| Man Jailed
for Arms Sales to FARC Makes 2d Request
for Compassionate Release US Opposes
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell
Book
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
March 24 – Luis Felipe Moreno
Godoy was convicted for his
role in selling weapons to men
he believed to be part of
Colombia's FARC.
On May 31,
U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Judge Jed S. Rakoff held an
oral argument on his motion
for a reduced sentence. Inner
City Press covered
it.
The arms
deals date back to 2006 in
Lebanon and 2007 in Spain,
where Moreno was in on a key
dinner. The weapons were to
have been shipped to
Suriname.
Moreno's lawyer
portrayed him as a long time
employee of lead defendant
Monzer Al Kassar and said if
Moreno is released now he will
simply retire, not sell arms.
Al Kassar remains
in jail; Moreno is 73 and has
COPD.
On June 17, Judge
Rakoff denied the application:
"MEMORANDUM ORDER as to Luis
Felipe Moreno Godoy. The Court
finds that reducing Felipe
Moreno's sentence would be
inconsistent with the factors
set forth in section 3553(a).
Since this is fatal to the
instant motion, the Court need
not consider the other
compassionate release factors.
Felipe Moreno's motion for
compassionate release is
therefore denied (Signed by
Judge Jed S. Rakoff on
6/17/22)."
On January 2,
2025 co-defendant Al-Ghazi
wrote in asking to be released
from his 300 month sentence
after serving 210 months.
On March 24,
2025, responding to Felipe
Moreno's second motion for
compassionate release, the US
Attorney's Office opposed,
saying there are (still) no
extraordinary and compelling
circumstances justifying
release.
The overall case
is US v. Al Kassar, 07-cr-354
(Rakoff)
***
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