| Venezuela Sanctions Had Coro Pleading
Guilty Now AP Joins Inner City Press Bid to
Unseal
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Transcript
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
April 6 – Victor Mones Coro
was charged with brokering
private passenger air travel
for Tareck Zaidan El Aissami
Maddah - and like co-defendant
Michols Orsini Quintero was
given his discovery late by
the US, mixed with other DHS
info.
Inner City Press
has formally sought unsealing
in the case (now joined by
Coro's counsel), as docketed
on April 1:
"These are
clearly judicial documents.
And there is a public interest
in US sanctions, on Venezuela
and elsewhere, and their
enforcement and violation and
all filings in such
cases. Mr.
Coro's counsel this evening
filed that "Notice is hereby
given to the public.. that two
sealed submissions, dated
March 8, 2021 and March 22,
2021, were made by the
defendant Victor Mones Coro."
Docket No. 194.
While appreciating the notice,
no legal argument justifying
withholding in full, rather
than redacting where
absolutely necessary was
provided. Inner City Press
hereby opposes the sealing,
and requests
unsealing.
Covering this for Inner City
Press, I have noted how many
filings are listed as sealed:
see, e.g., Docket 120
(10/13/20), and further back.
Compare, Judge Jed S. Rakoff's
request ruling on Inner City
Press' request in US v.
Weigand, viewable here."
On April 1,
U.S.
District Court
for the
Southern
District Judge
Alvin K.
Hellerstein
ordered a
response by April 9
by the US
Attorney's
Office.
On April
2, Coro
through
counsel joined
in Inner City
Press' application
to unseal:
"Dear Judge
Hellerstein:
We write on
behalf of
defendant
Victor Mones
Coro to join
the
application of
Inner City
Press with
respect to
sealed and
redacted
documents. As
is apparent
from the
public record
in this case,
and was
referenced in
open court at
Mr. Mones’
sentencing, a
number of
briefs in this
action filed
by Mr. Mones
and the
government
have been
filed only in
redacted
form.
There has
never been an
application to
seal or any
order stating
reasons for
the sealing or
redactions."
And on
April 6,
Associated
Press joined:
"ENDORSED
LETTER as to
Victor Mones
Coro addressed
to Judge Alvin
K. Hellerstein
from Brian
Barrett dated
4/5/2021 re:
Mr. Barrett
writes: I
write on
behalf of The
Associated
Press and AP
reporter
Joshua Goodman
to request
permission to
intervene in
this matter in
support of the
applications
to unseal
submitted by
Inner City
Press (Dkt.
No. 199) and
Defendant
Victor Mones
Coro ("Mones")
(Dkt. No 201).
ENDORSEMENT:
Leave to
intervene is
granted. This
letter will be
accepted as
petitioners
motion. So
ordered.
(Signed by
Judge Alvin K.
Hellerstein on
4/6/2021)." Watch
this site.
Also in
the case has been Alejandro
Javier Marin, who plead guilty
on March 23 to a deal, only
one count of false statements
to Federal agents about
$140,000, see below.
On January
4, Mones Coro appeared before
Judge
Hellerstein to
plead guilty.
His lawyer
said there
were contacts
with
intelligence
service(s) but
that the issue
would come up
as mitigation
at sentencing,
which Inner
City Press
said it also
intended
to cover.
Now it
has.
On March
17, with Mones Coro up
for
sentencing, his lawyer
began to speak
of providing
information to
the US
intelligence
services. The
Assistant US
Attorney cut
in and said
this should be
under seal.
The phone line
went silent
as they went into
the robing
room.
Afterward
the AUSA
made reference
to what he'd
said in the robing
room. Mones Coro was
sentenced to
55 months, and
the US
Attorney's
Office put out
a press release,
with sealing
not mentioned, as it
was not in the
current Eaze trial in
which an
application by
Inner City
Press has
resulted in
some unsealing.
And here?
The March 24 guilty
plea of Marin
was a mystery.
Why only a
single count?
Even
the AUSA said
it was more
complicated.
Judge
Hellerstein asked
for the
discrepancy
between restitution
and forfeiture
to be addressed
prior to
sentencing.
There
are
other
discrepancies.
For example,
Judge
Hellerstein
said the plea
deal said
Marin is a Venezuelan
citizen who
will be
deported. But
he said he is
a US citizen;
for education he
mentioned
service in the
Venezuelan
Naval Academy.
We'll have
more on this.
On February
19, with
Michols Orsini
Quintero's
release to
home confinement
in Florida to
review the extensive
discovery
running out
mid March,
Judge
Hellerstein
held another
proceeding. Inner
City Press
covered it.
AUSA
Sam Adelsberg
pushed for
Orsini Quintero to
return to jail on
March 15.
Judge
Hellerstein
seemed to
agree, but told
defense lawyer
Sabrina
Shroff to
"make a record" for
his decision
or for
appeal. So expect
some
affidavits and
legal arguments.
Shroff
emphasized
that there is
not even a
trial date, and
that her
client was
only a pilot.
On
February 25,
Shroff wrote
to Judge
Hellerstein
requesting
modifications
of conditions
of bail, specifically to
receiving
mental health
evaluation
a
treatment, and
to attend a
house of
worship "as
religion and
God are a
source of
comfort for
Mr. Orsini."
And on
February 26,
Judge
Hellerstein
granted it:
"MEMO
ENDORSEMENT as
to Michols
Orsini
Quintero on
re: [183]
LETTER by
Michols Orsini
Quintero
addressed to
Judge Alvin K.
Hellerstein
from Sabrina
P. Shroff
dated February
25, 2021 re:
Modification
of conditions
of release.
ENDORSEMENT:
So Ordered.
(Signed by
Judge Alvin K.
Hellerstein on
2/26/2021)."
This
case is US v.
Coro,
19-cr-144
(Hellerstein)
***
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