| In
Drug Case of Honduras Prez JOH Inner City
Press Bid to Unseal Now Travel to
Guatemala
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Substack
LITERARY
COURTHOUSE,
Oct 30 – In closing
arguments back on March 6,
2024 AUSA Tarlow said that
narco trafficking had grown
under JOH. On March 7, out of
the hearing of the jury and
for then the Press, JOH's
lawyer Stabile said he'd heard
different overnight.
From who?
The
defendant's wife he said.
Was this
just a play for a mistrial?
Judge Castel
concluded it was, and denied
Stabile's motion, Order on
Patreon here.
Later on March 8,
the verdict, here-
then a book
Jump cut to
September 15-16, 2025, when
the lead named defendant
sought to seal his sentencing
memo and materials; Inner City
Press filed opposition. Judge
Castel docketed: "ORDER as to
Victor Hugo Diaz Morales: On
September 15, 2025, defendant
filed a motion to file under
seal his sentencing memorandum
and annexed a copy of that
memorandum. (ECF 863.) In a
September 15, 2025 email sent
to the Chambers Inbox, Matthew
Russell Lee of the Inner City
Press asks the Court "to
unseal the sentencing memo and
exhibits," citing Lugosch v.
Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435
F.3d 110, 119 (2d Cir. 2006).
The Court has not finally
ruled on the motion to seal
defendant's sentencing
memorandum and any exhibits.
Consistent with United States
v. Greenwood, 145 F.4th 248
(2d Cir. 2025), counsel for
defendant shall email to the
Chambers email address within
14 days a proposed redacted
version of defendant's
sentencing memorandum and any
exhibits, together with a
statement of reasons, with
copy to the government. The
government shall respond five
days thereafter. (Signed by
Judge P. Kevin Castel on
9/15/2025)." US v. Greenwood
was Inner City Press' win in
the 2d Circuit....
On September 25,
with nothing yet filed by Diaz
(and the sentencing date still
unclear in the docket), Judge
Castel crossed out Diaz'
proposed order and wrote on
it, "file a redacted version
on the public docket."
On September 27
Diaz' lawyer belatedly filed a
three page sentencing memo
there was no reason to have
withheld - it recounts the
lawyer meeting Diaz in
Guatemala, along with local
counsel Angel Gaytan - then
counts on USSG 5K1.1.
On October 30
Diaz's lawyer filed "Proposed
Order the Marshall Service be
directed to transport the
Defendant from Hudson County
Detention to EWR International
Airport to board a direct
flight to Guatemala and being
duly advised in the premises
it is hereby Ordered the
Motion to File Under Seal ."
"Narco
Drama: The trial of Honduras'
JOH," here.
More on X for
Subscribers here
and Substack here
***
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