After Guilty
Verdicts in Trial Involving 2
Murders Another New Lawyer
Request
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY
COURTHOUSE,
March 7 – Carlos Ramirez
faces a racketeering
conspiracy trial to start
September 9, 2024. In late
March his Criminal Justice Act
lawyer wrote in ex parte to
the judge, disclosing a
possible conflict of interest
and arguing it should not bar
him from the case and
trial.
U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Jesse M. Furman, to his
credit, made the letter
public, with some redactions.
Previously, Judge
Furman granted an application
by Inner City Press to unseal
defendant Michael Avenatti's
CJA financial affidavit (while
suggesting the issue should be
systematized at an
administrative level - it has
not been. In the recent
Honduras narcotics case and
trial, one defendant's
affidavit was unsealed on
Inner City Press' motion,
while another such motion
still sits unruled upon).
In this
case, Ramirez' counsel at some
point reached out to
co-defendant Miguel Genoa's
CJA lawyer, which whom he had
worked on US v. Alexei Saab (a
Hezbollah trial Inner City
Press covered).
She sought advice
on - a topic that remains
redacted. But at least the
rest of the letter is now
public.
On August 30
Judge Furman denied Ramirez'
motion to depose "an unnamed
witness who was previously
deported from the US" who he
said would testify that the
alleged murder of Jordanny
Correa "was not gang related
by related to a personal
dispute between Carlos Ramirez
and others." No deposition,
and no testimony via CCTV.
On September 5,
in Courtroom 318 where the
trial will be held, Judge
Furman ruled on motions in
limine. Inner City Press was
there. Judge Furman inquired
into social media account(s)
in jail, and admitted evidence
that is prejudicial but not
unfairly so.
On September 16,
with cooperating witness
Garcia on the stand, the
defense lawyer asking about
the witness' role in a 2017
shooting. After excusing the
witness, in a green prison
jumpsuit, Judge Furman told
the jurors to expect
summations Thursday or Friday,
and to stay later.
Late on September
20, the jury returned guilty
verdicts on all three counts.
Jump cut to March
2025, just before the
scheduled sentencing:
"ENDORSED LETTER as to
(20-Cr-22-3) Carlos Ramirez
addressed to Judge Jesse M.
Furman from Attorney Jesse M.
Siegel dated March 5, 2025 re:
I am sorry to report that
there has been a complete
breakdown in communication
between my client, Carlos
Ramirez, and me. Therefore, I
must request that I be
relieved as CJA counsel to
him, and that the Court
appoint new counsel. I am, of
course, available to appear at
a conference to address this
request, should the Court
believe it necessary.
Sentencing is currently
scheduled for March 19th at
10:30, although I had intended
to file a request today asking
that it be adjourned.
ENDORSEMENT: The parties shall
appear for a conference on
March 13, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
in Courtroom 1105 of the
Thurgood Marshall United
States Courthouse. Unless and
until the Court orders
otherwise, the sentencing
scheduled for March 19, 2025,
is ADJOURNED sine die.
The case
is US v. Ramirez,
20-cr-22 (Furman)
***
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 130222, Chinatown Station,
NY NY 10013
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
|