| Mike's
Candyshop Drug Courier Jeffrey Urena Got
40 Months Now Taveras Gets 23 Years
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
August 12 – Jeffrey Urena
pleaded guilty to being a part
of the Mike's Candy Store drug
trafficking organization from
April 2019 until he was
arrested in August 2019. On
October 6, 2021 he was
sentenced. Inner City Press
went to 40 Foley Square and
covered it.
U.S.
District Court
for the
Southern
District of
New York Judge
Katherine Polk
Failla
conducted the
sentencing. In
the gallery
with Inner
City Press
were more than
a half dozen
family members
and
supporters.
Judge
Failla
chastized
Urena's
counsel for a
since
withdrawn
sentencing
submission
that, she
said,
attempted to
walk away from
the plea
agreement. (It
is unclear if
that
submission is
in the docket
- while there
was a
statement that
it was not
considered, it
was discussed
and so we'd
say, is a
judicial
document.)
Judge
Failla said
she was
impressed with
Urena's work
while out on
bond, as a
handyman in
Manhattan. She
sentenced him
to 40 months,
followed by
three years of
supervised
release.
In
August 2012,
this: "ARIEL
TAVAREZ, a/k/a
“A,” a/k/a
“Mike,” was
sentenced to
264 months in
prison in
connection
with his
conspiring to
distribute
heroin,
cocaine,
fentanyl, and
a fentanyl
analogue, and
to
distributing
narcotics that
caused the
2018 death of
Colin Kroll,
the co-founder
of the video
hosting
service Vine
and the trivia
game
application HQ
Trivia."
Back on
October 13,
2021, Judge Failla
held a
sentencing of
co-defendant
Kevin Grullon, and
Inner City
Press covered
it as well. In
this case,
there was a
mandatory
minimum of 60
months and
that is what
Judge Failla
went with,
varying down
from the guideline
while
emphasizing
how serious the
crime was. She
asked
when Grullon
knew about the
overdose,
and what he
did after.
Now, five
years incarceration.
On December 2,
2020 Judge Failla held a
lengthy bond hearing on and
with co-defendant Luis 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 light
bulb 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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