by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Aug 28 – Gorazd Filimonović and Gašper Urbanac of Slovenia was arrested in Croatia in May 2021 on US drug trafficking charges. Extradition took more than two years.
On June 22, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge Barbara C. Moses held the presentment of the two defendants. Inner City Press was there, the only media in the SDNY Mag Court.
Judge Moses sought a Slovenian interpreter. The best or nearest that could be found was a Croatian interpreter, Ms. Martic, by phone. Both defendants spoke English. Mr. Martic was on the phone only in case they needed help. (They didn't).
Both were detained on consent.
AUSA Hellman asked about the complaint being unsealed and was told that it had been.
But an hour after the proceeding, PACER still said "This case is under seal."
Jump cut to August 17, 2023: The two were indicted, on two counts, and their case wheeled out to District Judge Gregory H. Woods.
On August 28 the two appeared before Judge Woods and pleaded not guilty. The AUSA noted that a third defendant, Aleksandar Gacevic, had been slated for extradition from Austria until its was overturned by that country's Supreme Court. A fourth, Andrez Urbanc whose brother is detained, is in a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the US. The next date is December 19 at 10 am.
The case is now US v. Filimonovic, et al., 23-cr-425 (Woods)
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