| Tuzman After Rape In
Colombia Jail Gets Time Served, Citing Preet,
Omar Amanat Got 5 Years
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
August 19 – Omar Amanat, described
as a high flying tech
entrepreneur and producer of
some of the "Twilight" films
until his indictment for
fraud, was sentenced on August
18, to five years. Inner City
Press live tweeted it here
and below.
Now on September
10, co-defendant Kaleil Isaza
Tuzman was facing a 210 month
guideline but, with his rape
in jail in Colombia cited, got
time served. Tuzman said his
arrest in Colombia had been
unnecessary, and came soon
after he met then US Attorney
Preet Bharara at a Harvard
reunion. Judge Gardephe said
US authorities failed in their
duty to Tuzman, and said the
rape will haunt Tuzman
forever.
Judge Gardephe
also spoke to those who say
Tuzman is innocent -and said,
he is not. He mentioned the
scorched earth legal strategy.
But in the end, the rape in
Colombia carried much weight.
There will be three years of
supervised release.
From August 18:
in the docket, Amanat's lawyer
has written that "Mr. Amanat
has received both doses of the
Pfizer vaccine. He remains in
quarantine unit due to his
other health conditions and
circumstance."
Judge Gardephe:
Offense level 33, sentencing
guideline starts at 135
months. Defense? [Defense in
writing has asked for time
served: 44 months] Defense:
remand and not bail was a good
thing for him.
Defense lawyer
cite Omar Anamat's heart
condition, and the Bernie
Madoff case. I came into
the case a month ago. My
client is 49 years old.
Recidivism is unlikely.
Omar Amanat: It's
been 44 long months and my
heart is heavy. I was wrong.
Omar Amanat: My sorrow is
genuine. I will repay any
investor. In my late
adolescence I experience
trauma. We moved from Queens
to rural New Jersey. I made 1
new friend: Cory Liebeler
(sp). I learned the meaning
of friendship from him.
Omar
Amanat: We went to a frat
party, with Jimmy the star
pitcher from our baseball
team. Cory drove me home - but
he was drunk. He dropped me
off, then wrapped his car
around the tree and died,
along with Jimmy the pitcher.
I wanted to die. I had
survivor's guilt
Omar Amanat: I
see them still in their
caskets, I see them in my
dreams. What if I had not
asked them to go out? If I had
taken the keys away? There are
parallels to the tragedy of
today - the guy who was drunk
trading, crashing and burning
his investments
Omar
Amanat: My father passed away
while I was in solitary. He
was a good man, and he
deserved a better son. I too
am Cory, crashing my car into
my family tree. I
ask for a 2d chance.
Judge Gardephe: I'll hear from
the US. AUSA: There was a
lengthy trial.
AUSA: The
fake emails support a
sentencing enhancement, and is
emblematic of how the
defendant reacts when things
do not go his way. He stole
money from Steve Maiden and
gave it to Kit Digital. He
manipulated the public stock.
Judge Gardephe: I
wrote a 128 page decision
denying his post-trial
motions. I did not permit the
jury to see Mr. [Omar]
Amanat's reference to Madoff,
as too inflammatory under Rule
403. But I will consider it
now at sentencing.
Judge
Gardephe links Omar Amanat not
only to Twilight, but also The
Hurt Locker. Judge Gardephe:
He introduced fabricated
emails. He has served his 44
month mostly in locked down,
lack of showers and hot food.
He has taught yoga.
I sentence you to
five years.
Omar Amanat:
Thank you for your mercy.
Nothing like this will happen
again, I give you my word.
Previously, the
law firm that sought to
represent him was not able to.
On May 4, 2021
U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Paul G. Gardephe held a
proceeding. Inner City Press
covered it.
At issue was
whether Judge Gardephe's long
ties with the law firm of
Patterson, Belknap, Webb &
Tyler LLP means either he
would be recused - unlikely,
given the word he has put into
the wider case - or Patterson
Belknap be barred from putting
in a notice of
appearance.
Judge Gardephe to
his credit ran though his
connections to Patterson
Belknap. He was an associate
there from 1983 to 1987, then
a partner from 2003 to 2008
when he took the bench. Many
of his law clerks have been
hired there, and two of him
mentors from there have photos
on the wall of his
chambers.
The Patterson
Belknap representative
acknowledged the unlikelihood
of recusal but said they
though appearing for the
sentencing would be different.
Judge Gardephe
requested submission on the
issue, including from
Assistant US Attorney Daniel
Tracer.
Sentencing was
tentatively set for August 19,
two days after the sentencing
of Omar's brother Irfan
Amanat.
A request was
made to lift the separation
order the brothers have been
subject to in the MDC; Judge
Gardephe directed Tracer to
tell the MDC it is lifted.
The case is USA
v. Tuzman et al., 15-cr-536
(Gardephe)
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