SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 28 – New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced an amended complaint about opioids, Perdue and the controlling family on March 28 in Lower Manhattan. Periscope video here. Inner City Press asked AG James if she is working with U.S. Attorney's office, noting the SDNY cases it has been covering about doctors selling Oxy, and only on March 27, a predatory scheme by drug addled New Jersey telemarketers resulting in three jail sentences. She noted that doctors are supposed to make filings with the FDA - we'll have more on this.
The Oxy- and phone fraud sentences were imposed over the course of more hours in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York on March 27. First up before SDNY Judge Sidney Stein, starting at 3:30 pm, was relative pawn Ray Quilis, who it was said only working on "fulfilment" for the scam providing useless products sold to the dupes of the scheme. Quilis wept and spoke of each of his three sons, saying that the middle one is "gay or bisexual" and needs him. His youngest son, he said, has autism and can now open the front door and wander out. There was some discussion of how much of his reasons to seek a lower sentence were sealed. But this was said in open court. He got a year and a day and, during his three years of supervised release, 160 hours a year of community service, for example on autism - but, Judge Stein emphasized, not only for his son but for the whole community.
Next up was Arash Ketabchi, whose father was in the courtroom. His lawyer Mr. Becker contested at least three things in the pre sentencing report - Judge Stein called on of them much ado about nothing "but I'm trying to accommodate you" - and again, the invocation of psychological problems and family ties. Arash Ketabchi, a psychologist has written, gets a rush for ripping people off. One victim, Jane Thomson, was robbed of all her money, then of all she could charge against credit cards - and then was hard-sold debt forgiveness for more. Reference was made to the sentencing of Paul Manaford, which Inner City Press covered in person, and to Arash Ketabchi soliciting oxy "dirty urine" from Andrew Owimrin, the next defendant, in order to get more drugs to sell. Still and all, A.A. was cited and in the audience one Mr. Quinn, who exchanged smiles with Inner City Press the only media in the courtroom. A sentence of 87 months was imposed, after which his father who'd given him candy stores he'd pushed into bankruptcy hugged a range of people in Courtroom 23A. A fifteen minute break was taken.
With night falling over Chinatown outside, another Ketabchi sentencing was postponed, but that of previously mentioned Andrew Owimrin went forward, with his girlfriend and friends in the courtroom. He was just a salesman, his lawyer Mr. Schmidt argued, who entered the scheme innocent and stayed on for the oxy. And so he said himself, as the clock neared eight pm - he became addicted, keeping the job to keep access to the drugs. When he's released from prison, he said, citing his girlfriend Lizzy and his dog, he will return to manual labor and through it pay back the forfeiture, a flat $100,000. But what will be the restitution? There's sixty days for that. Watch this site.
Earlier on March 27, bribe money taken by then Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo from Taiwan was the subject of an oral argument before SDNY Judge Loretta Preska. The lawyer for Ortilia Portillo Padua insisted that the government could only show that $2.1 million came from Taiwan, and that there are disputes of fact about the rest. The U.S. government is moving for summary judgment, in a case that stretches back to 2009. Some money flowed through the Banco del Ejercito (Bank of the Army) and Banorte; other money is in Europe.
Inner City Press, the only media at the March 27 hearing, could not help remarking that Judge Preska in late 2018 heard or saw evidence about bribes to Senegal, from China, to un-recognize Taiwan. Two days earlier on March 25 Patrick Ho was sentenced to 36 months in jail for UN bribery and having "sold weapons enthusiastically," along with a$400,000 fine imposed by Judge Preska. While the UN has yet to even audit the activities of Ho's China Energy Fund Committee in the UN, prosecutor Daniel C. Richenthal in Monday's sentencing proceeding said Ho and CEFC "sold weapons enthusiastically." Afterward Inner City Press, which has asked the UN for its response, asked Ho's defense lawyer Edward Y. Kim if he will appeal. We are considering our options, Kim said. Post-sentencing Periscope video here.
During the sentencing proceeding it was said that Ho had, in the MCC, mentored another inmate sentenced by Preska. (The odds of that need to be calculated.) The MCC bought Ho a violin; Richenthal said Ho had hidden and liquidated a Swiss bank account while incarcerated. While no Supervised Release was ordered, with the understanding that Ho will be removed from the U.S. once his sentence is up, it has emerged that Ho's passport has expired and has not been renewed. We'll have more on this.
