Investigative reporting from the inner city to Wall Street to the United Nations This is the blogspot version InnerCityPress.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Monday, April 20, 2020
Exclusive: In UN COVID Scam South Sudan Demands WHO Info Amid Cash From Oil Consortium CNPC
UN GATE / SDNY COURT, April 19 – The United Nations in South Sudan acknowledged internally that a staff member has tested positive for Coronavirus COVID-19, while claiming it is taking all precautions, see below. SG Antonio Guterres has refused to answer questions from Inner City Press about this, and about his own UN Security guards still using their gym. Video here.
Now on April 19 after the UN brags about unspecified discipline on an unidentified staffer who broke quarantine or self isolation and flew back to his or her unidentified country, Inner City Press has exclusive obtained and now publishes the South Sudan government document showing that government demanded information about the UN violation from the World Health Organization, here.
The document, of South Sudan's High Level Task Force, also shows them taking money ostensibly for COVID-19 from tobacco company Carnak, MTN, Atlantic Energy and Patronas which, along with China National Petroleum Company, stands accused of funding militias through Dar Petroleum Operating Company. Inner City Press will be asking Juba and WHO about this.
But what about the South Sudan UN bus without social distancing, which was Guterres rep David Shearer's fault? What about Guterres' own guards? This is another case of Do As I Say, Not As I Do (April 18 Matthew Russell Lee song here).
Here is the disingenuous notice which does not mention the bus, the spread and the UNHQ gym: "a staff member who failed to complete self-isolation and left South Sudan without authorization. The staff member was in isolation after it was believed he may have come into contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19. He received one test that confirmed him as negative and then left Juba on a flight without the knowledge of the United Nations. The flight was commercial, not a United Nations flight. Since arriving in his home country, he has been tested again and is confirmed to be negative for COVID-19. In the interests of openness and transparency, the United Nations informed the Ministry of Health and expressed its regret about what had happened. The United Nations is continuing to strictly follow the health protocols relating to COVID-19 and is working cooperatively through the World Health Organization with the Ministry of Health. Any United Nations staff who fail to adhere to the requirements for testing and self-isolation will face disciplinary action."
So when will Guterres' guards be punished? When will Guterres (and Tedros) be fired?
On April 9 Inner City Press exclusively published a notice among Guterres' UN Security, which he used to oust and ban Inner City Press, violating all New York City (and state) laws by keeping their gym open, with up to three officers using it at once. Photo here.
What will Mayor De Blasio's pro-UN office, which took masks not offered to UN staff quarantined at home (as lax practices at UN WIPO preceded the death of a staffer there) say? Inner City Press is asking Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming. The UN, including UN Security, is corrupt.
But the transcript of a meeting with staff by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' representative in Juba, David Shearer, leaked to Inner City Press by outraged staff, shows for example that the UNMISS mission has been running busses for local staff without social distancing.
They analogize it to when the UN brought cholera to Haiti and then lied about it for years, and has still to pay any compensation under Antonio Guterres "who instead spends the public's money on his own trips to Lisbon." Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming have refused all Press questions on this, choosing to ban critical Inner City Press and take staged questions from Xinhua.
Here's a first part of the transcript from Shearer's meeting with staff, after the misleading press release by Shearer's underling about COVID-19:
"The United Nations in South Sudan has confirmed a case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among its staff... The UN has previously imposed a travel freeze on all staff travelling into the country, ensured staff who arrived prior to the ban are self-quarantined for 14 days, introduced work-from-home measures to reduce numbers of people in offices, and enforced social distancing rules and frequent hand washing by all personnel."
This is false. From the UN Mission in South Sudan transcript leaked to Inner City Press:
Leda Limann: SRSG, these are national staff specific. The majority of UNMISS staff have family members in Uganda. Can you please engage with Ugandan authorities?
SRSG Shearer: This is a bit tricky because for national staff, obviously, their country is here, and we expect them to work here and that is why we employ national staff because they are here. I think, what we can certainly look at what happens in the future, I am in contact with the Resident Coordinator in Uganda to see what options there are to visit family members. But it is not possible for the moment to evacuate people from South Sudan to Uganda because they are South Sudanese, that is why they are here. But we will look at the possibility of being able to access their families. At the moment, we have got no ability to be allowed into Uganda. Nobody has the possibility of entering Uganda and, likewise, coming back into South Sudan. So, we are a bit caught but let’s see what happens in the future.
Leda Limann: National staff use the shuttle bus twice daily and the social distancing is not maintained in the bus. Is the mission taking any measures on this?
Nope... More of the transcript is on Patreon here.
The United Nations held a four speakers, one M.C. event to raise funds for itself off of Coronavirus on March 25. But three of the participants had refused to make public even the UN's bare-bones financial disclosures: Mark Lowcock, Henrietta Fore of UNICEF and Melissa Fleming. The head man, Antonio Guterres, has lied on his form, omitting his financial links to convicted UN briber CEFC China Energy. So their credibility is questionable.
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Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Past & future at UN: Room S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Friday, April 10, 2020
On OneCoin Greenwood Indictment Unsealed on Delay With Konstantin Ignatov Cooperating
SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 10 -- For money laundering for scam crypto currency OneCoin, lawyer Mark Scott was convicted by a jury after testimony by Konstantin Ignatov and others but was allowed to remain free on bail pending sentencing, see below.
On April 6 the US Attorney's Office has asked to push back the sentencing control date for Konstantin Ignatov, saying that "his cooperation is not yet complete." Inner City Press that same day in writing asked, is that Sebastian Greenwood?
And now on April 10, just made public, this letter from the US Attorney's Office: "Re: United States v. Karl Sebastian Greenwood, S5 17 Cr. 630 (ER) Dear Judge Ramos: The Government submits this letter to respectfully request an adjournment of the pretrial conference scheduled in the above-captioned case on April 3, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. The Government recently provided additional discovery materials to the defendant. Counsel for the defendant, Anthony Strazza, Esq., has indicated that the defendant requires additional time to review those materials and to engage in any appropriate discussions with the Government regarding a potential resolution of this matter. Accordingly, the parties jointly request an adjournment of approximately 60 days."
To which Judge Ramos ruled on April 6, but withheld from the docket until April 10: "The April 3 pretrial conference is hereby adjourned to June 3, 2020, at 10:00 AM. Speedy trial time is excluded from today, April 3, 2020, to June 3, 2020, in the interest of justice. The Clerk of the Court is respectfully directed to unseal the S5 Indictment, S5 17-cr-630 (ER). SO ORDERED. 4/6/2020." More on Patreon here.
Inner City Press will remain on this. From the Konstantin Ignatov letter: "United States v. Konstantin Ignatov, S7 17 Cr. 630 (ER) Dear Judge Ramos: A sentencing control date is presently set in the above-captioned case for April 8, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Because the defendant’s cooperation is not yet complete, the Government respectfully requests that the sentencing date be adjourned for approximately three months."
And now on April 7, Judge Ramos has set Konstantin Ignatov's sentencing for July 8, 2020 at 10 am, photo here. Inner City Press will be there.
Inner City Press which covered the trial including Konstantin Ignatov's testimony then on December 6, 2019 reported from its South Florida sources that despite ostensibly being on home incarceration Scott was "living the high life in Florida including being spotted out to dinner with body guards... Meanwhile Gilbert Armenta, fellow money launderer, is out and registering even more companies, the same as he did for his OneCoin money laundering bank in Georgia" - the country, not the US state.
On March 30 Mark Scott, after being briefing detained, was released on bond again security by his Coral Gables apartment; under a now standard condition he is required to get an iPhone for remove supervision.
And on March 13, Konstantin Ignatov was released from Federal prison. Photo here. Notable is that even his sentencing proceeding was not announced on PACER, unlike other cooperators who get time served, such as on March 13 cooperator Ceruti, Inner City Press story here.
So who decides which cooperators' sentencings are announced, and which are hidden? Rapper Tekashi #6ix9ine / Daniel Hernandez' sentencing before SDNY Judge Paul A. Engelmayer was announced, and Inner City Press live tweeted it. Konstantin Ignatov's happened in secret. Who does this benefit? And why does the US Attorney's Office Press Office not answer basic questions, or provide exhibits even when ordered (albeit orally) by a Judge, here Judge Engelmayer? We'll have more on this.
In a parallel world on March 12 the US Attorney's Office belatedly moved to revoke Scott's bail, citing Scott's continue use of OneCoin derived funds and, explicitly, Inner City Press' "blog post" about Scott dining out in Florida while on home incarceration.
Assistant US Attorney Chris Demase said they have first read out it in the blog post and couldn't believe it - but that it was proved by GPS information from Scott's location monitoring ankle bracelet.
Mark Scott's Florida based lawyer David M. Garvin sputtered over the telephone from Florida, with Scott next to him, that the dinner had involved lawyers. He tried to explain Scott's use of OneCoin funds. But Scott was ordered to turn himself in to the US Bureau of Prisons on March 13. And on that day, Konstantin Ignatov was released. Strange symmetry.
Another of his lawyers, when Inner City Press left the courtroom, was arranging to pay for a transcript, perhaps to appeal. Inner City Press on March 13 asked the US Attorney's Office Press Office for its filings not yet in the public docket. Here is Inner City Press' Periscope video upon leaving the courthouse. The case is US v. Scott, 17-cr-630 (Ramos).
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Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Despite Coronavirus UN Security Gym Is Open As No Social Distancing on UN Bus in South Sudan
UN GATE / SDNY COURT, April 9 – The United Nations in South Sudan has acknowledged that a staff member has tested positive for Coronavirus COVID-19, while claiming it is taking all precautions, see below. SG Antonio Guterres has refused to answer questions from Inner City Press about this.
Now on April 9 Inner City Press exclusively publishes a notice among Guterres' UN Security, which he used to oust and ban Inner City Press, violating all New York City (and state) laws by keeping their gym open, with up to three officers using it at once. Photo here.
What will Mayor De Blasio's pro-UN office, which took masks not offered to UN staff quarantined at home (as lax practices at UN WIPO preceded the death of a staffer there) say? Inner City Press is asking Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming. The UN, including UN Security, is corrupt.
But the transcript of a meeting with staff by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' representative in Juba, David Shearer, leaked to Inner City Press by outraged staff, shows for example that the UNMISS mission has been running busses for local staff without social distancing.
They analogize it to when the UN brought cholera to Haiti and then lied about it for years, and has still to pay any compensation under Antonio Guterres "who instead spends the public's money on his own trips to Lisbon." Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming have refused all Press questions on this, choosing to ban critical Inner City Press and take staged questions from Xinhua.
Here's a first part of the transcript from Shearer's meeting with staff, after the misleading press release by Shearer's underling about COVID-19:
"The United Nations in South Sudan has confirmed a case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among its staff... The UN has previously imposed a travel freeze on all staff travelling into the country, ensured staff who arrived prior to the ban are self-quarantined for 14 days, introduced work-from-home measures to reduce numbers of people in offices, and enforced social distancing rules and frequent hand washing by all personnel."
This is false. From the UN Mission in South Sudan transcript leaked to Inner City Press:
Leda Limann: SRSG, these are national staff specific. The majority of UNMISS staff have family members in Uganda. Can you please engage with Ugandan authorities?
SRSG Shearer: This is a bit tricky because for national staff, obviously, their country is here, and we expect them to work here and that is why we employ national staff because they are here. I think, what we can certainly look at what happens in the future, I am in contact with the Resident Coordinator in Uganda to see what options there are to visit family members. But it is not possible for the moment to evacuate people from South Sudan to Uganda because they are South Sudanese, that is why they are here. But we will look at the possibility of being able to access their families. At the moment, we have got no ability to be allowed into Uganda. Nobody has the possibility of entering Uganda and, likewise, coming back into South Sudan. So, we are a bit caught but let’s see what happens in the future.
Leda Limann: National staff use the shuttle bus twice daily and the social distancing is not maintained in the bus. Is the mission taking any measures on this?
Nope... More of the transcript is on Patreon here.
The United Nations held a four speakers, one M.C. event to raise funds for itself off of Coronavirus on March 25. But three of the participants had refused to make public even the UN's bare-bones financial disclosures: Mark Lowcock, Henrietta Fore of UNICEF and Melissa Fleming. The head man, Antonio Guterres, has lied on his form, omitting his financial links to convicted UN briber CEFC China Energy. So their credibility is questionable.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Exclusive: Coronavirus Among UN Staff In South Sudan Is Lied About While No Social Distancing on UN Bus
UN GATE / SDNY COURT, April 5 – The United Nations in South Sudan has acknowledged that a staff member has tested positive for Coronavirus COVID-19, while claming it is taking all precautions.
But the transcript of a meeting with staff by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' representative in Juba, David Shearer, leaked to Inner City Press by outraged staff, shows for example that the UNMISS mission has been running busses for local staff without social distancing.
They analogize it to when the UN brought cholera to Haiti and then lied about it for years, and has still to pay any compensation under Antonio Guterres "who instead spends the public's money on his own trips to Lisbon." Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming have refused all Press questions on this, choosing to ban critical Inner City Press and take staged questions from Xinhua.
Here's a first part of the transcript from Shearer's meeting with staff, after the misleading press release by Shearer's underling about COVID-19:
"The United Nations in South Sudan has confirmed a case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among its staff... The UN has previously imposed a travel freeze on all staff travelling into the country, ensured staff who arrived prior to the ban are self-quarantined for 14 days, introduced work-from-home measures to reduce numbers of people in offices, and enforced social distancing rules and frequent hand washing by all personnel."
This is false. From the UN Mission in South Sudan transcript leaked to Inner City Press:
Leda Limann: SRSG, these are national staff specific. The majority of UNMISS staff have family members in Uganda. Can you please engage with Ugandan authorities?
SRSG Shearer: This is a bit tricky because for national staff, obviously, their country is here, and we expect them to work here and that is why we employ national staff because they are here. I think, what we can certainly look at what happens in the future, I am in contact with the Resident Coordinator in Uganda to see what options there are to visit family members. But it is not possible for the moment to evacuate people from South Sudan to Uganda because they are South Sudanese, that is why they are here. But we will look at the possibility of being able to access their families. At the moment, we have got no ability to be allowed into Uganda. Nobody has the possibility of entering Uganda and, likewise, coming back into South Sudan. So, we are a bit caught but let’s see what happens in the future.
Leda Limann: National staff use the shuttle bus twice daily and the social distancing is not maintained in the bus. Is the mission taking any measures on this?
Nope... More of the transcript is on Patreon here.
The United Nations held a four speakers, one M.C. event to raise funds for itself off of Coronavirus on March 25. But three of the participants had refused to make public even the UN's bare-bones financial disclosures: Mark Lowcock, Henrietta Fore of UNICEF and Melissa Fleming. The head man, Antonio Guterres, has lied on his form, omitting his financial links to convicted UN briber CEFC China Energy. So their credibility is questionable.
***
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Past & future at UN: Room S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Friday, April 3, 2020
As Dean Skelos Seeks Compassionate Release SDNY Judge Wood Asks Why Not Bail Pending Appeal
SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 3 – Convicted Long Island politician Dean Skelos two more years on his sentence at Otisville Federal Correctional Institution.
Amid the Coronavirus crisis, he has asked U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Kimba M. Wood for compassionate release.
On April 3 in a telephone conference Judge Wood grilled Skelos' lawyers on why he is not instead applying for bailing pending appeal.
Assistant US Attorney Thomas McKay called this very telling, indictive that Skelos' real concern is not the possibility of getting COVID-19 at Otisville but instead using the crisis to get his sentence eliminated.
As to compassionate release, as Inner City Press has been reporting this week in a decision by SDNY Judge Andrew L. Carter and another pending from Judge P. Kevin Castel, there is a strong argument that exhaustion of administrative remedies is required before a federal District judge would grant release.
Skelos only applied to the Bureau of Prisons in late March, and BOP has thirty days to rule. Judge Wood directed Skelos' lawyers to address by Tuesday the question of why they are not asking for bailing pending appeal. Inner City Press will continue to report on this case. It is US v. Skelos, 15-cr-317 (Wood).
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Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017