On Burma
Murder Plot Zaw Hired Wall Street Lawyer
Now Seeks Another Month to Talk Plea
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Complaint
BBC
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UK - Honduras
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UN GATE,
September 30 – After the Burma
coup regime purported to fired
its New York-based UN
ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun for
his speech in New York in the
usually scripted UN General
Assembly, two Burmese were
criminally charged with trying
to kill him. One was been
detained, as exclusively live
tweeted by Inner City Press,
here and below.
Now on
September 1, docketed in the
Phyo Hein Htut case is a
request for a 28 day
continuance. Assistant US
Attorney Nicholas S. Bradley
wrote that Htut's lawyer
Domenick Porco "has been
engaged in preliminary
discussions with the
Government concerning a
possible disposition of this
case without trial, and these
discussions are ongoing. The
Government here requests that
a continuance of 28 days be
granted."
On August 11, 20
year-old Ye Hein Zaw, who with
a Burmese interpreter got his
income approved on April 6 as
low enough for free counsel
hired a private attorney, one
who is described
as a Wall Street lawyer half
of whose clients are French:
Matthew Galluzzo.
From the docket:
"NOTICE OF ATTORNEY
APPEARANCE: Matthew John
Galluzzo appearing for Ye Hein
Zaw. Appearance Type:
Retained."
Now in late
September, a request for
another 28 days to talk plea -
and a seal document is listed
as placed in the vault,
without further description.
Burma did not speak at the
recently concluded UNGA High
Level Week.
Burmese
sources consulted by Inner
City Press wondered aloud if
the Thai arms merchant in the
Complaint, or allies, might
have any role. Inner City
Press will keep covering the
case, and asking UNSG Antonio
Guterres' spokespeople
Stephane Dujarric and Melissa
Fleming, who don't
answer even a law firm's
pro bono letter, and Linda
Thomas-Greenfield, about
it.
On the afternoon
of August 6 this: Criminal
complaint on Inner City Press'
DocumentCloud here:
the arrests of PHYO HEIN HTUT
and YE HEIN ZAW for conspiracy
to assault and make a violent
attack upon Myanmar’s
Permanent Representative to
the United Nations [Kyaw Moe
Tun]. HTUT and ZAW were
charged in two separate
complaints... Between
at least in or about July 2021
through at least on or about
August 5, 2021, HTUT and ZAW,
citizens of Myanmar currently
residing in New York,
conspired to injure or kill
Myanmar’s Permanent
Representative to the UN.
During the
conspiracy, HTUT communicated
with an arms dealer in
Thailand (the “Arms Dealer”)
who sells weapons to the
Burmese military, which
overthrew Myanmar’s civilian
government in or about
February 2021. In the
course of those conversations,
HTUT and the Arms Dealer
agreed on a plan in which HTUT
would hire attackers to hurt
the Ambassador in an attempt
to force the Ambassador to
step down from his post.
If the Ambassador did not step
down, then the Arms Dealer
proposed that the attackers
hired by HTUT would kill the
Ambassador.
Shortly after agreeing on the
plan, ZAW contacted HTUT by
cellphone and transferred
approximately $4,000 to HTUT
through a money transfer app
as an advance payment on the
plot to attack the
Ambassador. Later,
during a recorded phone
conversation with ZAW, HTUT
discussed how the planned
attackers would require an
additional $1,000 to conduct
the attack on the Ambassador
in Westchester County, and for
an additional payment the
attackers could, in substance,
“finish off” the
Ambassador. In response,
ZAW agreed, in substance, to
pay the additional $1,000 and
to try to obtain the
additional money.
Inner City
Press managed to find and live
tweet the presentment of Zaw,
here:
OK - now criminal
presentment for attempt to
kill Burma's UN Ambassador of
PHYO HEIN HTUT & YE HEIN
ZAW before
@SDNYLIVE Magistrate
Judge Andrew E. Krause. Inner
City Press has reported it
(even as banned from UN by
SG @AntonioGuterres )
and will live tweet below
Zaw has a
Burmese interpreter, a Mr.
Leong - certified in
California but not New York.
He's being sworn in by Judge
Krause. No one objects.
Judge: This
is an initial appearance, to
determine if bail may be set.
You have the right to remain
silent, any statement that you
do make may be used against
you. Do you understand? Zaw
(though interpreter) Yes
Zaw is
applying for a public
defender, paid by US
taxpayers. Judge: Do you have
funds behind that set forth in
this affidavit?
Judge: Mr. Zaw,
you are entitled to have the
consulate of Myanmar visit
you. [Note: which consulate?
There's a dispute who
represents the country here,
post-coup] Zaw: Please notify
them later, when it become
necessary, your Honor.
Zaw: I am 20
years old. Judge Krause: Have
you taken any drugs or alcohol
in the past 24 hours? Zaw:
No. Defense: We are not
making a bail application
today. [So Zaw will be
detained - where? MCC?
Valhalla?]
Assistant US
Attorney: Defendant was
arrested yesterday at 1 pm. He
was not able to be presented
until today. Judge Krause: We
had to locate an interpreter.
Then he wasn't available until
after 3 pm today...
Judge Krause: Mr.
Zaw, you are charged with
participating in a conspiracy.
Have you reviewed the
complaint with the
interpreter? Yes. Public
reading of the complaint
waived.
Zaw wants a
copy of the Complaint
translated into Burmese. He
doesn't have it yet. Judge
Krause: It may take a few
days. Preliminary hearing on
September 1 - but might not
happen, if there is an
indictment by the grand jury.
Judge Krause:
Would the government be
seeking detention? AUSA: Yes.
As an extreme risk of flight.
Judge Krause: Mr. Zaw will be
detained.
At the UN, SG
Guterres removed Burma's or
Myanmar's army from the UN
"list of shame" for recruiting
and using child soldiers,
despite more than 200 cases.
Emboldened by corrupt
Guterres, they are recruiting
and using even more. Now a
call for Guterres, trying to
steal a second term, to
reinstate them on the list -
but from a group which seems
to join Guterres in banning
Inner City Press from (its)
press conference.
This
case is US v.
Zaw,
21-mj-7759
(Unassigned)
Watch this site.
***
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