| In SDNY Sex Trafficking
Defendant Valdez Is Bailed Out And Told To
Advertise No More
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Nov 12 –
Charged with advertising sex
for money with a child in the
Fordham section of The Bronx,
Michael Valdez and Ryan Diaz
were presented on November 12
before Magistrate Judge
Katharine H. Parker of the
U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York.
Inner City Press, the only
media in the SDNY Magistrates
Court, was in the gallery with
family and supporters of the
defendants, who said they were
from 184th Street by Ryer
Avenue.
The
complaint describes the Victim
held and beaten in an
apartment "near 184th Street,"
and advertised online.
Judge Parker admonished the
defendants that they could not
take out such ads while out on
bond, or ask others to take
out such ads for them. Michael
Valdez was released on $50,000
bond. Ryan Diaz, with CJA
counsel James Branden, was
detained with consent. The
case is US v. Valdez and
Robles, 19-mj-10616
(Parker).
But earlier in the day it
emerged that the US Attorney
for the SDNY, in the case of
Warren Bryant, simply dropped
sex trafficking charges and
made a plea deal for
narcotics. Is that the new
M.O., following the Office's laissez
faire approach to
the UN corruption of Antonio
Guterres? Watch this
site.
Warren Bryant was charged with
sex trafficking,
transportation for
prostitution and narcotics
conspiracy in January 2019 by
the US Attorney for the
Southern District of New York.
But
on November 12 when Warren
Bryant came before SDNY Judge
Analisa Torres with Inner City
Press the only media in the
gallery, as it had been on
Bryant's previous appearance,
the US Attorney had made a
plea agreement only on
narcotics conspiracy, for 10
years imprisonment, with the
sex trafficking charges
dropped.
Judge Torres asked if Bryant's
allocution, limited to
narcotics, was sufficient, and
was told that it was. She
summoned the lawyers including
Bryant's Federal Defender Clay
Kaminsky, up to the front for
a whispered sidebar from which
the word "victim" or "victims"
could not be missed.
It gave rise to an obvious
question: if victims are
supposed to be informed,
particularly under the
Trafficking Victims Protection
Act, what happens if the US
Attorney simply drops the
trafficking charges? Do the
victims get notice of this
important decision? It does
not appear so.
Judge Torres accepted the plea
- Inner City Press can think
of at least one SDNY Judge who
might not have - and set
sentencing for March 16 at 2
pm. Perhaps these issues will
be addressed at that time. The
case is US v. Bryant,
19-cr-00006 (Torres).
***
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