| Bronx District Leader
Nicole Torres Indicted For Selling
Poll Worker Jobs OKed for Medical
Pot
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY
EXCLUSIVE,
March 4 – A Republican
District Leader in the 81st
Assembly District in The Bronx
has been indicted for
accepting bribes to give out
poll worker jobs, as an
employee of the Board of
Elections.
On August 27 at 2 pm,
Nicole Torres was brought by
U.S. Marshals before U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Magistrate Judge Stewart D.
Aaron. Inner City Press was
there, the only media in the
SDNY Mag court.
The
Assistant US Attorney agreed
to release on unsecured
$50,000 bond, with a next
conference before District
Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil set
for September 10 at 3
pm. The now
unsealed indictment alleged
that Torres "illegally
demanded payments from Bronx
residents to herself and a
local organization in exchange
for selecting individuals as
poll workers." Full
indictment on Patreon here
On September 10,
Torres was arraigned by Judge
Vyskocil in a nearly empty
courtroom. Inner City Press
was there, from the thread:
Judge: You are
charged in 7 counts. How do
you plead?
Torres: Not
guilty. AUSA: We have bank
records and some body-worn
camera footage, ten devices
and some iCloud accounts.
Judge: Inform me
by Dec 10 if there will be
defense motions. Conference on
Dec 17.
Judge: I
anticipate that on Dec 17 I
will set a trial date,
probably in February 2025.
But on December 9
the US Attorney's Office wrote
in to cancel the December 17
appearance, asking that it be
put back to late January or
early February citing the same
10 devices - and three iCloud
accounts.
On January 13
Federal Defenders wrote in
asking for an order permitting
medical marijuana for Torres,
noting that the US Attorney
Office opposes it.
On January 28
Judge Vyskocil denied the
motion without prejudice,
noting no medical letter.
On February 25
Federal Defenders reapplied
for Torres, with a medical
letter entirely blacked out.
On March 4
permission was granted:
"Defendant's request is HEREBY
GRANTED. The Court hereby
directs this Court's Pretrial
Services Department not to
find a violation of Defendants
release conditions based
solely on New York
state-approved medical
marijuana use or a
drug-testing result consistent
with New York state-approved
medical marijuana usage,
provided that, upon request of
the Pretrial Services Officer:
(1) the Defendant provides a
copy of each medical marijuana
prescription issued to her by
an authorized medical
professional in accordance
with New York state law and
(2) the Defendant demonstrates
that any marijuana consumed
was obtained through New York
state-authorized channels (by
providing copies of dated
purchase receipts and
permitting inspection of the
packaging upon request).
(Signed by Judge Mary Kay
Vyskocil on 3/4/2025)
The case
is USA v. Torres, 1:24-cr-499
(Vyskocil / Aaron)
***
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