By Matthew Russell Lee
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 4 – A woman from Ghana pled guilty to receiving stolen property in The Bronx before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Denise Cote on July 3, 2019. Assana Traore has a plea agreement for a guideline sentence of from 15 to 21 months.
It's part of the wider "US v. Rufai" case in which Judge Cote has given four year jail sentences to men involved in the romance scam side of the wider case (one defendant cut off his ankle bracelet and fled). Traore is a U.S. citizen and does not, like the men, face or flee deportation.
On August 28, 2020, still amid the COVID pandemic, Judge Cote held a proceeding DEBORAH MENSAH, extradited this week from Ghana for theft of over $10 million through business email compromises and romance scams that targeted the elderly.
Judge Denise Cote: I'm going to put this down for a two week trial. What month should we look at? Defense counsel: How about 1st week in May 2021?
Note: MENSAH, 33, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud & money laundering, 20 years in prison
Judge Cote: I'll exclude time under the Speedy Trial Act until the May 3 trial date. If the defendant wishes to use the time to try to negotiate a pre-trial disposition, she can do that.
Defense lawyer: I reserve the right to make a bail application. She has T.B.
Defense lawyer: If and when we make a bail application, should we file it with you or the Magistrate? Judge Cote: With me. I'm around. AUSA, please follow up with Valhalla [jail] to make sure there is medical care after what I hope was an arraignment.
Now on January 4, Mansah's lawyer has written to Judge Cote: "We represent Deborah Mensah... We write as per the Court's order of December 8, 2020 to advice your Honor that the parties anticipate a resolution of this matter with a disposition that obviates the need for a trial." And what will that be?
The case is US v. Mensah, 18-cr-201 (Cote).
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