By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
EDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 26 – IRS Special Agent Bryan Cho, a/k/a "Yong Hee Cho" is charged with having a fake foreign passport; aggravated ID theft; making false statements in a background check and wire fraud in purchasing a co-op.
On January 26 he was arraigned and detained. Inner City Press live tweeted, here (detention memo on Patreon here) --
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak has begun.
The fake passport was from... Guinea Bissau.
"Count 10 covered identity theft from Jane Doe." Cho is in the Marshal's holding area in the EDNY courthouse.
Cho pleads not guilty to all counts.
AUSA: The government is seeking a permanent order of detention on the grounds that the defendant is a significant risk of flight. AUSA: We don't have the passport. And Cho talked with providers of "golden visas," purchasing citizenship. [NOTE: UN briber convicted in SDNY had multiple passports - the UN never did an audit, and still won't answer on #UNFCU and Afrasiabi
Cho's lawyer argues against detention, citing COVID in MDC & MCC. Says, Cho's been aware of this investigation & didn't flee. "We think there's a misunderstanding... These are not passport." US says IRS agent Cho bought a co-op apartment for $1.6 million... cash.
Cho's lawyer: It's photos of passports, not passports. You can't use them to flee. Cho was making to show what he could do, for an undercover IRS investigation. AUSA: IRS denies Cho was working on any undercover investigations.
Cho's lawyer: The apartment was bought with money from his parents, who are in Korea but legal US residents. They were going to move in. They were successful business people in Korea.
Cho's lawyer: He would post apartment worth $1.65 million to be released. Anyway, passport fraud is maybe six months. Total, 2 to 3 years. Judge Pollak: If an apartment was obtained by fraud, how can it secure a bond? And what did the wife say to the co-op board?
AUSA: The wife said she was employed, but was not. They photo-shopped their IRS 1040 forms, ironic since he works for the IRS. Neither can be trusted.
Judge Pollak: I don't think what's been offered is sufficient as a bail package. Come up with something else.
Cho's lawyer: US hasn't show apartment was bought with tainted money. Judge Pollak: But fraudulent document were used, allegedly. Putting up that apartment is not enough. If there's more, suretors, come back.
He'll be detained, but you can come back.
***
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