By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
SDNY COURTROOM Exclusive, Sept 9 – In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on September 9, a detention hearing was held by Magistrate Judge Steward D. Aaron on a defendant who traveled from San Jose, California and was found with five kilos of cocaine in The Bronx.
The Assistant US Attorney urged the detention of defendant Rivera, citing the presumption and the quantity of cocaine.
But Rivera's Federal Defender Ian Marcus Amelkin said he is only 22 years old, worked security in San Jose until the pandemic, and wanted to fly back there tomorrow. He pointed out that the AUSA had agreed to a bail package with co-defendant Velez, represented by Lincoln Square Legal Services under the CJA.
Judge Aaron returned from a session with Pre Trial Services and said he would release Rivera on $50,000 bond, but only tomorrow to allow the government a chance to appeal.
The AUSA said there would be no appeal so Rivera would be released, with the agents encouraged to help him get back into the apartment he was arrested in, pending a US travel order flight on September 10 to San Jose (where, in a parallel universe, Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos is on trial in Federal court).
This case is US v. Rivera, 21-mj-8793 (Aaron).
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