| After Months in
Colombia Jail Amid COVID Espinal
78 Months Betancourt
Asks Probation
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY
COURTHOUSE,
Oct 15 – A man extradited from
Colombia on drug trafficking
charged he pled guilty to was
up for sentencing by U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Valerie E. Caproni on
March 18, 2024.
Inner City
Press was there, the only
civilian in the
courtroom.
The US
Attorney's Office had asked
for a below Guidelines
sentence of 60 months, citing
the time the defendant spent
in prison in Colombia awaiting
extradition during the height
of the COVID-19
pandemic.
The
defendant when he spoke cried,
how he had lost time with his
family.
Judge
Caproni noted the tears, and
the prison, but said that he
had not fully accepted
responsibility, and had
downplayed his role. Instead
of the requested sixty months,
she sentenced Franck Hernan
Alvarez Espinal to 78 months.
He
indicated that he wanted to
say something after, but
ultimately did not.
On October 15
co-defendant Betancourt asked
for five years probation.
Sentencing is set for October
23 at 2:30 pm.
The case is US v.
Salazar-Lotero, et al.,
19-cr-661 (Caproni)
***
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 2006-2024 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com
|
,
