| Former
K&L Gates Lawyer Willie Dennis Gets
New SDNY Judge and Now Wants New Counsel
ussell Lee, Patreon
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SDNY COURTROOM,
August 15 – In the U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
on November 19, 2021 a
detention proceeding was held
by Magistrate Judge Ona T.
Wang on a defending brought in
from the Dominican Republic
the night before.
Willie E. Dennis,
formerly a lawyer at K&L
Gates, was charged with cyber
stalking. At first the US
Attorney's Office was OK with
his release, but them things
switched. Inner City Press
live tweeted it here:
Willie E. Davis
is currently in FBI custody in
290 Broadway. He has been
assigned a Federal Defender,
who has spoken 3 or 4 times
today with Dennis by phone.
Judge Wang: Why
is this not in person? AUSA:
He arrived from outside the
US, we don't know his vax
status.
US says:
"DENNIS, a U.S. citizen, was
arrested this week in the
Dominican Republic... He
engaged in a campaign of
harassment, intimidation, and
threats against multiple
individuals, including other
partners, who worked at the
[K&L Gate Law] Firm."
Dennis owns a
multi-family building, and
property in the Dominican
Republic, but he has debts. He
is being given a
publicly-funded Federal
Defender.
AUSA: He was
arrested in the Dominican
Republic on Nov 16 and
arrested in the US yesterday.
Judge Wang: You are charged
with four counts of
cyber-stalking.
AUSA: We are
agreeing to bail on a $200,000
bond. Location monitoring.
Stay away from K&L Gates,
its offices and employees and
their family.
AUSA: We ask that
he not open any new email
accounts or phone
numbers. Federal
Defender consents to that.
Notes that Willie Davis told
Pre-Trial he uses marijuana.
Judge imposes drug testing.
Judge Wang;
Defendant would need two
negative [COVID] tests to get
the GPS bracelet fitted.
Defense: They have his credit
cards, cash and wallet. All he
needs is his keys and ID.
Now the US
Attorney's Office says there
should be no release until
co-signers sing the bond.
Willie Dennis' Federal
Defender: GPS is not even
needed. Mr. Dennis did not
fight extradition. By bad luck
he's now facing a weekend in
prison
Federal
Defender: Mr. Dennis' home in
Harlem is being renovated and
he lets the workmen in all the
time, hardly what one would
expect if he had a lot of
money hidden there to flee
with.
Judge Wang:
The time has come: what is his
vaccination status? Federal
Defender: He is not
vaccinated. He has worried
about a heart condition.
Judge Wang: I'm
not sure if it's make or
break, but see if you could
get a third party custodian
for the weekend
Federal Defender
returns and says, At this
point we are willing to do
anything to get Mr. Dennis
released.
Judge Wang takes
a break and returns, to rule:
"I am accepting recommendation
he be detained until fitted
with a bracelet or co-signers
can sign the bond."
Jump cut to
August 15, 2022 when the case,
reassigned to Judge Jed S.
Rakoff, had on short notice a
phone conference that pointed
to an in-person one: "Minute
Entry for proceedings held
before Judge Jed S. Rakoff:
Telephone Conference as to
Willie Dennis held on
8/15/2022. Present were the
defendant and his consulting
counsel, Anthony Cecutti and
Kastine Thiele, AUSA Rushmi
Bhaskaran for the government
and a court reporter. The
Court sets a conference in
courtroom 14B to consider the
defendant's application to
relieve consulting appointed
counsel and substitute in new
consulting assigned counsel."
This case is US
v. Dennis, 20-cr-623 (Rakoff)
***
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