For Enabling Epstein JPM Chase & Deutsche Bank Face Trials Now JPM Moves to Dismiss

 

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell book

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Dec 30 – J.P. Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank were sued for their enabling of Jeffrey Epstein, in lawsuits filed on Thanksgiving in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where Inner City Press found them in the docket.

  The separate lawsuits allege that "without exorbitantly large amounts of cash, Epstein's operations could not run, as newly recruited victims were each paid hundreds of dollars in cash immediately after Epstein sexually abused them, as hush money."

   But there's more, and Inner City Press is on it. For now, the JPM Chase complaint is on Patreon, here.

On November 29, both cases were assigned to SDNY Judge Jed S. Rakoff, as "related" to a previous case against Deutsche Bank he has. Both had a proceeding on December 5 that Inner City Press covered.

In the courtroom along with David Boies, Bradley Edwards, Sigrid McCawley et al was former SDNY prosecutor Robert Boone (Inner City Press covered him in the Michael Avenatti - Stormy Daniels criminal case), now representing JPMorgan Chase.

Both cases have the same pre-trial schedule, going forward but for now they have different trial dates: " barring further order of the Court, trial of the cases will proceed separately, with 22-cv-10018-UA starting trial on August 7, 2023 and 22-cv-10019-UA starting trial on September 5, 2023. SO ORDERED."

Buried on Friday, December 30 - filed after 8 pm - JPM Chase moved to dismiss, making analogies fto impunity for banking for Iran and AL Qaeda. Apparently, JPM owes no duty to anyone.

Earlier on December 30, Deutsche Bank moved to dismiss the complaint, emphasizing that while the plaintiffs point to Jes Staley at Chase and that Paul Morris worked there then at DB, there's no showing that Morris knew Staley. But Morris identified Elstein as a client, and DB "onboarded" him. Watch this site.

Latein December 2022, US Virgin Islands filed suit against JPMorgan Chase, stating that "JP Morgan knowingly facilitated, sustained and concealed the human trafficking network operated by Jeffrey Epstein from his home and base in the Virgin Islands and financial benefited from this participating by failing to comply with federal banking regulations." Judge Rakoff ordered: "ORDER: Barring any objection from plaintiff Government of the United States Virgin Islands, which must be made by joint telephone call to Chambers no later than 5:00 PM on January 4, 2023, this case is hereby consolidated for all pretrial purposes with Doe v. Deutsche Bank, 22- cv-10018 and Doe v. JP Morgan Chase & Co., 22-cv-10019. Further, except for any motion to dismiss, this case will be governed by the case management plan dated December 5, 2022, previously entered in those cases."

Deutsche Bank complaint on Patreon here

Maximum Maxwell book here.

Meanwhile, the UN has yet to answer Inner City Press on why SG Antonio Guterres maintained a rep on the board of Ghislaine Maxwell's Terramar Project (instead bannign the Press); Norway won't answer on its AMbasador Mona Juul and Terje Roed Larsen taking $130,000 personal loan from Epstein.

The JPMC case is Doe 1 v. JP Morgan Chase & Co., 22-cv-10019 (Rakoff)

Also now Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., 22-cv-10904 (Rakoff)

Watch this site. 

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UN Rubber Stamps Corrupt Budget Stealing US Funds as Guterres and Korosi Ban Press

 

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon

UNGATE, Dec 30 – How useless is today's United Nations? They couldn't even vote on December 23 on taking (largely stealing) the billions of dollars from US taxpayers and others.  But on December 30, they did.

It was chaired by UN PGA Csaba Korosi, who banned Inner City Press from his Civil Society Town Hall, after his spokesperson told Inner City Press it could appeal to USG Gilles Michaud, who has yet to respond.

On the afternoon of December 30 in the UN basement where Inner City Press reported on these deals until it was ousted and banned, dysfunctional objections were made about funding for mandates in Syria, Ethiopia and Palestine - Israel said it wouldn't speak and US would vote no; it spoke, and US abstained and praised the UN.

  More US gushing: Ambassador Chris Lu at AmbUNReform tweeted, "And just like that: UN budget has been adopted by Fifth Committee and will go to General Assembly One key reform adopted is moving to an annual budget on a permanent basis. It’s a critical reform that furthers transparency and accountability."

But today's UN displays neither, and the US Mission of Lu and Linda Thomas-Greenfield has done nothing about US-based investigative media Inner City Press being banned by Antonio Guterres.

In the GA, there was Portugal, bloviating (video here)

There was Japen, representive advertising the New York Giants of football, but Japan Mission not responded to Inner City Press' request for access to its Ambassador Ishikane Kimihiro's January 3 press conference as president of the Security Council.

None of the documents were available to the public, as billions of dollars were being taken. It was to resume at 6 pm.

These are the budget meetings Inner City Press used to cover and expose, in person, until corrupt UNSG Antonio Guterres had it roughed up and thrown out while it covered the budget negotiations in 2018. 

 Now no one covers it, which is how the UN likes it. But they still can't agree how to steal. UNPGA Csaba Korosi, who banned Inner City Press from his December 2 "Civil Society Town Hall," issued a lame speech, cravenly promoted by colonial Belgium's mission to the UN.

  Inner City Press' December 5 appeal of being banned, sent just as Korosi's spokesperson Paulina Kubiak told it to, has not even been acknowledge.

Today's UN is totally corrupt. And Inner City Press will stay on it, insisting its appeal be granted, and either way reporting on the UN's corruption. Watch this site.  

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Japan as UNSC President Is Asked of UN Rapes But Murky Mission Incommunicado So Far

 

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC - Honduras - CIA Trial Book - NY Mag

UN GATE, Dec 30 – With Japan taking over presidency of the UN Security Council on January 1, 2023, on December 30 Inner City Press wrote to the Japanese Mission to the UN to request in advance access to its January 3 press conference by Ambassador Ishikane Kimihiro.

 To submit the request, Inner City Press wrote to the Japanese Mission at its Blue Book address and at the UN email addresses listed by its purported partner, one Shinobu YAMAGUCHI.

  Inner City Press asked the Japanese Mission, and the UN, about the MONUSCO scandal - sex for UN Volunteer jobs paid with taxpayers' funds - in the DRC Congo. Inner City Press exclusive here. Also: "Japan's position on Western Sahara, Myanmar, North Korea On December 2, 2022 I was told to file an appeal with DSS and I did on December 5 - you should ensure response (there has been none) and granting. See here."

 This while Inner City Press is banned from entry, which it had for years until it exposed UN corruption. No response to this July 2021 appeal. Impunity.

 Inner City Press will be covering the Japan presidency, quite actively, this month.

 Our requests and questions remain; we will publish any responses, and also on non-responses. Watch this site. 

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Mason Rothschild Is Sued Over Hermes Birkin Bag NFT Now Motions Denied So Trial Jan 30

 

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Dec 30 – Hermes has sued Mason Rothschild for using its Hermes Birkin name to market an NFT, METABIRKINS.  Just added "meta" changes nothing, it says.              

       On April 8, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein held a proceeding. Inner City Press covered it.

 Judge Gorenstein said that all fact discovery must be completed by August 9.

 The parties say a trial would take five days.

On May 4, after the case was reassigned from Judge Alison J. Nathan, now on the Second Circuit, to Judge Jed S. Rakoff, an oral argument was held by Judge Rakoff. Inner City Press covered it. The defendant argued that its products are art.

Jump cut to November 18, 2022, with Judge Rakoff's courtroom and jury box nearly full for an oral argument in the case. Inner City Press went and covered it:

Hermes lawyer is presenting his view of 2d Circuit's "Welcome to Twin Peaks" decision.

Judge Rakoff says readers of NYT and WSJ sould temper that with the New York Post. Counsel quips, At least for the sports section.

Judge Rakoff: My knowledge of the Metaverse is limited. But how can one wear this bag in the Metaverse? I'll send my next opinion not to the 2d Circuit but to the Metaverse. People are buying NFTs. I hope they are not using crypto currency

Hermes' lawyer says these NFTs can *only* be bought with crypto currency, notes that 'in lat ten days thos market has cratered" - but no direct mentoon of FTX

 Wait- Hermes lawyer now does say FTX, calls customers 'less than sophisticated."

Lawyer for Mason Rothschild decries a "blizzard of red herrings."

Lawyer: Beyonce has sung about Birkin bags. It part of our culture. It is political. 

Judge Rakoff: Buy the Meta-Birkin exposes the hollowness of weath?

Lawyer: Well, it is covered in goofy, garish fake fur. It's like Andy Warhol.

Judge Rakoff: So your client will donate his earnings to the poor? Lawyer: Well, he has a project about climate change

On December 30, Judge Rakoff ruled: "ORDER denying [59] Motion for Summary Judgment; denying [60] Motion for Summary Judgment. In this trademark action, plaintiffs Hermes International and Hermes of Paris, Inc. ("Hermes") and defendant Martin Rothschild have each moved for summary judgment. After careful consideration of the briefing and oral argument, the Court hereby denies the parties' motions for summary judgment. An opinion explaining the reasons for these rulings will issue by January 20, 2023, and the parties are reminded that trial of this case will commence on January 30, 2023. The Clerk is directed to close the motions (items 59 and 60) on the docket. SO ORDERED.. (Signed by Judge Jed S. Rakoff on 12/30/2022)."

The case is Hermes International et al v. Rothschild, 22-cv-384 (Rakoff / Gorenstein)

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FTX Bankman-Fried Free on $250 Million Bond Transactions Over $1000 Cited In Blockchain

 

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell book

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Dec 30, 2022 – Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, leading to his arrest in the Bahamas on December 12, and extradition to the US on December 21.

  Late on December 21, the US Attorney's Office issued a video announcing that SBF was "in FBI custody and will be transported directly to the Southern District of New York."

The US Attorney's Office also released the plea agreements (signed December 19) of Caroline Ellison of Alameda (on Inner City Press' DocumentCloud here) and of Gary Wang - on Patreon here.

On December 22 when Bankman-Fried was presented and released on $250 million bond, with a condition that "Defendant not to enter into financial transactions in excess of $1,000 without pre-approval of the Government or Court, except to pay for legal costs and fees," see below. Inner City Press live tweeted, thread here.

  Since his release, and reassignment to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, it appears that Bankman-Fried has engaged in financial transactions / transfers:

ETH sent from SBF's public wallet to newly created address
0x7386df2Cf7e9776bCE0708072c27d6a7135D51CB which, within hours, received transfers totaling $367k from 32 known Alameda Research wallets

+ $322k from other wallets; all sent to a Seychelles CEX or Ren BTC bridge 0x7386 sent $629k to 0x64e9B9cD74A46f71e7631CB033afA6E7849a8683 which received a further $1M from 11 wallets labelled as Alameda Research

5 separate transactions of <51 ETH were used to move funds to newly created wallets then onwards to a Seychelles based exchange

3 tranches of 200k USDT were also sent from the SBF linked wallet to the FixedFloat exchange

  Are these "financial transactions"? Were they approved? Watch this site.

The case us US v. Bankman-Fried, et al., 22-cr-673 (Kaplan).

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Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Synthetic Pot and Gets 87 Month Sentencing Guideline For April

 

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book

SDNY MAG COURT EXCLUSIVE, Dec 30 -  In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on December 30, a guilty plea was taken by Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker from a man charged with selling synthetic marijuana or K2.

Inner City Press was present, the only media in the Mag Court. Related Mag Court live-tweeted thread (more on Patreon here) vlog here

  The defendant, Noel Sanabria, acknowledged the sale. The AUSA asked that he clarify that he sold it over the Internet - and specified that the Government will be taking over domain names including K2 Herbal and Legal Herbal Smack, selling products like Scooby Snacks and Kush.

This followed, in the same docket, the December 14 plea of Andre Gomes, whose defense counsel answered that his client knew that others in the conspiracy were using the Internet. That is enough, under the law of conspiracy.

Judge Parker recommends that District Judge Oetken accept Sanabria's plea, with a guideline of 87 to 108 months, higher than Gomes' 70 to 87. Sanabria's sentencing is set for April 11 at 11 am. Gomes goes first on March 27 at 11 am. Will they get prison time?

The case is US v. Khan, et al., 21-cr-313 (Oetken / Cott)

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Bankman Fried From White House in September Now in His Wallets in December, SBF's VOSRs

 

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell book
 NY Mag Song 1

LITERARY SDNY, Dec 29 – As Kurt Wheelock dug into the Bankman-Fried story he kept coming across the banks. Let others dig into Congress, which SBF had spent the months before his arrest lobbying.

The money was in the banks, the crypto was in the banks, like Moonstone and Silvergate, and the banks were into crypto, like Quontic. This last Kurt had challenged, as if on a whim, seeing a Change in Bank Control Act filing about it. That had been the way Moonstone had been taken, with no one commenting on it. From now on he would.

 There was also the Ricchetti connection. Not just SBF's meetings with Steve in the White House, but also Steve's brother Jeff who lobbied with him on or against banking regulation, and Steve's underqualified son J.J. Ricchetti, given a job at the Treasury Department, which through the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regulated the largest national banks in the country.

  Kurt had pilloried Steve Mnuchen and Joseph Otting, at One West then the OCC. Then the OCC had been taken over, however briefly, by an open supporter of crypto. But what about Ricchetti, the Ricchetti, meeting with the now indicted Bankman-Fried? Otting had faked comments in favor of his merger with CIT. SBF and the Ricchettis, and Bruce Reid.

The fraudster had been in the White House, as recently as September 8, 2022. Now the DOJ would be objective? They'd cut the unsecured bail deal, and moved to seal the guilty pleas until after that was done. Should there be a special prosecutor? There should be pursuit, and digging, live, that much was for sure.

  Sam Bankman-Fried had gone into the White House through the front door at least four times in 2022. Kurt Wheelock, after an overly expensive coffee accompanied by a fifty cent tangerine at a Pret a Manger nearby, walked the perimeter. Security was high, nearly two years after January 6, 2021. 

 He went over to the Federal courthouse, where you could still go in albeit through a metal detector. You could even keep your phone, unlike at EDNY and SDNY in New York. The January 6 cases, as they called them, were almost a thousand in number now. During the height of COVID, most presentments and status conferences were by phone and Kurt covered some of them.

 There was the old guy from Alabama with Molotov cocktails in glass jars in his van. Locking him up pre-trial made sense. But an off the grid restaurant owner from rural Pennsylvania? She'd been locked up, spouting from the Bible during her bail hearing, while SBF was immediately released, with his lawyers doing all the talking.

  And now it appeared to Kurt that SBF could be violating the terms of his pre-trial release, moving crypto out of wallets. They hadn't even barred him from using computers, the way not only short-eyes but plain identity thieves got ordered. There was cartoon comparison, and then the specifics of Bankman-Fried's possible violation of supervised release.

SBF's VOSR, Kurt's dubbed it. It might be time to hit the blockchain. To be continued- song 1 here; more on Patreon here 1 and here 2 and here 3 and here 4 and here 5 and here 6 and here 7

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