Judge
Told US to
Give Press
Exhibits in
Sealed Trial
Still 3 Not
Given But Here
Are Some
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Feb 25 – For a criminal trial
in January 2026 the US
Attorney's Office asked U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Jessica G.L. Clarke to
seal the courtroom for a main
witness. She did, and Inner
City Press which was covering
or trying to cover the trial
was told
Judge Clarke has
ordered that the Government
would make the daily
transcript of the UC’s
testimony available to the
public through the court
reporter’s office and publish
redacted versions of the
exhibits, including the Buy
Videos, to the public.
Inner City Press immediately -
January 29 - asked the Office
for the exhibits. Nothing. The
exhibits were not shown in the
audio-only room. The trial
ended, in a guilty verdict.
Still no exhibits.
On February 13,
after Judge Clarke had ordered
the Office to explain by
February 20, the AUSA filed a
letter blaming Inner City
Press, saying darkly that it
reports on cooperating
witnesses - in open court -
and that it might publish the
exhibits if provided. Well,
yes, as we've done for example
in an EDNY case before Judge
Komitee
Inner City
Press immediately filed
opposition into the docket, here.
After another
round, finally some but not
all exhibits, here
Then on Sunday,
February 15 Judge Clarke to
her credit followed up and
docketed, "it appears that Mr.
Lee has offered to accept the
videos without sound. As such,
in its February 18, 2026
letter, the Government shall
also respond to whether it has
any objection to providing the
videos to Mr. Lee without
sound, with the UC’s face
blurred, along with the
corresponding transcripts for
those buy videos."
But before
February 18, the US Attorney's
Office wrote in and asked
until February 25. Inner City
Press emailed the US
Attorney's Office making
further accommodations, and
say it awaited the files.
Docketed on February, Judge
Clarke granted them until
February 25.
Past 10 pm on
February 25, the AUSA wrote
in, "Since last week’s letter,
the Government has endeavored
to totally redact the UC’s
face from all 13 buy videos
admitted as exhibits at trial.
As of tonight, 10 of the
videos have been redacted,
reviewed for completeness, and
provided to Mr. Lee through
the Government’s filesharing
site. The remaining three are
expected to be completed by
Monday, March 2, 2026. The
Government can provide the
Court a final update on or
before that date, or simply
notify the Court if anything
impedes completion, or proceed
in any other manner the Court
so directs." For now, here's
some of the video, on X, here
For now, the
partial exhibits given
include, for example, multiple
photos of the defendant with
cash spread out on the floor -
including one-dollar bills -
and singing along with rap
songs in a discount store, in
front of small plastic
keyboards for sale, lyrics
including "'Scuse me while I
count this bread."
Then
there is
dialogue like,
"My girl Givin
me the bread
tomorrow..."
"I got u"
There's a
four-second video with lyrics
"Wartime hoppin' in the whip,"
with a purple Pokemon.
Later on February
16 defense counsel wrote in
that "without objection from
the Government, we
respectfully request... the
sentencing hearing be
adjourned to a date in late
September or October" - rather
than the May 4 previously set.
And it has been ADJOURNED to
October 22, 2026, at 11:00
a.m.
Watch this site.
The case is USA v.
Conyers, et al., 1:23-cr-457
(Clarke)
***
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