by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 26 – Michael Colello is on trial, charged with a scheme to defraud a Texas oil and gas company out of nearly $2 million.
On May 22, 2023, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff began Colello's trial. Inner City Press was there. On the witness stand was Mr. Smith, who had wired money at Colello's directly.
The Assistant US Attorney sought to introduce an email with a hyperlink. Colello's lawyer objected, saying the hyperlink or its underlying document was in evidence.
Judge Rakoff called for a sidebar, without white noise. (The document, when admitted and published, was not put on the TV monitor facing the gallery).
Smith testified that now the link does not work, but that it had in 2015.
On May 23 Smith was still on the stand, with the jury out of the room, when counsel argued about the admissibility of a document about the SEC for cross examining Smith. The AUSA suggested that Smith leave the courtroom; he did, to the witness room. After a recounting of the argument that a SEC filing couldn't be made due to the absence of an auditor, the document was excluded, at least for the moment.
On May 25, a government paralegal witness introduced and was cross-examined about a number of documents, including one claiming that Colello was the COO of Barclays. Then the US put on Verdun Edgtton of Barclays, who testified that Colello was never the COO of Barclays, to his knowledge. Colello's lawyer put in proposed jury amendments, including that they be told that "Colello's alleged use of the name 'Stan Greeme' or 'Mike Greene' is not a conspiracy."
On May 26, Inner City Press was in the courtroom for the verdict - and remand. Thread:
OK - now at jury verdict in US v Colello... Verdict: Guilty on both counts
AUSA: We request remand to jail. Defendant has been shown to have used multiple aliases since the 1990s. He was convicted in Los Angeles. He tried to flee the US from the Florida Keys by sea plane. [US Marshals are here in back of the courtroom]
AUSA: You can live a fine life in the Malay Peninsula on $100,000. He previously used a fake Hungarian passport, then said, I'm not going back to jail.
Defense: Colello cooperated with the US in LA and put a lawyer there in jail. He lives in Westchester County
AUSA: His children told the FBI they were to meet up with him in the Netherlands Antilles. He and his wife have copies of Italian passports. We'll be asking for at least six years.
Judge Rakoff: Based on the statute, I order you remanded to jail. US Marshals move forward
The case is US v. Colello, 20-cr-613 (Rakoff)
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