| Brooklyn Rapper Jeezy Mula Pled
Guilty to Bank Fraud Conspiracy Sentencing
April 30
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- The
Source
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Jan 22 –
Brooklyn rapper Dajahn McBean,
also known as Jeezy Mula,
entered a guilty plea on
January 22 to conspiracy to
commit bank fraud. He got a
plea deal for a stipulated
guideline of 63 to 78 months
in prison. More on Patreon here. Inner City Press
live tweeted it here:
Jeezy Mula a/k/a
Dajahn McBean is pleading
guilty to conspiracy to commit
bank fraud. Inner City Press
first reported the change of
plea on Dec 28 here
Judge Failla: Are
you being treated by a doctor?
McBean: Did I ever go to a
doctor? Judge: No, is your
mind clear today, for this
proceeding? McBean: Yes.
Judge: Do
you waive your presence?
McBean: Yes, I'll make this
video. Inner City Press
Judge Failla: If
you plead guilty, and I accept
your plea, there will be no
appeal of whether you
committed the offense. Do you
understand? McBean / Jeezy
Mula: Yes, Your Honor.
Judge Failla: The maximum term
of imprisonment is thirty
years in prison.
Judge Failla: Do
you have other open cases?
McBean / Jeezy Mula: The one
in Westchester, and another in
the Eastern District. Judge
Failla: What is the status?
McBean: Could my lawyer answer
that? Lawyer: Open indictment
in EDNY, I'm not the attorney
of record. Defense lawyer:
There is also a violation of
supervised release proceeding
before Judge Sullivan. Judge
Failla: I remember that
one. [Inner City Press
too, here]
McBean / Jeezy
Mula: Could I speak with my
attorney one last time before
the plea?
[Break]
They're back;
Judge Failla discloses to
McBean's counsel that she had
a short discussion with AUSA
Chan, about the signing of
papers, going into the Office
/ Chambers, etc. All fine.
Judge Failla: Do you admit to
the forfeiture, $55,000?
McBean: Yes, your Honor.
Judge
Failla: You and the government
have agreed to a stipulated
guidelines range starting at
63 months, correct?
McBean / Jeezy
Mula: Yes, Your Honor. Judge
Failla: And you should receive
credit for the time you are
serving on this Westchester
County case.
Judge
Failla: You are agreeing not
to appeal any sentence between
63 and 78 months, correct?
McBean / Jeezy
Mula: Yes, Your
Honor. McBean
describes counterfeit check
scheme, involving
Manhattan
AUSA Andrew
Ken-Wei Chan: We would show
that the defendant and William
Valdez were arrested after a
car chase with debit cards in
others' names. We have
surveillance video of AMTs in
the SDNY, text messages from
Valdez' cell phone
Judge
Failla: Mr McBean, how do you
plead? McBean / Jeezy Mula:
Guilty, your Honor.
McBean's lawyer:
Can we put off sentencing in
light of the EDNY matter?
Judge Failla:
Might your client want to Rule
20 that case to over here?
Proceeding was
over; guilty plea accepted.
Now on January
25, a sentencing date was set:
"Set/Reset Deadlines/Hearings
as to Dajahn McBean:
Sentencing set for 4/30/2021
at 09:00 AM before Judge
Katherine Polk Failla."
Document on
Patreon here.
Inner City Press will aim to
cover and live tweet the plea
and subsequent proceeding.
Earlier, McBean
seemed to have supporters in
Garden City.
A document
was Fed-Exed from there with a
forged or satire court order
that he should be released, it
emerged on July 29 in a
proceeding that Inner City
Press covered, apparently
exclusively.
McBean has two cases in
the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York, before SDNY Judge
Katherine Polk Failla and
Second Circuit Judge Richard
J. Sullivan, as well as an
EDNY case on which he has yet
to be presented.
On July 29
Judge Failla held a
proceeding; Inner City Press
covered it. After a routine
interchange setting a briefing
schedule of September 11 and
25 and October 2, Judge Failla
announced that a false filing
had been made.
She said a
Federal Express package had
arrived with a false signature
of Judge Sullivan, saying that
McBean was now a "supervisee."
She said Judge Sullivan is
"not amused," and asked
McBean's lawyer Steven Gary
Brill if he knew anything
about it.
No, Brill
said. AUSA Andrew Chan said he
had been made aware of it by
Judge Sullivan's chambers.
Judge Failla noted that McBean
was laughing - Inner City
Press could not see, since the
CourtCall platform only has
video for participants.
On October
13, the next proceeding was
scheduled. But on that very
day, the US Attorney's Office
wrote in to postpone it to
October 30, "because of the
defendant's move to another
facility." Judge Failla
granted it. Inner City Press
said it would continue to
cover the case - and it has.
On October
30 at 9 am, Judge Failla held
a CourtCall proceeding with
McBean. She took an interest
in how he will be able to
review discovery in the MCC.
McBean said he's seen a
computer that takes CDs, but
no USB. Judge Failla asked
that the discovery by taken to
his unit and not to the closed
library.
She said it has
become a pet project for her,
prisoners' access to discovery
in the MCC and MDC. (She is
also handling issues in the
civil case of Casiano in
Auburn, which Inner City Press
is also covering). The trial's
set for April.
Later on
October 30 Judge Failla held a
proceeding for co-defendant
William Valdez to change
lawyers, if not go pro so. The
change of counsel was
approved. And so it goes.
Back in a
June 26 video court appearance
McBean resisted the mention of
William Valdez and did not
want the charges against him
to be read out loud.
The
proceeding was held by Judge
Richard J.
Sullivan, now
on the Second
Circuit Court
of Appeals but
still
handling a
number of
other cases
still on his
docket covered
by Inner City
Press, which
covers this
one too, live
tweeted:
Judge
Sullivan: Mr.
McBean
appeared
before me and
denied the
violations,
and asked for
a stay pending
resolution of
the state
charges. I
heard he pled
guilty to
assault and is
awaiting
sentencing.
McBean:
Excuse me your
honor, if I
already talked
about the
charges with
my lawyer, do
you have to
read them?
Judge
Sullivan: I
want to make a
record. You
interacted
with William
Valdez. Do you
admit or deny
that
allegation?
McBean:
I deny.
Judge
Sullivan:
There's also
conspiracy to
commit bank
fraud. This is
also before
Judge Failla.
McBean: I
deny. Judge
Sullivan: Also
aggravated
identity
theft. McBean:
Also denied.
Judge
Sullivan: I'll
ask for
periodic
updates, every
30 days or so.
Any questions
Mr. McBean?
McBean:
No your Honor.
Judge
Sullivan:
Hopefully this
COVID thing
will work
itself out and
we'll be back
in court in
person soon.
This
case is US v.
McBean,
17-cr-216
(Sullivan).
On May 8 McBean
was late for a video
proceeding before U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Katharine Polk Failla.
And McBean
wasn't late by choice. He is
in Westchester County Jail in
Valhalla, and the video
connection was late.
When he
got on, he pleaded not guilty
to bank fraud charged in a
case filed in 2020, but which
dates back to allegations in
2018 and early 2019.
Assistant
US Attorney Andrew Chan told
Judge Failla that of four
smartphone seized in January
2019, law enforcement has only
been able to crack one of
them.
Still, both
McBean and his co-defendant
William Valdez are purchasing
1-terabyte hard drive have the
discovery material burned onto
them.
Judge Failla said she will
inform Judge Richard J.
Sullivan, now on the Second
Circuit Court of Appeals but
who is still handling a McBean
case and a number of other
cases still on his docket
covered by Inner City Press,
of the day's proceedings. That
case is 20-cr-226, US v.
McBean (Failla).
***
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