| Mike's
Candyshop Drug Dealer Luis Meson Gets 108
Months After Death of Vine Founder Kroll
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Sept 7 – Luis Meson was
imprisoned in the Metropolitan
Correctional Center in lower
Manhattan beginning in October
2019, for his participation in
the Mike's Candystore drug
trafficking organization. He
pleaded guilty, and on
September 7, 2021 he was
sentenced. Inner City Press
live tweeted it, below.
On December 2,
2020 U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of
New York Judge Katherine Polk
Failla held a lengthy bond
hearing on and with Meson. On
December 7, "proceedings held
before Judge Katherine Polk
Failla:Motion For Temporary
Pretrial Release on
disposition sheet as to Luis
Meson held on 12/7/2020. AUSA
Nicholas Chiuchiolo present.
Defendant's Counsel Lorraine
Gauli-Rufo present.
$150,000.00 PRB, 4 FRP, Travel
restricted to SDNY/EDNY,
Surrender travel documents
(& No new applications),
Pretrial supervision as
directed by pretrial services,
Drug testing/treatment as
directed by PTS, Mental health
evaluation/treatment as
directed by PTS, Home
incarceration, GPS, Deft not
to possess firearm/destructive
device/other weapon, Deft to
be detained until all
conditions are met. Defendant
to live with one of the
co-signers, [Name not
published by Inner City Press,
voluntarily] in Queens, NY, or
with another co-signer, so
long as that co-signer's
living quarters are approved
by Pretrial Services.
Defendant is not to
communicate with witnesses
and/or co-defendants outside
of the presence of counsel.
Deft is to self-install GPS
monitoring at the direction of
Pretrial Services. (jw)."
Now the
September 7, 2021 sentencing,
resulting in 108 months of
incarceration, live tweeted here:
Now sentencing of
"Mike's Candyshop" drug dealer
Luis Meson; 2018 death of
Colin Kroll, the co-founder of
the now-dead video-hosting
service Vine is cited. Meson
is a/k/a Sito. US wants 135 to
168 months.
Judge Failla: How
likely is deportation? Will
Meson be contesting it?
Defense: We've looked into it,
it appears it is most likely
he will be deported. He has
been in this country for 26
years. His mother is here. His
daughter is here.
Judge Failla:
Paragraph 94 of the
Pre-Sentencing Report, on his
part ownership of an ale house
in Brooklyn. He invested
$50,000 in the ale house. How
did he have that money?
Defense: That's an error. The
correct sum was $15,000 and he
was paying from salary AUSA
Nicholas
Chiuchiolo: Mike's Candyshop
was selling 7 nights a week,
heroin, fentanyl and cocaine.
Mr. Meson would make the
deliveries on the doorstep,
three to four times a week. He
is not being held for the
overdose death - but it could
have been anyone
Defense:
Mr. Meson had nothing to do
with the gun. In 2019 Mr.
Meson had moved away from the
crime and tried to open a bar.
He heard after the fact about
the death. Judge Failla: He
didn't think it was linked to
the drugs? Defense: He heard
rumors.
Defense: He
only sold drugs two days a
week. He was released on bail
by your Honor, we've very
grateful for that. He has a
job. He knows he did something
wrong. He has been a
productive member of society.
It was a mistake.
Meson: I've
done damage to my family. I
apologize for my actions.
Judge Failla: I saw the AUSAs
talking - anything you want to
say?
AUSA: After he
was arrested, he had
contraband phone in his cell.
What he was doing with it
makes it no less of a crime.
Judge Failla: I'm
going to step off the bench
for five minutes or so.
Judge
Failla is back and says: the
Guideline is 135 to 168
months, with a 60 month
minimum. I've been thinking
about the request I think
about all of Mr. Meson. And I
will. He took classes while
detained. But it was a
well-run and deadly
conspiracy.
Judge Failla: I
will sentence Mr. Meson to 108
months. Then four years of
supervised release.
Back on
December 2, 2020 after
lawyers' arguments about the
ability to review discovery
while in lockdown, Judge
Failla put questions to Meson
himself, with his counsel's
consent.
Meson
explained how in 7 South they
are let out of their cells
only from 7 am to 7:30 am,
three days a week. Sixteen
inmates compete for a single
computer.
His lawyer
described a fire; the
Assistant US Attorney blamed
it on a prisoner using a
lightbulb outlet to charge a
cell phone -- contraband.
Later the AUSA said that was
just his understanding.
A decision
earlier in the pandemic by
EDNY Judge Garaufis was cited.
And on December 7, the
decision to free Meson on
bond.
The case is US v.
Tavarez, et al., 19-cr-690
(Failla)
***
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