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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Order Vlog

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 6 –  Five defendants in a telemarketing scheme were presented past 8 pm on November 20, 2019 in the Magistrates Court of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

 On April 2, 2021 Jen Shah of Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City was arraigned in the same case - and a $1 million bond, with $250,000 of it secured by case or property, required. Inner City Press live tweeted that - and the sentencings, of Jen Shah, and co-defendants and cooperators Joseph Chirico and Anthony Cheedie, below, more on Patreon here.

On January 6, Jen Shah was sentenced to 78 months in prison, after Judge Sidney H. Stein largely granted Inner City Press' application to unseal (though not, it seems, until January 9). Inner City Press live tweeted, thread here.

  Three hours after Shah left the courthouse without answering questions (video here), Judge Stein held a sentencing for cooperator Joseph Chirico, who already served 17 months in state prison and seven months in Federal lock up. He is now in a half-way house, and working in an auto body shop. Judge Stein sentenced him to time served. Inner City Press was the only person in the courtroom gallery.

An hour later, Judge Stein took up the sentencing of cooperators but more involved Anthony Cheedie - whose lawyer pointed out it is pronounced "Chetty." Judge Stein said that some jail time was important, and imposed a sentence of six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, the first six months of which are home confinement.

  Cheedie's lawyer said he might lose his job, and to please cap his restitution at 10% of income. That was granted. Cheedie has until March 10 to turn himself in, in the metropolitan area, presumably the MDC. And that was it. For now - except for the wrongfully redacted Jen Shah submissions.

Back on December 16, 2022 Shah's lawyer in a heavily redacted submission asked for 36 months, far below the plea deal. Exhibit list  along with redacted statement by Jen Shah on Patreon here.  Inner City Press emailed opposition to the redactions, to Shah's lawyer (no response) and elsewhere - then filed it.

On January 4, Judge Stein ruled: "IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that defendant Shah is directed to respond to the application of Inner City Press [Doc. No. 648] to unseal certain portions of Shah's sentencing memorandum and an exhibit to the government's sentencing memorandum in writing on or before 12:00 p.m. on January 5, 2023."

On January 5 at noon, Shah's lawyer filed not any unredacted memo, but a threat to withdraw the exhibits if Judge Stein rules in favor of Inner City. Letter on Inner City Press' DocumentCloud here.

Less than an hour later, Inner City Press filed a reply: "This replies to defense counsel's argument that the sentencing materials submitted for the Court's consideration can be withdrawn. But they are judicial documents. And citing to pre-guilty plea rulings on motions in limine is unavailing.   Most offensive is the claim that Exhibit D, the defendant's own statement asking for a substantially below Guidelines sentence, has been redacted in conformity to rules and precedent. It has not.   The second paragraph starts, "In 2016, my life hit a serious crossroad" - then three lines are redacted. The third paragraph begins with a sentence about the defendant's husband - then a full page is redacted.    This is unheard of. Contrast it to the January 4, 2023 resentencing of Raymond Quiles, who cooperated with the government about and was ready to testify against this defendant. The courtroom was not sealed; his arguments for mercy, about his autistic son (whose name was given) and his floundering business were all public.   Why should Jen Shah be given substantially more secrecy than Raymond Quiles?    This statement, intended to procure a lighter sentence, cannot be withdrawn and must be unredacted."

Judge Stein largely granted the motion to unseal. By 5 pm on the day of sentencings, no unredacted memo had been made available by Shah's lawyer.

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