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     Click here for Inner City Press' weekday news reports, from the United Nations and elsewhere.  Click here for a recent BBC piece on Inner City Press' reporting from the United Nations  Search This Site    Click for March 1, 2011 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption by Inner City Press.     Click here for Inner City Press front page

  ICP has published a (double) book about a variety of Bronx-relevant topics -- a review in Commonweal magazine of Dec. 5, 2003, opines  that "Predatory Bender... is as vivid an account of life in the Bronx as you are likely to read" -- click here for sample chapters, here for an interactive map,  here for fast ordering and delivery, and here for other ordering information.  See also, "City Lit: Roman a Klepto [Review of ‘Predatory Bender’]," by Matt Pacenza, City Limits, Sept.-Oct. 2004. CBS MarketWatch of April 23, 2004, says the the novel has "some very funny moments," and that the non-fiction mixes "global statistics and first-person accounts." The Washington Post of March 15, 2004, calls Predatory Bender: America in the Aughts "the first novel about predatory lending;" the London Times of April 15, 2004, "A Novel Approach," said it "has a cast of colorful characters."   The Pittsburgh City Paper of Dec. 11, 2003, wrote that it "may, in fact, be the first great American lending malfeasance novel" including "low-level loan sharks, class-action lawyers, corporate bigwigs, hired muscle, corrupt politicians, Iraq War veterans, Wall Street analysts, reporters and one watchdog with a Web site."  And all in The Bronx!   Click here for that review; for more information, contact us.
2014: MRL on Beacon Reader

May 20, 2019

SDNY Seeks To Seal Evidence of Cooperation of Bronx Cabbie Lizardo Despite Trial Testimony

By Matthew Russell Lee, More on Patreon

SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 15 – A taxi driver who pled guilty to involvement in a narcotics conspiracy in the Bronx was sentenced on May 15 to time served,

Then he had the entire sentencing proceedings purportedly sealed, to conceal his role as a cooperating witness.

  But the sentencing took place in open court, before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald. And the cabbie, Roberto Lizardo, testified at trial on March 23, 2018, including about his cooperation agreement. Could this be retroactively sealed, too?

   Lizardo's lawyer argued that his client may be subject to a removal order to the Dominican Republic where, he said, they do not like informants.

  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Wren said he and presumably his office had no problem with sealing everything. He said that Lizardo's cooperation had not only help convict Lizardo's co-defendant Roberto Arce but had convinced Daniel Monsanto Lopez to not pursue a so-called Fatico hearing to try to to show he is or was eligible for a First Step Act "safety valve" and thus a lesser sentence.

  Should all of this be confidential? Even if so, how can that be effectuated if the proceedings were in open court? US v. Lizardo, 16-cr-643, was listed on the electronic board in the lobby of the Daniel Patrick Moynahan Federal Courthouse on May 15. Likewise on May 15 it was said that it would be difficult for the public to learn of Lizardo's testimony since the transcripts are only available on Pacer terminals in the courthouse. We'll have more on this - for now, we have more on Patreon, here.

May 13, 2019

In SDNY Richard Rolon Gets 27 Months After Fired Gun on Walton Ave in The Bronx and Pro Bono Lawyer

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope video

SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 6 – On Walton Avenue and 182nd Street in The Bronx on September 11, 2018 Richard Rolon fired a gun, twice, at a man he said had threatened his mother. On May 6, Rolon appeared for sentencing before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Ronnie Abrams, represented not only by the Federal Defenders but also Tobias Fischer of Allen & Overy LLP, argued for a sentence of 18 months.

  Judge Abrams said she'd seen the video of the shooting, that she was not unsympathetic to the difficulties of Rolon's youth and the problems he had encountered in The Bronx, but that firing a gun in the middle of the street, in the middle of the day, was serious. She sentenced Rolon to 27 month in prison and three years of supervised release. She said, I say this a lot but you don't have to be defined by your worst moment. True. The case is USA v. Rolon, 18-cr-705 (RA).

May 6, 2019

In SDNY Jordan McDonald Claims He Was Stabbed In MCC Added To PSR But Sealed As 2 Years Added

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope video

SDNY COURTHOUSE, May 3 – Jordan McDonald came to be sentenced on May 3 for robbing two businesses in The Bronx at gun point, a separate case of which he is already serving 61 months in prison for. But while in the Metropolitan Correctional Center he was stabbed, he said in courtroom otherwise empty but for Inner City Press of U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Laura Taylor Swain.

  Troublingly, this being stabbed while in jail was not in the Pre Sentencing Report. While the judge made a point of adding it, as part of Paragraph 110, she also said that the PSR will be sealed. Could this be called the cover up of human rights violations, in this case of a prisoner? The case is USA v McDonald, 16-cr-00826-LTS-11.

   McDonald's father was a drug addict often in jail; his mother was murdered when he was a teenager. He has a daughter he has not met, since being in jail. He pleaded on May 3 for a second chance, and after a time received an additional 24 months tacked on to the 61 months he is already serving.

  He asked that he be allowed to serve it not close to New York, as so many in the SDNY request, but rather at a Federal prison in Kentucky, where he was been taking job training for construction work in concrete. Judge Laura Taylor Swain gave him best wish and said, understandably, that she hoped to never see him again.

Two days earlier on the other side of Pearl Street in 40 Foley Square, defendant Jesus Lopez walked into the SDNY courtroom of Judge Valerie E. Caproni to be sentenced on May 1 for driving 10 kilograms of cocaine from California to New York.

  He was wearing a suit; he had been allowed out on bond while awaiting sentencing due to his mother having Stage Four cancer. Before the sentencing he uploaded a video directed at Judge Caproni but still online as of this writing on Vimeo, here.

   The courtroom was full, with two U.S. Marshals in the back row, and the two front rows, Inner City Press was later informed by a participant in the proceeding, filled by judges from China. Lopez' lawyer Jeff Greco argued in his sentencing submission for time served, essentially one month.

  But Judge Caproni, after asking Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Rhen why the government wasn't seeking forfeiture of the truck Lopez used to drive the drugs - "there's a lot of equity in there," she said -- looked sternly at Lopez.

   Judge Caproni was not impressed by Lopez' statement that he took drugs because he was bored, that boredom was one of his triggers. She said she did not believe that he had only agreed to drive the drugs in order to feed his own habit. First she sentenced him to 60 month, five years, in prison.

  Then as the U.S. Marshals rustled in the row behind Inner City Press, she said she would be remanding Lopex into custody today. Right now. Her courtroom deputy handed the Marshals an order to that effect.

   Defense attorney Greco said that Lopez' mother could die at any time, and that the Bureau of Prisons would be unlikely to let him out to attend her funeral. Judge Caproni said there was no way to know when his mother would die, and that she had allowed him to remain out on bond pending sentencing so he could spent time with her. The Chinese judges sat as Jesus Lopez took his wallet out of his pants and put his hands out for shackling.

  A well known courtroom artist in the SDNY has told Inner City Press about the time she managed to sketch a similar remand of a higher profile defendant, Bernie Madoff. But there was no artist present for the remand of Jesus Lopez, and cameras are not allowed - only this article. The case is U.S. v. Lopez, part of the larger conspiracy prosecution U.S. v. Soto et al., 18-cr-00282 (Caproni).

  Notably one floor above in 40 Foley Square, a man who pled guilty to stealing $7 million in Medicare and Medicaid fraud has had his sentencing delayed for a year already, and perhaps another year, so that his wife can finish a medical residency program. That case is U.S v. Javed, 16-cr-00601-VSB. Unlike the unpublicized case of Jesus Lopez, the Office of the US Attorney for the SDNY announced the Javed sentencing to the press (but not its subsequent deferral). Click here for that story.

  Which approach is the right one? How can these disparities be explained? These are among the questions that Inner City Press will be pursuing, in the SDNY. Watch this site, and the new @SDNYLIVE Twitter feed.

April 29, 2019

In SDNY Bail Jumper Wants Sentencing Moved Under Rule 20 With Him So Part 1 On 3 Bronx Children

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, Periscope

SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 24 – Roberto Sanchez pled guilty to narcotics offensed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Pennsylvania in 2017 and was to appeared to sentenced, with a mandatory five year minimum.

  Then he disappeared.

  On April 24 he reappeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York arraignments courtroom, presided over by this week by retiring Magistrate Judge Henry Pitman. Unlike most here, including Michael Avenatti, he was not asking for a free lawyer. His retained counsel Angelo Antonio Castro III told Judge Pitman that Sanchez is supporting three children in The Bronx and had never, in reality, fled.

  Judge Pitman said that one can as surely flee in a metropolitan area as to Timbuktu, and that in any event, remand to the MCC was mandatory.

 But Sanchez' lawyer simply would not give up, insisted first that the Pennsylvania plea was been based on coersion - Judge Pitman said the warrant was valid on its face - then finally asking that under Rule 20 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure the delayed sentencing now be moved to the SDNY. Chaos ensued.

  Judge Pitman to his credit - we say this in light of yesterday's reporting - did not dismiss this Hail Mary out of hand, saying it was a case of firs impression. The AUSA said there was no consent; Judge Pitman replied that neither Office has been asked. Finally reference was made to "Part I" as an appellate remedy, something about which Inner City Press the only media in the courtroom asked about on the way out. Watch this site, and @SDNYLIVE.

April 22, 2019

In SDNY Cop Ramming Doctor Tells Jury of $450000 Salary In The Bronx With Latinos She Loves

By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 18 – A doctor facing an NYPD parking ticket and reportedly saying "I'm the hero" back in 2016 resurfaced on Tax Day 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as a police brutality jury trial. Rachel Wellner was at the plaintiff's table and NYPD officer Vega was on the stand, getting asked Didn't you touch near her breast? Wellner was a breast surgeon at Montefiore Hospital in The Bronx but got fired after what the tabloids called her "cop ram" incident. On April 18, Wellner took the stand and made a point of immediately telling the jury that she organized medical missions to Nicaragua and that along with his $450,000 salary at Montefiore she was able to be back with the Latino community she feel in love with. The government / defense did not object. Across the hall an insider trading prosecution got interesting - but Inner City Press will return to the Wellner case.  Back on April 16, the second day of the trial, Vega's partner Nicolett Davodian was on the stand and her deposition and previously filed reports were being used against her. When did she start saying that Vega's knees were swollen? That Wellner had allegedly called all female NYPD officer a derogatory word for lesbian? And the now somewhat famous, "I'm the hero, the cops are not heroes"? There were many I can't recalls. Coming next is the two officers' supervisor, who allegedly reprimanded Davodian for gloating to Wellner upon subsequent full arrest, Are you happy now you crazy f*cking b*tch? Inner City Press will be there - watch this site.

Both the Daily New and the New York Post at the time mocked her for saying she was the hero and the NYPD was not. Her civil complaint recites her voluntary work in Nicaragua and Israel. SDNY Judge John G. Koeltl at the end of questioning on April 15 told the jury to be sure not to check social media (how realistic that is today is a question), then held several off the record sidebars with the case's attorneys, followed by pleasantries with visitors from Australia. We'll have more on this trial - and, we hope, on this:

In SDNY Twitching Man Faces 21 Months For Not Returning to Bronx Halfway House from Mental Health Visit

By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 16 – An inmate named Ronald Seaver came to plead guilty to escaping from a Bronx halfway house - for a mental health appointment, no less -- appeared on April 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York courtroom of Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, where earlier this year hedge funder Martin Huberfeld was sentenced. The contrast could hardly be more stark: for this halfway house defendant, later found living on a bench in Penn Station, Inner City Press was the only media present. The accused said "Yes, Your Honor" again and again while rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. He said he had PTSD, depression, ADHD and anxiety. He completed one year at Westmoreland Community College. He has a 28 year old daughter. He had the required pass to leave the Bronx Residential Re-entry Center for a mental health appointment but did not return on time. He faces 15 to 21 months for this; no plea agreement was presented. Inner City Press will continue to cover this case.

April 15, 2019

In SDNY Shackled Man Charged With Biting ICE Officer On Sedgwick Avenue in The Bronx

By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 10 – An ICE officer was bitten in the Bronx on March 3, it was alleged on April 10 in Courtroom 5A of the
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Defendant Christopher Santos Felix was led into the courtroom in shackles. He was asked if he, like so many others, waived the public reading of the charges against him. But he said no, and so they were read out.

On March 3 Santos Felix allegedly bit a DHS - ICE officer in 3115 Sedgwick Avenue in the West Bronx. He pled "no coupable," not guilty, and will have another hearing on April 16. He was led off in shackles by marshals who looked more on guard that usual.

April 8, 2019

In SDNY Gambia Passport Scheme Comes To Trial A Month After Humanitarian Trip Denied

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope video, II III

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, April 1 – Back on February 28 before his now begun trial for US passport fraud, Malamin Jagana asked U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Jed Rakoff to modify his bail to allow a trip to Gambia. His reason was humanitarian: to attend a ceremony with his wife who lives there for their baby who died in a miscarriage a year ago. As reported that day by Inner City Press, the only media present for the proceeding, his lawyer called the ceremony and the father's attendance a cultural requirement. The government opposed Jagana's trip, referring not to Gambia but to Africa as if it were a county: "He has connection to Africa... His wife lives in Africa." SDNY Judge Rakoff did not go "Africa Is A Country" but on risk of flight agreed, saying while "sympathetic to this tragic event... I don't think the risk of him not returning is anything other than huge. So the application is denied." On April 1, again with Inner City Press the only media in the courtroom as the trial in fact begun, Agent Nieves was questioned in several rounds about Jagana's passport moves through his and his brother's apartment at 31 Mount Hope Place in The Bronx, the claim of passport loss on a train in Europe as well as after soccer practice or "training" by Yankee Stadium, and a bag full of Gambian passports and certificates of good behavior. We'll have more on this.

April 1, 2019

In SDNY For 1997 Bronx Murder 9 Guilty Verdicts on 12 Counts After Lengthy Cold Case Trial

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope, Photos

SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 29 – After a long trial of two defendants involving the Bronx murders of Alex Ventura and Aneudis Almonte 22 years ago on 22 December 1997 before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Kevin Castel, on March 29 the jury returned nine guilty verdicts on 12 counts. For Defendant Robert Acosta it was guilty on Counts 1 through 5 but non guilty on Count 6. For Defendant Jose Diaz it was non guilty on Counts 1 and 2, but guilty on Counts three through six. Substantial jail sentenced will be imposed, and Inner City Press will be there to report on the sentencing. The case is United States v. Robert Acosta and Jose Diaz, 18 Cr. 80 (PKC).

On March 27 after the jury went into their room, with marshal in the hall outside, Judge Castel told the seven lawyers they were all welcome to come back and appear before him. That would be, for the government, Laurie Korenbaum, Michael Krouse and Nicholas Chiuchiolo;  for Jose Diaz, Susan Katherine Marcus and Florian Miedel, and for Robert Acosta Bruce D. Koffsky and Barry A. Weinstein.

Judge Castel said only a grueling work load for lawyers on trial keep the jury trial system going, so the jury service is tolerable in terms of length. Then he added his eight minute rule - that they should not go back to their offices (except maybe the prosecutors, to St. Andrew's Place), so they can return to court on eight minutes' notice in case the jurors send a note out. The US v. Latique Johnson trial Inner City Press has been covering or trying to cover across Pearl Street in 40 Foley Square, it remains unclear if the exhibits will be put online or notice given. Earlier this week Inner City Press dropped by and asked one of the defense lawyers, the one who waved a gun around during summation, if there had been jury notes. Yes, he said. But what did they say? In the Bronx cold case, two days before on on March 25 a government witness described how his van was shot at on Thanksgiving 1997 as he drove away from a disco he found too crowded. The defense quizzed him if he had been selling drugs on 26 March 1999 and 29 January 2000 and 2 February 2001 before being deported to the Dominican Republic. "I would just sell them when I needed a couple of bucks," he said. As to who killed his brother, witness Ventura said, "I know who did it." While Inner City Press had to leave to cover the Michael Avenatti presentment 12 stories higher in the SDNY courthouse, a person watching the entire trial marveled to Inner City Press that "the defendants wife came, she works for Immigration, how is that possible." We'll have more on thisMarch 25, 2019

In SDNY 22 Year Old Bronx Murder Triggers Testimony of Drive By and White Van on the Concourse

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope, Photos

SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 21 – In a trial for a Bronx murder 22 years ago in 1997, on March 21 a former NY police officer now working in Florida testified about stopping a white van with a gun in it on 188th Street and the Grand Concourse on 29 August 1991 and, along with Officer Serge Denecko, arresting for men in the van. Earlier a woman who was shot at and grazed on the chin described seeing a gun sticking out the passenger's side, and that Hinton, her ex boyfriend, sold drugs on 149th Street under the direction of "Rob," presumably the defendant Roberto Acosta a/k/a Mojica. More and more facts are coming in - maybe too many? Back on March 20 a now elderly man who had moved tens of kilos of cocaine in 1998 was cross examined about how much times he has met with the prosecution to prepare this testimony. It got repetitive, as pointed out by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Kevin Castel. Did he meet Detective Vasquez on January 26, 2018? He couldn't remember the date but yes, many times. Did Detective Vasquez drive him around and take photographs of the sights and stash-houses he pointed out (presumably including 156th and Broadway)? Yes. Later on March 20 there were two forms of testimony about University Avenue in The Bronx. There was the double murder, on 22 December 1997, Carlos Ventura and another. By 1999 there were payments into the prison commissary account of Jose Diaz a/k/a Cano, a full $200 from Joyce Pettaway who lived in Apartment 4-G of 2769 University Avenue from September 1992 to November 5, 2001, according to a stipulation by the landlord Jonah Associated. There was a long sidebar about an objection to double hearsay; there was a reference to two cassette tapes of recorded conversations between Robert Acosta a/k/a Mojica and a person whose name was redacted, and a description of how evidence is destroyed.

March 18, 2019

In SDNY 22 Year Old Bronx Murder Triggers Testimony on Fingerprints From 1994 Friction Ridge

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope, Photos

SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 14 – In a trial for a Bronx murder 22 years ago in 1997, on March 14 NYPD Detective Ramirez described even older fingerprints to a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Before Judge Kevin Castel, Detective Ramirez described friction ridge characteristics of one Robert Mojica going back to 1994 on Edgecombe Avenue in Upper Manhattan. The defense, on cross examination, wondered why Ramirez was not being asked about the 1997 crimes. Judge Castel declared a break, during which he would meet with students of a lawyer who has appeared before him. A tray of bagels was rolled in. We'll have more on this trial. Back on March 8, another shooting in The Bronx in October 2018 was the subject of an ill-attended conference in the SDNY. Jerome Jackson is described as in a white t-shirt with silver handgun on 2 October 2018 on Freeman Street - but in the SDNY courtroom of Judge Kevin Castel he was in jail house blues and shackles. His lawyer Julia Gatto questioned whether the NYPD detectives who questioned Jackson about the shooting were in fact part of a joint task force with the Feds - no, Karin Potlock for the government said, and on that basis no suppression - and questioned probable cause. There will be a hearing on that on April Fools Day and Inner City Press aims to be there. The case is US v. Jackson, 18 CR 760. A week before on March 1 when Statue of Liberty climber Patricia Okoumou appeared in the SDNY , it was to face revocation of bail for more recent climbs, all to protest the separation of immigrant families. SDNY Judge Gorenstein did not revoke bail but imposed house arrest. He jibed that it appeared Ms. Okoumou could only support herself by donations garnered by climbing. Afterward Inner City Press asked her lawyer Ron Kuby about this argument. He said the judge has it precisely wrong, or in reverse: she raised money because she is an activist, she is not an actively in order to make money. Ms. Okoumou raised her fist, and headed to Staten Island. Photos here.

March 11, 2019

In SDNY Bronx Shooting Triggers Hearing on Probable Cause But Not Suppression Of NYPD Interview

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope, Photos

SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 8 – A shooting in The Bronx in October 2018 was the subject of an ill-attended conference on March 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Jerome Jackson is described as in a white t-shirt with silver handgun on 2 October 2018 on Freeman Street - but in the SDNY courtroom of Judge Kevin Castel he was in jail house blues and shackles. His lawyer Julia Gatto questioned whether the NYPD detectives who questioned Jackson about the shooting were in fact part of a joint task force with the Feds - no, Karin Potlock for the government said, and on that basis no suppression - and questioned probable cause. There will be a hearing on that on April Fools Day and Inner City Press aims to be there. The case is US v. Jackson, 18 CR 760. A week before on March 1 when Statue of Liberty climber Patricia Okoumou appeared in the SDNY , it was to face revocation of bail for more recent climbs, all to protest the separation of immigrant families. SDNY Judge Gorenstein did not revoke bail but imposed house arrest. He jibed that it appeared Ms. Okoumou could only support herself by donations garnered by climbing. Afterward Inner City Press asked her lawyer Ron Kuby about this argument. He said the judge has it precisely wrong, or in reverse: she raised money because she is an activist, she is not an actively in order to make money. Ms. Okoumou raised her fist, and headed to Staten Island. Photos here. Inner City Press, which interviewed Okoumou on December 5 just after another SDNY decision, in the Patrick Ho / CEFC China Energy UN bribery case, headed out and streamed this Periscope, and this Q&A, with more to come, on this case and others. March 4, 2019

At SDNY Inner City Press Asks Ron Kuby of Argument Okoumou Only Makes Money By Breaking Law

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope, Photos

SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 1 – When Statue of Liberty climber Patricia Okoumou appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 1, it was to face revocation of bail for more recent climbs, all to protest the separation of immigrant families. SDNY Judge Gorenstein did not revoke bail but imposed house arrest. He jibed that it appeared Ms. Okoumou could only support herself by donations garnered by climbing. Afterward Inner City Press asked her lawyer Ron Kuby about this argument. He said the judge has it precisely wrong, or in reverse: she raised money because she is an activist, she is not an actively in order to make money. Ms. Okoumou raised her fist, and headed to Staten Island. Photos here. Inner City Press, which interviewed Okoumou on December 5 just after another SDNY decision, in the Patrick Ho / CEFC China Energy UN bribery case, headed out and streamed this Periscope, and this Q&A, with more to come, on this case and others. How guns eject shell casings was the subject of expert testimony in a Bronx gang trial on February 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Before Judge Robert W. Sweet, an ATF agent traced a bullet back to Illinois; under cross examination he said a shell casing might eject feet rather than yards unless it bounced on something. Then testimony went back to 2007, a 14-year old with a gun heading from the Millbrook projects to the Mitchell Houses. The defense asked for a mistrial when the name of a second gang was introduced; the prosecution shot back (so to speak) that it came from photos on the defendant's own Facebook page. And so it goes in trials these days. Back on February 25 a prison sentence of life plus five years was imposed for a Bronx murder by SDNY Chief Judge Colleen McMahon on February 25. She presided over the trial in which Stiven Siri-Reynoso was convicted of, among other things, murder in aid of racketeering for the death of Jessica White, a 28 year old mother of three, in the Bronx in 2016. Jessica White's mother was in the court room; she was greeted by Judge McMahon but declined to speak before sentencing. Siri-Reynoso was representing himself by this point, with a back-up counsel by his side. Judge McMahon told him, "You're a very smart man... a tough guy, a calculating person... You are a coward, sent a child to do it for you... Your emissary shot the wrong person, a lovely lady... It was a vicious, evil attack against the good people of that neighborhood." When she imposed the life plus five sentence, a woman on the Jessica White side of the courtroom cried out, yes Ma'am, put the animal away! Later, after Siri-Reynoso ended asking how he can get more documents about the case, a woman on his side of the courtroom said, "No te preocupes, muchacho, Dios sabe lo que hace" - don't worry, God knows what he is doing. But does He? Earlier on February 25 when the government tried to defend its 2018 change of policy or practice on Special Immigrant Juvenile status in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge John G. Koeltl had many questions about the change. He asked, are you saying that all the decisions before 2018 were just wrong, under a policy in place but not implemented at the time? In the overflow courtroom 15C the largely young audience laughed, as the government lawyer tried to say it wasn't a change of policy but rather an agency interpretation of the statute. Shouldn't there have been notice and comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act? The government said the argument proffered for this was about the Freedom of Information Act (on which, as Inner City Press has noted, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has similarly reversed its policy 180 degrees without justification). SDNY Judge Koeltl demanded t know if the government is arguing that no juvenile court in New York, California (and maybe Texas for other reasons he said) is empowered to grant relief. The answer was far from clear - but where the ruling is going does seem so. Watch this site. February 25, 2019

As NYC de Blasio Talks Parking UN Abuse of Diplomatic Plates Raised By Inner City Press

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, Photos

NEW YORK CITY, February 21 – When Mayor Bill de Blasio took questions in the Chinatown Senior Citizen Center on February 21 on parking placards, Inner City Press asked him if his new digital approach can do anything about abuses by the UN and diplomatic missions withe blue licence plates. Good question, de Blasio said. Video here. Then his team said this is an issue for the City's Office of International Affairs - which has yet to respond to a months' old Inner City Press Freedom of Information Law request. We'll have more on this. De Blasio to his credit then took questions on other topics. Inner City Press asked him about the City's proposed $5 million settlement with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Video here. De Blasio replied, we screwed up, some of our friendly in the Department of Transportation present company excluded screwed up. (Alongside him on the placard issue was DoT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.) De Blasio said the City worked with the Federal government to make them whole. The settlement is for now proposedFebruary 18, 2019

In SDNY Bronx Oxy Dealer Argues To Stay Out of MDC Brooklyn via Goodwin Proctor

By Matthew Russell Lee

SDNY COURTHOUSE, February 15 – When Gustavo Salvador pled guilty to selling oxycodon in The Bronx before Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on February 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, his two lawyers tried to argue for a suspended remand based on the cold in the MDC Brooklyn. Judge Engelmayer turned them down saying he had personal knowledge that the heat was back on; not surprising. Surprising, though, was that a Bronx oxy dealer was represented by the white shoe Goodwin Proctor lawfirm. Was it pro bono? Their representation goes back at least until Thanksgiving, before the MDC Brooklyn conditions became public. In the audience, a young child then a baby cried. The volume of oxy pills was in the thousands, according to the indictment. The sentencing guidelines run from 57 to 71 months. Judge Engelmayer said he said something else on his schedule coming up, should the sentencing be rescheduled? It went forward. Goodwin Proctor. February 11, 2019

After SDNY Sentencing Norman Seabrook Tells Inner City Press YouTube Is Doctored But Here It Is

By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope video

NEW YORK CITY, February 8 – Before Norman Seabrook, former head of the NYC Corrections Officers union, was sentenced on February 8 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to 58 months in prison, a victim's statement to the court cited what it called Seabrook's racist rant on YouTube.

   Afterward on Worth Street Inner City Press asked Seabrook about the YouTube video - actually, an audio file with an array of still photographs.  Seabrook told Inner City Press they doctored it to make him look bad. His (actual) answer on Periscope here - and here now audio file on YouTube, here.

  In the SDNY courtroom it was cognitive dissonance: Norman Seabrook who rose from poverty to head of a union with 10,000 members, who endorsed Michael Bloomberg; Norman Seabrook who asked for tens of thousands of dollars to steer union money into a Cayman Islands hedge fund which failed.

  Prosecutor Martin Bell referred to a Ferragamo bag visible in Seabrook's house for months. When Seabrook spoke he said it was a gift with cigars, taking a cigar out of his suit jacket.

Seabrook's lawyer Paul Shechtman cited Seabrook's work on the so-called feces bill to make throwing excrement at a corrections officer a felony. On the hand Seabrook was accused of threatening his board members with returning to work in a prison as punishment, and of going after anyone who dared run against or otherwise oppose him. Seabrook felt that it was his time to get paid, that he was bigger than the cause he began fighting for, Bell said.

Shechtman also spoke after the sentencing. Inner City Press asked him about Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein's seeming reversal of an initial position that it would be hard to leave Seabrook out on bail pending appeal. Shechtman replied affably that he had to win something, after the 58 month sentence.  Video here.

  An issue on a appeal will be whether Seabrook's second jury should have heard about the $19 million loss.

 Inner City Press asked Shechtman about the restitution, how much would be paid by hedge funders Murray Huberfeld,  Jona Rechnitz and perhaps (Judge Hellerstein indicated) Jeremy Reichberg. Shechtman told Inner City Press, If Norman wins $19 million in the lottery, we'll have about that. For now, $2500 is due in 60 days, through the SDNY Clerk, for the union. We'll have more on this.

   Exiting the courthouse after Seabrook, with a bag of Utz potato chips and a copy of the Daily News was New York Knicks icon Charles Oakley. He said that there are others who need to be locked up as well, and that the Knicks need better players. There was no rebuttal. Periscope video here. February 4, 2019


For Bronx Arson of Competing Deli 28 Months In Prison Imposed In Nearly Empty SDNY Courtroom

By Matthew Russell Lee

NEW YORK CITY, February 1 – A Bronx man who pled guilty to conspiracy leading to the burning down of a convenience store in the Bronx on 11 September 2016 was sentenced to 28 months in prison on February 1 by Judge William H. Pauley III in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

  Arson and The Bronx were for a time synonymous, though few of the perpetrators were caught much less sentenced. Times have changed. Present at Friday afternoon's sentencing on the 20th floor of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse were only the defendant Richard Sanchez and his lawyer, a lone prosecutor, three family members and Inner City Press. Yet the tale was heartbreaking, in its way.

  Sanchez' lawyer Patrick Brackley recounted that he had prior run-ins with the law, citing an incident with a dirt bike. But, he said, Sanchez had used his time out free on bail to re-build his life. Sanchez himself read what he called an open letter to Judge Pawley, speaking about his ten year old daughter, a business he was starting and his brand.

   Judge Pauley said he took note of these but found it inexplicable that someone would, for $500, agree to find people to burn down a store in their own neighborhood. Sanchez was contracted by the owner of one deli to burn down a nearly-open competitor; both stores were across the street from where Sanchez lived. Judge Pauley told Sanchez he was lucky no one had been injured or killed, alluding to the felony murder rule which would have held Sanchez liable.

   While the prosecution via Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam S. Hobson sought a sentence of from 46 to 57 months, Pauley imposed 28 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, at a prison as near to New York City as possible.

   Restitution of $50,000 was ordered, and the same standard $100 mandatory special assessment that SDNY Judge Edgar Ramos had imposed the day before on former NYPD Lieutenant Paul Dean for his admitted role in gun permits for cash scam (see Inner City Press' story here).

  That sentencing drew a gaggle; that of Richard Sanchez for his role in the arson of a store in the Bronx did not. Pauley said to his mostly empty courtroom, The public must understand that people can't be going around burning down stores in their own neighborhood.

The case: United States v. Richard Sanchez, 18 Cr. 26 (WHP)

Upcoming in the SDNY is a just-filed complaint by the Bangladesh Central Bank for the $81 million hacking of its funds, which were then wired through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a case that Inner City Press will cover. Times change. Watch this site.
January 28, 2019

Amazon Banned Press From Beautiful Boy in UN For SG Guterres and Alison Smale But YouTube Monetizes Guard Grabbing Phone

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video CJR Letter PFT

UNITED NATIONS GATE, January 25 – When Amazon scheduled a screeing of its Amazon Studios' movie "Beautiful Boy" with Steve Carell on January 23, Inner City Press was invited and was told to come pick up its ticket in a United Nations Development Program building before six pm. It arrived and a handler in a black suit confirmed Inner City Press was on the list - but said that the actual ticket couldn't be found. Another Amazon production rep same and said "UN Security" was behind the disappearance of the ticket. Then Security grabbed Inner City Press' phone to stop it from live-streaming (to not give in to censorship, interviews continued outside.)

  Now on January 25, YouTube has reversed its seemingly automatic de-monetization of Inner City Press' video of the UN guard grabbing its phone to stop filming: "Hi Inner City Press, Great news! After manually reviewing your video, we’ve determined that it is suitable for all advertisers:  "Amazon Bans Press From Beautiful Boy Screening in UN Has Guard Grab Phone To Stop Recording"

Thanks,  The YouTube team." So which were the advertisers it was not, initially and automatically, appropriate for - Guterres' Gulbenkian Foundation? CEFC China Energy? Then there's the longer video of interviews of attendees ("What do you think of the UN?" "Not much") here.

  On January 24 Inner City Press in writing asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, his Under SG for Global Communications Alison Smale, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq and lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric some questions, including: "January 24-2: On last night's Amazon Studios film screening that you promoted in yesterday's briefing, please immediately state who in the UN approved the use of UN premises for a for-profit company's for-profit film, any and all transfers of funds in connection with the event, the basis on which despite an accepted invitation Inner City Press are barred from the screening, and the specifics of the security in the lobby of DC1, one of whom grabbed Inner City Press' phone and stopped it from filming. Are these guards employed by the UN? Are they trained by the UN, since they are the face of the UN / UNDP there? Do they have immunity? On deadline."

  But three hours later there were no answers at all. The UN has become entire corrupt, roughing up and censoring journalists and refusing to answer Press questions about it. Today's UN should not be partnered with, particular by those claiming to care about freedom of the press and of expression.

   Inner City Press asked the basis, noting that Amazon and Jeff Bezos either shouldn't be involved in censorship or should at least explain it. The Amazon rep went out on the sidewalk to make a call; the rep in the black suit whispered to others that Inner City Press had started recording, which it had, openly.    

  Other tickets were given out, including to people not on the list, to one Elizabeth Dujarric, to another UN correspondent. Finally the Amazon rep came in front the sidewalk and said she had nothing to add, no explanation.    

   A guard came over and grabbed Inner City Press' phone, stopping it from filming, turning it dark. Who do you work for, I asked. The guard refused to answer. Video here.


Another blue shirted UN Department of Safety and Security officer refused to answer if those guarding UNDP work for the UN, or some outside firm. The handlers came over, once the camera had been stopped by the guard, to insist they were not from Amazon but Amazon's production company. Is that better?   

   The guards filmed Inner City Press out on the sidewalk as it ask some of those leaving the UNDP building what they thought of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his censorship. His spokes- / hatchetman Farhan Haq opening promoted this Amazon Prime for profit film, here. We'll have more on this.January 21, 2019

As Amazon Abuses Opportunity Zone Law To Gentrify Local Fight Back to DC As UNSG in Limousine

By Matthew R. Lee, Video, story, FOIA docs

NEW YORK CITY, January 19 – Whatever one thinks of Amazon and its proposal to build a second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, it seems obvious that this gentrifying area should not be using Opportunity Zone benefits which were presented as helping lower income people. Consider that already two Amazon employees bought units in Adam America Real Estate’s Galerie condominium on Jackson Avenue in LIC just before the subsidized deal was announced. Nowcarried by postal service employees in Queens are mailers promoting Amazon's claims of 25,000 jobs with a smiling swoosh imposed on the Unisphere, along with phone numbers to call local elected officials and tell them to support the project. But will the fight be limited to City Hall and Albany? Could the use of Federal Opportunity Zones legislation allow for a widening of the fight to the Federal level? Don't, for now under UN Secretary General Antonio Guterrres, count on the UN - Guterres drives around in a Mercedes and lives alone in a $15 million mansion on Sutton Place and 57th Street, right across the river from the Amazon's gentrification and corporate corruption site. We'll have more on this

January 14, 2019

On Haiti Trial Against US Ending TPS Judge Cites Cholera Exacerbated By If Not Introduced By UN Peacekeepers

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A

UNITED NATIONS GATE, January 9 – How arrogant is the UN, when it comes to Haiti like as to Cameroon and elsewhere? Just as the UN of Antonio Guterres didn't even send anyone one to the SDNY Federal court in December to monitor the UN bribery trial of Patrick Ho of China Energy Fund Committee, now it seems the UN has no monitor or response when in the case challenging the impending end of Temporary Protected Status in the US for Haitians - even as the judge in the case on January 8 referred to Haiti cholera "exacerbated by if not introduced by UN peacekeepers." [h/t Beatrice Lindstrom of IJDH.]  When Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse spoke in the UN General Assembly on September 27 he referred clearly to "le cholera introduit par la MINUSTAH" - the cholera introduced by MINUSTAH, the UN Mission in Haiti, here. But when the UN of Antonio Guterres put on its website a purported summary of Moise's speech, it contained no mention at all of cholera, here. Why not? This week in Federal court in Brooklyn there is the continuation of a case - the trial began January 7 - charging Donald Trump and DHS with not only arbitrarily ending TPS status for Haitian - but also being motivated by racism. The UN of course can't be charged - only before they assert total immunity and impunity. Call it the ultimate white-wash under Guterres, who has also banned from UNGA, and from the UN as a whole apparently for life, Inner City Press which accompanied and covered the UN Security Council's most recent trip to Haiti and interviewed some of the many victims of the UN. Inner City Press emphasized Guterres' failure on accountability for bringing cholera to Haiti to the Sept 23 New York Post, here. January 7, 2019

In SDNY Reichberg Convicted Of Bribing For Private Police As UN Corruption Cover Up Continues

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video I II III RS HK

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, January 2 – Less than a month after a jury rendered seven UN bribery guilty verdicts against Patrick Ho of China Energy Fund Committee, for which UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres continues to cover up, now on January 2 Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As a unanimous jury found, Jeremy Reichberg orchestrated a years-long bribery scheme that led to tens of thousands of dollars in benefits being provided to a select group of NYPD officers to provide Reichberg with a private, paid police force.  These illegal acts clearly undermine the mission of the NYPD and leave the citizens of New York City poorer, and Reichberg’s subsequent attempt to hide evidence of his scheme from law enforcement cannot be tolerated.  We respect the jury’s verdict as to James Grant, and we thank the jurors for their service during this lengthy trial.  Our Office will continue to work with the NYPD and the FBI to prevent corruption.” His Office should do more to prevent continuing corruption in the UN of Antonio Guterres.

December 31, 2018

Annals of the NYS Assembly: Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has admitted he couldn't recall ever hiring any black employees.

"I don't know that I've had any," he responds when asked about ever having any African-Americans on his staff.

Asked how many people have worked for him during his tenure as a lawmaker, Dinowitz says he's unsure, according to the court documents.

"Twenty, I don't know; I'd have to look at the records to figure it out," he said...[DN]

December 24, 2018

  A Bronx case we follow is the decision by Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark NOT to seek Supreme Court review after New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, found that the risk of deportation entitles noncitizens to jury trials on misdemeanor charges. “After serious consideration of the court’s opinion, I have decided not to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case,” Darcel said. “Instead, I believe a legislative solution is the best path forward for the Bronx and New York City.” We'll have more on this.

December 17, 2018


In SDNY Michael Cohen Sentenced to 3 Years In Jail Media Circus Unlike For UN Bribery Verdict

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video I II III RS HK

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, December 12 – Michael Cohen received a three year sentence on December 12 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, surrounded by a sea of cameras, tripods and a liv-streamer. See Inner City Press Periscope broadcasts here and here. In Courtroom 20B - while a week before in Courtroom 12A there was a guilty verdict in the UN bribery trial, see below. On Cohen, this US Attorney said, "Robert Khuzami, Attorney for the United States, Acting Under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, announced that MICHAEL COHEN was sentenced today to three years in prison for tax evasion, making false statements to a federally insured bank, and campaign finance violations.  COHEN pled guilty on August 21, 2018, to an eight-count information before U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III, who imposed today’s sentence.  In a separate prosecution brought by the Special Counsel’s Office (“SCO”), COHEN pled guilty on November 29, 2018 to one count of making false statements to the U.S. Congress and was also sentenced on that case today, receiving a two-month concurrent sentence.

NYPD Claimed No Records On UN Barred List But Called UN About It Misspelling Assaultant Name

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NY Post

UNITED NATIONS, December 11 – The UN under Antonio Guterres has a non-public "BARRED" list which includes political activists, according to Guterres' own UN Security, audio link below. But when Inner City Press whom Guterres put on the list for asking him about corruption submitted a Freedom of Information Law request to the NYC Police Department, NYPD first called UN Security insider Matthew Sullivan, then claimed they have no records or information. This is a scam. Inner City Press submitted an appeal, below. And on December 10 the NYPD replied, repeating exactly what the UN's Sullivan said: "Upon conferral with the NYPD Intelligence Division, it was confirmed by UN security that the list of “banned” individuals to which you refer in your request is an internal UN record that is not shared with this agency." But the rest of the response show how in bad faith the initial claim of no responsive documents was: "As it pertains to your request for records related to the “review, suspension or revocation of pistol permits for UN personnel”, the appeal is denied, first, because the records that you have described are exempt from disclosure under FOIL law; first, in that they are inter-agency or intra-  agency records that do not contain: i.) statistical or factual tabulations or data; ii). instructions to staff that affect the public; iii.) final agency policy or determinations; or, iv.) external audits [Public Officers Law §87(2)(g)]. Additionally, the disclosure of any records related to the “review, suspension or revocation” of a firearms license would reveal non-routine criminal investigative techniques or procedures [§87(2)(e)(iv)]; would constitute an unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of the license-holder(s) [§87(2)(b)]; and could endanger the life or safety of that person [§87(2)(f)]."

  But that means they HAVE responsive records, but are seeking to withhold all of them. To say, No records, is in bad faith. The NYPD ended, for now "Finally, to the extent that you seek information related to the Complaint Report filed with the 17th Precinct on July 4, 2018, enclosed herein please find the requested Complaint Report." On December 11 Inner City Press wrote again to NYPD and New York authorities: "   This concerns NYPD's December 10 response “denying” Inner City Press' and my appeal under FOIL of the NYPD's 4 December 2018 denial of my FOIL request acknowledged 15 October 2018 and quoted below, which was submitted on behalf of Inner City Press and in my personal capacity.
  I am concerned that while the FOIL request was initially denied with the statement “The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has closed your FOIL request FOIL-2018-056-10172 for the following reasons: In regard to the document(s) which you requested, this unit is unable to locate records responsive to your request based on the information you provided.”
  But now it turns out that wasn't true. For example, the NYPD *does* have records concerning the pistol permits of and disciplining of UN Security personnel - it's that, on appeal, you've come up with an argument that you think it can be withheld.
  This should have been disclosed in the already delayed Dec 4 response. Now you leave no opportunity for an administrative appeal of the total withholding. The normal decision then decision on appeal process allows requesters to pursue their rights before having to resort to expensive litigation.
  So this is a request for a COOG advisory opinion on the now dubious Dec 4 denial stating there are no records. Even on the UN's barred list and any NYPD records related thereto, the fact that NYPD called the UN about it calls into question whether NYPD has no records. The argument that they are records of another agency or organization is a different argument.
Also, NYPD had the complaint information - with the name of the harasser mis-spelled. (It is Ronald E. Dobbins, not "Dobbing"). So why was I told, there are no record?
    Please explain, confirm that a substantive administrative appeal can be filed. And we will separately await an advisory opinion from the COOG so that does not keep happening. We want the requested records and the NYPD should not be protecting or running interference for the UN." We'll have more on this - the UN scam continues - as Guterres BARS Inner City Press in retaliation and to cover up his corruption.  This was the appeal: "To NYPD's FOIL Appeals Officer, and NYS Committee on Open Government, et al:

This is an appeal under FOIL of the NYPD's 4 December 2018 denial of my FOIL request acknowledged 15 October 2018 and quoted below, on behalf of Inner City Press and in my personal capacity.

In short, I believe the NYPD's denial is not only erroneous but is in bad faith in its claim the NYPD is “unable to locate records responsive to your request.”

The request involved not only the processing of a complaint I filed against abuse and harassment by UN Lieutenant Ronald E. Dobbins and others with the 17th Precinct on 3 July 2018 (report number #2018-017-2848) but also NYPD record about the pistol permits of UN Security officers and knowledge of the UN's “barred” list which includes, according to the UN, “political activists” - and me, confirmed by UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights email to me also pasted below and made part of this appeal.

Most troubling, and the reason for the cc, UN Security official Matthew Sullivan told me on camera on October 24, nine days after my FOIL request to the NYPD, that “NYPD called us, we called them also. 'Cuz it's an internal document.” See, from Minute 8:34, this video.

That the UN, which has no Freedom of Information procedures, characterizes its no due process barred list as internal is no basis for the NYPD to withhold information under FOIL, much less deny it is aware of any records. The requested records must immediately be identified - and provided. And we will appreciate an advisory opinion from the COOG as expeditiously as possible.

The initial request was for: “all records in the possession of the NYPD regarding the exclusion of persons in the last three years from premises of the United Nations, in and around First Avenue and 42-48th Streets in Manhattan, including of NYC residents including journalists. This is also a request for all records in the same time period of the review, suspension or revocation of pistol permits for any UN personnel including but not limited to UN Department of Safety and Security personnel and the grounds therefore. To assist you in identifying and producing the responsive records on an expedited basis, I personally was physically ousted from the UN by UN DSS Lieutenant Ronald Dobbins and another unnamed on 3 July 2018 as I staked out and covered, as a journalist, the UN Budget Committee meetings. On 4 July 2018 I filed a report at the 17th Precinct, despite being told - erroneously I now believe, including based on how my First Amendment rights have been impacted - that all UN personnel have total immunity. The report number is #2018-017-2848. On 5 July 2018 when I went to the UN to continue my work as a journalist I was told I am “banned.” I have since been told that the UN has a “current and active barred notice” against me, that there is a banned list that includes “demonstrators” and “political activists.”

For the record, 11 October 2018 UN DSS audio here.

I find this deeply troubling and worth of urgent Press coverage. This request includes but is not limited to all records related to the above, related to any knowledge by NYPD of any UN “banned” list and how it is compiled, and what due process protections if any are in place, etc. Also any knowledge by NYPD of any disciplinary measures taken against UN Security officers or other personnel, at least for the past three years.”

First NYPD denied expedited processing - while calling the UN, according to UN DSS officer Sullivan. Then the NYPD ruled / claimed: “The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has closed your FOIL request FOIL-2018-056-10172 for the following reasons:

In regard to the document(s) which you requested, this unit is unable to locate records responsive to your request based on the information you provided.”

It is not credible that the NYPD has no records about UN DSS pistol permits, or the complaint I filed on 3 July 2018, or in context the UN's “BARRED” list, which the NYPD ultimately enforces.

December 10, 2018


On UN Bribery Verdict SG Guterres Refuses To Comment From Mercedes to Cipriani Corrupt Censors

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video I II III RS HK

CIPRIANI SIDEWALK, December 5 – Today's UN and its partners are well versed in hypocrisy - but sometimes things go so far they must be noted in person, in the street if necessary. On December 5 after an eight day trial Inner City Press covered, also here, a jury in lower Manhattan rendered seven guilty verdicts in the UN bribery case of US v Ho, in which a still UN accredited NGO known as CEFC used the UN to offer weapons to Chad's Idriss Deby for oil and a stake in the Chad - Cameroon pipeline. This is a new low even for the UN of Antonio Guterres, who did not answer through his spokesmen the written request for comment from Inner City Press, banned from the UN for 154 days and counting by Guterres. Later on December 5 in front of an expensive catering hall near the UN, Cipriani 42nd Street, Secretary General Antonio Guterres lumbered out of a Mercedes and Inner City Press asked him, Any comment on the UN bribery guilty verdict? Guterres, whose spokesman Stephane Dujarric was standing in Cipriani's entrance, made a dismissive gesture with his hand and went in. This is today's UN. Guterres was a guest of honor - of the UN Correspondents Association. The UN bribery verdict questions must and will continue be asked, and should be answered. Watch this site. December 3, 2018

In UN Bribery Case of US v Ho Gadio Admits Taking $20000 Then Pushes Photographer on Sidewalk

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video I II III RS HK

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, November 29 – In the UN bribery prosecution by the US against Patrick Ho of China Energy Fund Committee, on the afternoon of November 29 Senegal's former Foreign Minister Cheikh Gadio admitted he took $20,000 from an unnamed courier from a businessman he did not want to identify. But Gadio is not the defendant in this bribery case - he is, at least so far, the prosecution's lead witness, with a Non Prosecution Agreement. But does that NPA cover Gadio, after his testimony, pushing a journalist on the street outside the court? Video here (YouTube), shorter (Twitter). Inner City Press along with other journalists, mostly from Hong Kong media, waiting outside the Southern District of New York courthouse at day's end. Gadio emerged and Inner City Press asked him how he thought the day had gone. He did not answer but rushed past. Inner City Press asked, louder, "Are you still running for president of Senegal?" Gadio turned back and pushed a journalist who was following him. This happened again a few blocks away. Finally on the stoop of a pharmacy on Canal Street Gadio's companion said he would not be answering questions today but to give your business card. Inner City Press gave its and asked if the former President of Senegal Gadio wrote took money from China for dropping Taiwan was Abdoulaye Wade. Gadio looked back in recognition - then was gone. Inner City Press preiously questioned him in the UN when he was the Organization for Islamic Cooperation's envoy on the Central African Republic. Much has changed since then. As Inner City Press reported yesterday, Gadio was already on shaky ground when his email to Ho complaining he hadn't gotten Chinese money after, as Senegal's foreign minister in 2005, he worked to drop Taiwan and recognize the PR of China. But the bag of (campaign) cash allegation, dropped without warning in cross examination by Edward Kim, caused a break in the proceeding. Inner City Press rushed down to retrieve its phone and tweet and qui