by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY EXCLUSIVE, Aug 22 – Michael Palleschi was indicted in July 2021, along with two other FTE Networks executives, for fraud.
On August 22, 2023 unannounced Palleschi appeared in order to plead guilty, to a cooperator's deal, before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn. Inner City Press was there, the only media in the SDNY Mag court.
Palleschi said he was 48 years old, some college, no degree. He pleaded guilty to all six counts, including an aggravated identity theft charge that carries a mandatory two year consecutive sentence.
But that's only if you don't cooperate.
The plea agreement envisions the prosecutors writing a 5K1 letter to District Judge Colleen McMahon when the time comes. And the time is not yet set - there is not even a control date, no PSR.
So who could Pelleschi be cooperating against? His two co-defendants, David Lethem and Anthony Sirotka, represented by Baker & Hostetler?
The Assistant US Attorney read a long statement, including the Pelleschi took the corporate jet on a family vacation to Peru, and used company resources for a similar junket to Watertown, New York.
The case is called US v. Palleschi, et al., 21-cr-454 (McMahon / Netburn)
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