In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT,  Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, Patreon

SDNY COURTHOUSE, August 20 – While many even most cases in the Magistrates Court of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York are sealed or have no case number given, on July 31 before Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang, things got even murkier or some might say arbitrary. A defendant referred to as Mister Wilson, until then free on bond, had his bail revoked - and then almost unrevoked. Judge Wang returned to the bench and said Wilson had violated the terms of his release multiple times and that "bail is revoked."

On August 20, up in her courtroom Judge Wang revoked it again, and the Marshals took Mr Wilson away as one of his relatives cried.

Back on July 31 Wilson's lawyer Mr. Taylor said if he was proved wrong he would return only with duct tape over his mouth. He asked if reverting to home confinement with GPS monitoring might work. Judge Wang said, "I am not inclined to go back on my decision." She later did. But on August 20 it emerged that Wilson's job was part-time distribution of fliers and he hadn't had pre-approval to travel to distribute them in Co-op City. Then, Mr. Taylor said, he went out without approval to buy soap. Judge Wang went textual, urging Mr. Taylor to taylor his arguments to the statute. When he joked about his lack of duct tape she told him, This is serious for Mr. Wilson.

Eventually she found that Mr. Wilson should have his bail revoked. The Marshals had come into the back of the courtroom where Inner City Press was sitting earlier in the proceeding; now they put their gloves on. Banker Stephen Calk, who misused FDIC insured deposits to make loans to Paul Manafort to try to get a Trump administration job is out on bond, as are a number of child pornography defendants. We'll have more on this.

On July 29 a man just released from a mental hospital who had called and emailed in threats to President Trump, his former spokesperson Sarah Sanders, Trump Tower and the SDNY courthouse, even GMHC where he was living, was brought into Mag Court in shackles, saying he wanted bail. The government said his threats waste resources and cause danger. His Federal Defender said he is now on medication, and that his phone could be looked at after the fact.

After a five minute break that turned into 15 minutes, Judge Wang agreed he can be released on bail: a $25,000 signature bond, a visit by pre-trial services to GMHC, and the promise to threaten no more. Meanwhile a defendant who made a single online threat to DC's Mayor is still detained. We'll have more on this. The case, hours after the presentation, is stilled as under seal. The defendant's name, as pronounced - no New Presentments list has been provided - is Mr De Luca a/k/a Clark. Murky, indeed.  Inner City Press was the only media in the Mag Court, then returned to the PACER terminal it has worked at for months, only to find the case still sealed.

Earlier on July 29 defendant who was referred to as "Mister Ochoa Alvarez," names too common to usefully search in PACER, pled guilty to 100 grams of heroin. It was a lesser included offense to the original charge, one kilo. And it took place in Colombia, with the prepondrance of evidence for venue being a phone call made from the SDNY. Twice Judge Wang asked, Was an promise made beyond the plea letter? And twice Mister Ochoa Alvarez said, Yes. Until he we convinced or cajoled on the third time to say, No. He will be sentenced in October. Inner City Press will continue to try to find the case on the PACER terminal it has worked perched over for months.

O

***

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2019 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for