| In Sex Trafficking Case
Stopped Amid COVID Now Rivera Jury Trial Has
Victim Testifying
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Thread
BBC
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SDNY COURTHOUSE,
June 9 – In the sex
trafficking trial of US v.
Carl Andrews that Inner City
Press has been reporting on
despite a partially sealed
courtroom and US Attorney
withholding of exhibits, the
defense on March 14, 2020
asked for and got a stay and
then end of the trial.
The reason?
Coronavirus COVID-19.
For that
re-trial one of the US
Attorney's Office's witnesses
is blamed for putting the
jury, court staff, and the
Press at risk (Inner City
Press witnessed and reported
on her March 12 testimony, here),
see below.
On April 21,
2021, U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York Judge Paul A. Engelmayer
held a conference in the
run-up to the related US v.
Rivera trial, set for June.
Now on June 9,
the US Attorney's office is
nearing closing its case. On
the afternoon of June 9 victim
Natalie Rivera answered
question after question from
the Assistant US Attorney,
like:
Did you
want to keeping to prostitute
for him?
Answer: No.
What
did he mean by, you're my
bottom b-word?
Answer:
That's how pimps keep their
prostitutes.
Her
testimony came across as
forthright, as least to this
reporter. The jury filed out
at 4:55 pm, and Judge
Engelmayer arranged for
defense lawyer Anthony Cecutti
to meet with Rivera inside 40
Foley before he was taken back
to the MCC. The government may
rest on June 10, and a Rule 29
motion be made. Will there be
a defense case? Watch this
site.
Back on March 22,
Judge Engelmayer held another
proceeding, and Inner City
Press again covered it. One of
the issues involved Justin
Rivera being moved out of the
SHU in the MCC. His laptop
with discovery on it should be
transferred with him, Judge
Engelmayer said. He suggested
the Rivera's counsel email the
MCC, copying the US Attorney's
Office which should "me too
it," Judge Engelmayer said.
Watch this site.
On January 4, Judge Engelmayer held a
telephone conference about the new and
belated files, and Inner City Press covered
it. Because the US Attorney's Office
maintained that the trial should
still go forward
on February 16, Judge
Engelmayer said
3500 material
would be due - and, on
January 15, a letter reporting (Nejad-style)
on its
investigation as
to how the discovery lapse came
about." Watch
this site.
The case
is now US v. Rivera, 19-cr-131 (Engelmayer).
***
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