| SDNY Fraud
Trial of Freeman Had Texas Victim Tale of
Ghana Gold Now 78 Months
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
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UK - Honduras
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SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Oct 20 – Celvin Freeman,
originally from Ghana, is
charged with a series of
frauds against individuals and
business. He asked to suppress
his statements to law
enforcement.
On August
17, 2021U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of
New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff
held an oral argument. Inner
City Press covered it.
Freeman's
lawyer noted that those who
interrogated him told him it
was up to him to advocate for
himself, and that whoever
cooperated first would get the
best deal.
The
Assistant US Attorney said the
"advocacy" language had been
about cutting the first deal,
not giving up the right to a
lawyer.
Judge Rakoff took
the issued under advisement,
with the trial penciled in for
November 8 pending the SDNY
Committee.
On October 20,
Freeman again argued for
release on bond, even
testifying under oath as to
immigration and certain other
issues. Judge Rakoff
acknowledged that he could
still invoke the Fifth
Amendment, but inquired into
whether it was credible
Freeman was getting wires of
money from in the US and
sending cars to Ghana.
Jump cut
to March 23, 2022 with Celvin
Freeman on trial. Inner City
Press went to attend. A
witness from Texas, 76-year
old Candy Duggins, described
being scammed to wire
$122,000, including directly
to Celvin Freeman. She said it
was for gold from Ghana, and
love, but that she was
instructed to say it was to
buy a car. But, she said,
Wells Fargo inaccurately and
unilaterally wrote down the
purpose as "consulting fee."
On March 30, the
verdict: "FREEMAN CELVIN,
a/k/a “Celvin Freeman,” was
convicted today of all seven
criminal counts he was charged
with for his participation in
a fraud and money laundering
conspiracy based in the
Republic of Ghana (“Ghana”)
involving the theft of
millions of dollars.
CELVIN was convicted after a
jury trial before U.S.
District Judge Jed S. Rakoff."
And on October
20, Judge Rakoff sentenced him
to 78 months "for his
participation in a fraud and
money laundering conspiracy
based in Ghana involving the
theft of millions of dollars.
CELVIN was previously arrested
on February 17, 2021, and has
been detained since his
arrest.
The case is US v.
Freeman, 21-cr-88
(Rakoff)
***
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