In
SDNY Brooklyn State Judge Ash Has Trial
Fixed at November 30, Voir Dire Due Nov 9
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Alamy
photos
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
September 1 – A now suspended
Brooklyn Supreme Court judge
Sylvia Ash was first brought
by US Marshals on October 11,
2019 to be presented in SDNY
Magistrates Court on charges
of obstructing the
investigation of fraud at the
Municipal Credit Union, where
she was a board member.
Then on
November 4, 2019 she appeared
with her Court Street lawyer
Roger Archibald before SDNY
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. Things
did not go well, see below.
On June 2, 2020
Judge Kaplan denied Ash's
motion to suppress in its
entirety (the 19 page Order is
online), and noted this:
"Archibald had an actual or
potential conflict because he
appeared to have been involved
in the conduct charged to Ash.
The involvement was as
follows: On July 6, 2018 Ash,
through Archibald, made an
allegedly incomplete
production in response to the
June 18, 2018 subpoena, which
had required that she produce,
among other items, all
correspondence with Wong and
all documents regarding any
items of value received from
Wong or the MCU ."
Now on
September 1, the trial has
been firmly set for November
30: "ORDER as to Sylvia Ash:
This case is set for trial
commencing on November 30,
2021. Counsel should assume
that it will not be postponed
further. Proposed voir dire
questions and requests to
charge shall be filed no later
than November 9, 2021. (Signed
by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan on
9/1/2021)." We'll have
more on this - and on the
trial
Back on
October 11, 2019 after a
proceeding replete with State
versus Federal court and
Brooklyn versus Manhattan
cultural clashes, Sylvia Ash
was freed on $500,000 bond
with a GPS location monitoring
bracelet.
Her Court
Street lawyer Roger Archibald
told reporters that she must
be presumed innocent, then
went back into the SDNY
Magistrates Court to work on
the logistics of his client's
release.
The
release had not been sure.
Assistant US Attorney Eli Mark
complained that Ash's lawyer
Archibald had inaccurately
told prosecutors that Ash was
on her way to Africa. Then
that Archibald, when he
learned Ash was instead on the
way to Miami, had not updated
or corrected the false
information.
Archibald
for his part said Ash she be
released without condition,
given what he called her
"pedigree." SDNY Magistrate
Judge Ona T. Wang quoted this
back in her decision, saying
that accepting that logic
would mean unconditional
release for any defendant with
a degree.
When Judge
Wang asked Archibold to make
his arguments under the
applicable Federal statute
under the Bail Reform Act,
Archibald said he did not have
a copy. Later he asked for the
preliminary hearing on October
21, when the government has at
least 21 days for defendants
who are bailed.
It
was state versus Federal,
Brooklyn versus Manhattan....
***
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