By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
SDNY COURT, Jan 4 - In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York back on September 29, 2022, a detention or bond proceeding was held by Magistrate Judge James L. Cott on a man charged with violating his supervised release in connection with Minor Victim-1 in Florida. He was detained, with a hearing set for January 4, 2023.
Andrew Rocco pled guilty to firearms trafficking in early 2020. But once released, he declined to provide Probation with an address, a violation for which he appeared before District Judge Andrew L. Carter on August 16, 2022. The next day, prosecutors say, he left SDNY with Minor Victim-1, 16 years old.
A US Attorney's Office filing on December 30, 2022, just before the holiday, recounts how they drove to Tampa, Florida "in a car in which crack and powder cocaine were found." He was arrested, and now contests having violated Florida Statute 787.03, unlawfully interfering with the custody of a minor.
For the January 4 hearing, the US said it will present as a witness the Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff's Office detective who arrested Rocco, under suspicion on human trafficking, and then a mentor for victims of child sexual assault, Talia Magnani. It seems to admit Victim-1's out of court statements, arguing that on violations of supervised release, the Confrontation Clause does not apply.
Inner City Press went to cover the January 4 hearing. A officer of HSI was on the stand, describing tracking and finding Victim-1. Text messages about pimping her shown, and a woman in the gallery remonsterated.
When Rocco's defense lawyer had his change to cross examine, he said a victim's mother had not been cooperative with the authorities, which the HSI agent disagreed with. He emphasized evidence that Rocco had thought the age to be eighteen or nineteen. But isn't it a strict liability crime? Watch this site.
The case is US v. Rocco, 18-cr-420 (Carter)
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