by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, June 14 –A woman arrested at 1 am Saturday while trying to fly to China after a Federal search warrant was executed on her home resulting in blackmail charges was brought into court by US Marshals Saturday afternoon.
Inner City Press was there, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrates Court, which it covers closely.
The SDNY prosecutor recounted how the defendant's travel to China had been booked at the last minute, and how she had refused to open her door to the agents with the warrant, and tried to hide electronic devices, giving rise to a second count in the Complaint.
The defendant had already retained a lawyer. Another lawyer standing in for him asked why no voluntary surrender had been provided for, if a proffer session was upcoming.
The prosecutor informed Chief Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn there was no proffer on the table. He relented from requesting home incarceration to home detention, but insisted that a GSP monitor be installed before the defendant was released on $500,000 bond, of which $100,000 must be cash within two weeks.
Also, defendant is not to use WeChat, nor contact Victim-1, who has already paid her $1 million through mediation, the prosecutor said. He added that in the US she knows only her ex-husband, which whom she does not speak, and her romantic partner.
She spoke for herself, briefly, that she was trying to visit her ill father in China.
Judge Netburn ordered her detained until Monday when a GPS monitor should be installed.
A US Marshal handed her a note. Judge Netburn announced that 25,000 protesters are headed to the courthouse - more likely, ICE in 26 Federal Plaza on "No Kings" day - and to clear out quickly. The case did not yet have a docket number.
It is USA v. Luo, 25-mj-__ (Netburn
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