.
On March 18, yet
another guilty plea, by
Johnnie Capeles, to Count 22
and a June 16 control date.
On March 19, yes
another guilty by, by Jason
Rivera, with a June 17 control
date.
On March 27,
Inner City Press went and
covered the sentencing of the
self-described first to plead
guilty, who had family and
supporters there and was
sentenced to 84 months, or
seven years. Then the
remaining defendants had a
conference, and set the next
one for June 12 at 11 am.
On May 29
co-defendant Rivera was
sentenced by Judge Marrero to
sixty months consecutive to an
84 month sentence he is
already serving. Sentencing
was expedited in order to get
him out of MDC Brooklyn to
another prison.
On June 8 Judge
Marrero declined to grant a
modification of bail
conditions for co-defendant
Reynoso, finding "no material
change sufficient to warrant
the requested relief."
On June 9 counsel
to co-defendant Marcus asked
for the five year mandatory
minimum on June 12.
On June 12 Marcus
was sentenced to just that: 60
months, with Bronx RRC for the
maximum term allowable and
participation in the RISE
Program -
whose
graduation
earlier in the
week Inner
City Press
attended and
tweeted, here.
On June
25 co-defendant Serrano's
request to attend
his father's
funeral at the
Sisto Funeral
Home in The
Bronx was
denied as
impractical,
after remand -
the AUSA said
the
Government
will help
facilitate his
communications
with his
family members
on the day of
the funeral
from the MDC
"in a manner
that is
respectful of
the occasion."
On
August 14
co-defendant
Vargas was
sentenced to
60 months in
prison.
More details on X
for Subscribers here
and Substack here
Watch this site.
The case is USA
v. Villafane, et al.,
1:21-cr-93
(Marrero)
***
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