In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT,  Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 12 – A week after nine defendants in an alleged conspiracy to pay bribes for confidential information about motor vehicle accident victims in a no-fault insurance scheme were presented and bailed out on November 7, 2019 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein, another co-defendant was presented on November 14.

  It was Mrs Rose, in a wheel chair and a hat. Quickly bailed, with forthcoming financially responsible co-signers barred from being the same as used by relatives, next stop would be a mass status conference before Judge Paul G. Gardephe.

On February 2, 2022, co-defendant Ms. Makkah Shabbaz was up for sentencing. Judge Gardephe noted her remorse, and sentenced her to six months to be followed by two years of Supervised Release.

  In 2022, Judge Gardephe has another, related no-fault case. On January 12, past 7 pm, Inner City Press live tweeted four of the defendants, here:

Of tonight's four defendants, only one is asking for - and for now getting - publicly funded lawyer: it's defendant ALBERT ARONOV. Magistrate Judge Moses tell him, what with his wife's income, he might have to pay the taxpayers back at some point.

Now defendant PETER KHAIMOV, a/k/a “Peter Khaim” pleads not guilty. He's charged with healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Travel Act conspiracy, aggravated identity theft (potential maximum term of imprisonment is 37 years)

AUSA says US is willing to agree for Khaimov to be released for $500,000 bond - and now contact with this case OR US v. Rose, another case Inner City Press has already been covering

Judge Moses tells defendant MARCELO QUIROGA that he'll be tested for marijuana, and that "it stays in your system for a long time." Aronov, the man with taxpayer funded lawyer, is being released on $200,000 bond

This case is US v. v. Gulkarov, et al., 22-Cr-20 (Gardephe / Moses)

  Back in December 2021, defendant Leon Blue appeared before Judge Gardephe, from prison in New Jersey, to plead guilty to a single count in the indictment. Blue described getting information from hospital employees about car crashes; his plea deal is capped at 30 months. Anything below that he essentially cannot appeal.

Judge Gardephe proposed sentencing for April 21 but Blue and his lawyer wanted it faster. So it will be on March 22, at 10: 30 am. . One of the counts involved a gun found at Rose's house in Queens - that is, in the Eastern District. Rose agreed to waive venue. Sentencing was set for March 25 at 10 am.

There was a public call-in line, as all proceedings in this era of Omicron should have. (Inner City Press on December 28 renewed its request to Judge Gardephe's for-now colleague Judge Alison J. Nathan, for the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, see here.)

Back on November 7, 2019 the government asked for a $150,000 bond for defendant Eddie Abayev.

  This was triple the $50,000 the government requested for the other co-defendants brought out of the holding cell with him. The Assistant US Attorney made a point of telling Judge Gorenstein, on the record, that when Abayev after arreste was given access to his phone ostensibly to get some information like a phone number off it, he used the chance to delete from his phone an application, specifically WhatsApp.

  Apparently that put Abayev on the hook for $100,000 more than the co-defendants around him.

  Earlier in the afternoon the government asked to detain the alleged ringleader, Anthony Rose.   

Judge Gorenstein asked, What is the sentencing guideline?

   I have the loss amount but I don't have the guideline with me at the moment, the Assistant US Attorney replied.

    "I have a book," Judge Gorenstein said, handing the AUSA the sentencing guidelines book, so often waved around in the SDNY. "Take your time."   

More than two minutes later, the AUSA estimated a potential sentencing of 25 years.   Judge Gorenstein called that figure, based on the imposition of consecutive sentences, highly unlikely.

Calling it a close case, he offered Anthony Rose conditions of release: a $1 million month secured by $20,000 and his mother's home and no contact with co-defendants, which includes his wife Tara Rose.

   Rose's Federal Defender had offered that Rose's mother could take care of Tara Rose. Apparently she is being counted on for that, and to put up her home, not yet committed to or confirm.

  Unless all the conditions are met, Anthony Rose will remain in detention. The government said he has 13 pseudonyms, burner phones and recently visited Cuba, and that a warrant for his Apple electronics found him discussing moving his whole operation to Costa Rica.

Jump-cut to June 14, 2021. Antony Rose is out on pre-trial release - and he has just written to Judge Gardephe for permission for a big business trip from July 3 onward, "selling natural hair for Ethnicity Hair Collections (EHC)," to Puerto Rico, SC, LA, GA, NC. Watch this site.

And on July 16, 2021, co-defendant Dejahnea Brown pleaded guilty in the case. She will not be able to appeal any sentence below 57 months. Sentencing is set for November 19.

  This multi-defendant case is US v. Rose et al, 19-cr-789 (Gardephe / Gorenstein). 

***

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA

Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2019 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for